TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Army-Navy Surplus Market a survivor in modern Tampa

Need a foot locker? A mess kit? An ammo box? This is the place.

ADVERTISEMENT

By GEORGE WILKENS | The Tampa Tribune

Published: March 19, 2010

TAMPA - In the heart of what was once a vibrant retail area of downtown Tampa, one large store has survived for decades selling an assortment of items ranging from unique and hard to find, to practical and necessary.

Army-Navy Surplus Market of Tampa, the only downtown store marked with what resembles a missile, caters to campers, hunters, boaters, public safety officers, members of the military and others.

Blue-collar workers can be outfitted from head to toe, hats to boots.

Ammo boxes, sought by boaters because they are watertight, are available in three sizes, but only one color: olive drab.

Sleeping bags, mess kits, mosquito netting and hammocks are camping essentials.

Battle-dress uniforms for each branch of the military - and casual wear in various camouflage patterns - are available in all sizes.

The No. 1 seller among the store's countless products? "Duffel bags," said longtime manager Awilda Pressley. "Boots are next."

The wide selection of the latter includes steel-toed boots, Desert Storm boots and boots with side zippers, plus assorted dressy military styles.

Foot lockers are another top item. "That's a good seller for kids going off to college," Pressley said.

Rapid fire, the 10-year veteran of the military surplus market can rattle off a list of other popular items: gloves, propane stoves, camouflage netting, tarpaulins, tents, climbing rope, leather jackets, raincoats, ponchos and poncho liners. The store also sells metal detectors and binoculars, Pressley added.

"We have coveralls for the working people, long-sleeve and short-sleeve," and insulated. The large line of clothing includes various styles of jackets, including children's sizes (2T and up) and adults' up to size 8X. Uncertain of size? "We have three dressing rooms," Pressley said.

Clothing includes a full line of Dickies work wear, slacks and shirts for security guards, plus badges, handcuffs and holsters.

The store sells rings for every branch of the military, Zippo lighters and, while you wait, can stamp out a dog tag for you - or your dog.

"We sell a lot of insignias and flags. We have over 500 patches," Pressley said of the sew-on badges for the various military divisions. You can get a cap imprinted with "Security," "Ranger" or "Korea Veteran" or a replica of a Confederate Army hat.

Anyone headed north -- or, for that matter, stung by Florida's unusually long, cold winter -- can take comfort knowing the store stocks thermal underwear and wool socks. "Please ask us for long johns" states one of the store's many hand-lettered signs.

The selection of thermal tops and bottoms includes sizes for children and adults, even available in pink.

Vacuum-packed Meals Ready to Eat - known as MREs - sell well, as do similar survival items for customers stocking emergency kits.

The eclectic collection of new merchandise comes from a variety of warehouses and includes true military surplus, such as Army helmets, "GI Issue Insect Repellant," gas masks and the popular ammo boxes.

The sturdy, tightly latched, metal boxes that lock out moisture are prized by recreational boaters, but buyers find all sorts of uses for them - including the obvious.

Vernon Hanna of Riverview sorted through the collection of well-weathered ammo boxes and chose the smallest size, $12.83 including tax. The purpose? To store ammunition for a newly purchased firearm, he said.

Hanna said he also relies on the store for camouflage clothing he dons for paintball battles.
Many people who visit the surplus market at 1312 N. Tampa St. are curious browsers, perhaps attracted by the large fighter plane fuel tank outside, painted red and positioned at an angle to resemble a ballistic missile awaiting launch.

"What can we get for you today," employee Katie O'Brien asked a man entering the store one recent morning. "I have no idea," the man said as he gazed at the abundance of merchandise stacked high on shelves along dark narrow aisles, piled in corners and suspended from the ceiling. He wanders off to explore the 10,000-square-foot store.

"I've been stopping in here since I was a young kid," said Thomas Palmer, 66, of North Tampa, who on this visit buys khaki pants, sweatshirts and a belt.

Another regular customer, Army veteran Ron Wells, praises the large, diverse inventory he said is superior to that at a Brandon surplus store he knows. He stops today for a belt buckle, but relies on the store for military shoes and other military clothing. "It's durable and it works good," the 50-year-old Seminole Heights resident said of the military merchandise he buys.

Other regulars include police, sheriff's deputies, firefighters, Rough Riders, members of other Gasparilla krewes, and cadets with the Civil Air Patrol and ROTC.

"All the police officers come for boots," said owner Nick Potamitis. "We sell a lot of boots here," he said, adding that the jungle boot is most popular.

Potamitis, who bought the store in 1983 from Ray Schneider, the former Southern lightweight boxing champion who opened it in 1955, spends much of his workday behind the cash register. He is surrounded by merchandise displays of everything from military medals and ribbons to camouflage face paint and $1.29 olive-drab hand warmers. A grappling hook hangs from the ceiling.

Nearby sits an open ammo box full of hand grenades. The heavy $9.99 grenades, of course, are unarmed. Still, a hand-lettered sign politely urges curious customers to resist human nature: "Please do not pull pin."

Reporter George Wilkens can be reached at 813-259-7124

Share this:

Loading Comments...

ADVERTISEMENT