visiting so cali , suggest tool stores /swap meets

[cyato]

I didn't see anyone mention Orange Coast College Swap Meet in Costa Mesa. Not too far from the Anaheim/Disney area.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/orange-coast-college-occ-swap-meet-costa-mesa

I've had pretty good luck there with tools. Better than Golden West College Swap Meet IMHO. Not as good as Pomona or Long Beach.

Definitely second Cars and Coffee in Irvine. Every Saturday. Great collection of cars for a weekly get together. You just have to get there early, like 6:30. Lots of people are leaving by 8:30, just FYI.

http://irvine.carsandcoffee.info/

Good luck with your trip!

 

[Aceman]

Have you tried Disneyworld? It's even closer for you?

 

[steveo3002]

I didn't see anyone mention Orange Coast College Swap Meet in Costa Mesa. Not too far from the Anaheim/Disney area.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/orange-coast-college-occ-swap-meet-costa-mesa

I've had pretty good luck there with tools. Better than Golden West College Swap Meet IMHO. Not as good as Pomona or Long Beach.

Definitely second Cars and Coffee in Irvine. Every Saturday. Great collection of cars for a weekly get together. You just have to get there early, like 6:30. Lots of people are leaving by 8:30, just FYI.

http://irvine.carsandcoffee.info/

Good luck with your trip!

sounds good thanks..the reviews mentions tools

 

[Plombob]

im there july 19 and leaving aug 2

keep the ideas coming , its a great help

PM me when it gets closer.

 

[macgee]

In regards to stores,

You may want to check out Rockler in Pasadena (1st) or Torrance (2nd) (south of LAX). Then there's "Woodcraft" (http://www.woodcraft.com/stores/store.aspx?id=553) in Orange County.

A cool independent hardware store in Burbank (close to Universal Studios) is called Luky's (http://lukyshardware.com), They have all kinds of cool odd ball parts and tools. You can make a robot out that store.

Keep an eye out on craigslist (link below). LA is massive and the link below covers a population of around 12-15 million in a fairly condense area so there's a lot of cool stuff available. LA was and still is a massive hub for aerospace manufacturing and I'm constantly blown away of the tools that come up for sale from our aging group of engineers and aerospace mechanics. Last week I filled my car full of Starrett and military Snap-On and Proto tools for pennies on the dollar, in fact less, it was pretty much free.
http://losangeles.craigslist.org/tla/

One thing about LA that's hard to avoid is traffic! It's spread out and the public transportation is far from good. Having said that, planning your time around the traffic can makes getting around fairly easy.

For antique/flea markets, Rose Bowl is the best and famous for a good reason, it's huge and nice place to visit. Not much of tools but an enormous amount of antiques, it's good go have lunch afterwards in old town Pasadena. Long Beach antique show (different from the tool show) is also good and not too far away from Anaheim driving on a Sunday morning (no traffic).

There's way more to list and I'm sure you'll get a lot more information by the time you leave on your trip.

Now, you better figure out how to get everything back to the UK. If the pound is strong, then everything (tools & clothes) will seem to be about half price compared to prices in the UK.

Cheers

 

[steveo3002]

thanks . we have about 120kg of luggage between the 2 of us , so no problems there

also plenty of room for some steak in my belly

 

[macgee]

also plenty of room for some steak in my belly

Then you better make some time to stop at these two highly rates places that are near where your staying:

"The Ranch"

1025 E Ball Rd
Anaheim, CA 92805
(714) 817-4200
http://www.theranch.com

and

"Ruth's Chris Steak House"

2041 S Harbor Blvd
Anaheim, CA 92802
(714) 750-5466

http://www.ruthschris.com

 

[mrborohachi]

If your specifically looking for tools you have to come to the San Bernardino Flea Market. My friend just picked up a mint XL size Wilton Bullet there. People from LA that own vintage stores come here to stock their stores. There are plenty of Antique stores where you will find old signage and garage stuff. As my swap meet going lady friends call it your looking for "MAN stuff" there are some real gems in Antique stores. Right next to Anaheim is The City of Orange which has a nice down town, classic main street with a lot of Antique shops.

 

[Tucko]

Last week I filled my car full of Starrett and military Snap-On and Proto tools for pennies on the dollar, in fact less, it was pretty much free.
http://losangeles.craigslist.org/tla/

Funny, I was home all week in Whittier, and you didn't even call me. Next time you need help carrying a load of Starrett tools, I'm your guy!! Let me know if you need to use any sheet metal equipment..

 

[steveo3002]

If your specifically looking for tools you have to come to the San Bernardino Flea Market. My friend just picked up a mint XL size Wilton Bullet there. People from LA that own vintage stores come here to stock their stores. There are plenty of Antique stores where you will find old signage and garage stuff. As my swap meet going lady friends call it your looking for "MAN stuff" there are some real gems in Antique stores. Right next to Anaheim is The City of Orange which has a nice down town, classic main street with a lot of Antique shops.

flea market sounds good , will look it up thank you

 

[ZRX61]

If you fly back to the UK via France you will escape import taxes. The French won't charge you because you are just passing through... & the UK will think you came back from France & won't charge you either.

 

[macgee]

Here's another link to keep an eye out on, it's postings for estate sales in LA. They could be fun to check out for antiques and tools however you have to be there on the first day and when the door 1st opens otherwise all the good stuff in gone in 60 seconds or less because of dealers buying it up.

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/search/sss?zoomToPosting=&catAbb=eee&query=%22estate+sale%22&minAsk=&maxAsk=&sort=rel&excats=

 

[cyato]

Amen!

"Ruth's Chris Steak House"

2041 S Harbor Blvd
Anaheim, CA 92802
(714) 750-5466

http://www.ruthschris.com

Good idea on visiting Woodcraft and/or Rockler too! Rockler has a store in Orange on Tustin Ave. also...

 

[steveo3002]

how about somewhere that has the repo metal signs , like gas stations /old car dealer signs etc

i do prefer original ones, but most of the good ones are too spendy for me

oh and old licence plates ? anywhere i can grab those for cheap?

 

[Dave455]

When you arrive call Snap On and ask for the details of the nearest dealer, then you can call him direct and arrange to meet! If you do this early on in te trip there will be time for him to order stuff in!

U.S. prices are MUCH cheaper than the U.K.

 

[Deskmechanic]

how about somewhere that has the repo metal signs , like gas stations /old car dealer signs etc

i do prefer original ones, but most of the good ones are too spendy for me

oh and old licence plates ? anywhere i can grab those for cheap?

THe antique mall in Long Beach has plenty of license plates and signs, original and repro.

 

[steveo3002]

ive seen menards store mentioned on here , do they exist in california at all

i tried to search for them , but cant see any in cal

thanks all...great help so far

 

[macgee]

ive seen menards store mentioned on here , do they exist in california at all

i tried to search for them , but cant see any in cal

thanks all...great help so far

Sorry to say but no, I think the closest one is over 1,000 miles away. We do have Home Depot (same as P&Q in UK) and Lowes among others. Those two pretty much rule the land in big box hardware stores in So. Cal.

 

[spongerich]

It's been a while since I lived there, but I used to love C&H Surplus in Pasadena. I understand that they've moved about 10 miles east to Duarte. They didn't usually have a ton of tools, but always lots of interesting stuff for the tinkerer.

 

[steveo3002]

can anyone tell me about sears outlet ?

im sure i passed one once , not entirley sure where maybe riverside area ish

i cant seem to locate one with thier store finder , is it a special store will all reduced goods or some stuff slung in the corner ?

 

[macgee]

In California, it's nothing much to get too excited about. There is a Sears Outlet just south of LAX in Torrance. Very few pickings to get excited about.

I always see great Sears Outlet deals online but their never available in California, almost always at stores in the mid west and east coast but not in California.

On a different note, you may want to keep looking on Craigslist tools section, (Click "Gallery View" once your on the page, it's makes viewing and scrolling items as whole much easier). You'll get a sense what's available locally used and can maybe buy some things once you get here. http://losangeles.craigslist.org/tla/

 

[steveo3002]

ah thanks ...i had visions of mountains of tools for pennys

i have been browising craigslist to see whats avail

 

[steveo3002]

bump

leaving soon - any fresh news on new tool stuff , swap meets , car shows or guy stuff in southern cali please?

 

[mrborohachi]

look at the links at the left side of the page
http://www.rgcshows.com/rosebowl.aspx

San Bernardino flea market is good, I would pass on the Beaumont one and concentrate on Antique Shops in the Yucaipa to Banning area

 

[mrborohachi]

can anyone tell me about sears outlet ?

im sure i passed one once , not entirley sure where maybe riverside area ish

i cant seem to locate one with thier store finder , is it a special store will all reduced goods or some stuff slung in the corner ?

Corona is the one you passed, it's a city just next to Riverside, the next closest OUTLET is in Ontario or Lake Elsinore

 

[macgee]

What are the dates again that you will be here?

 

[steveo3002]

fly in july18 -out on aug 2

thanks guys - very helpfull

any tool /car /mancave related stuff is good

 

[mrborohachi]

http://www.joshuatreetraveler.com/fleamarket.html

It's been featured on a couple of travel cooking shows, it's wayyy east of Disneyland. Probably at least a 2.5 hr drive

 

[mrborohachi]

I believe you mentioned the wife would be happy to look at Antiques also.

https://www.google.com/search?q=beaumont+antiques&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-USfficial&client=firefox-a&channel=sb

^What used to "Antique Row" right down the street from me has now shifted East 12min driving time. You can also search "Yucaipa, and Banning" those cities are to the west and east of Beaumont respectively.

 

[Straightgrain]

One place you may want to consider is Cal Aero (see http://www.calaerosupply.com/). Not many people know about it but it's worth a trip if you're in the area. Cal Aero is right off the Century Freeway (105), which is the freeway that goes right by LAX airport. I haven't been there recently but the last time I was there, they had a good supply of new and used US made tools at reasonable prices. Their home page lists Proto, Starrett, Ingersoll Rand, Bondhus, Channellock, Morse, Irwin, & S&K among their inventory. I've purchased Williams deep impact sockets there.

 

[Twisted Sid]

Too bad you will miss the pomona swap meet by a week. http://www.pomonaswapmeet.com/event-info/car-show-hours-dates/ Thats something everyone should go to at least once.

 

[cyato]

Just thought of another one... Austin Hardwoods in Santa Ana. It is only 10 minutes away from Disneyland. Pretty much all woodworking tools. Lots of woodworking tools. Skip it if you're not into that stuff. I was wandering around for over two hours, my first time there.

Someone mentioned Rockler, which is also just woodworking stuff. I just wanted to add that they have a store in Orange, which is the closest one to Disneyland.

 

[cyato]

And another one is McFadden Dale in Santa Ana, also pretty close to Disneyland. Maybe fifteen minutes. It's a hardware store on serious steroids.

Let us know which places you liked best after your trip!

 

[cyato]

And yet another one! Industrial Metal Supply in Irvine. It's mainly a metal supply store, but with the nicest retail presentation you've ever seen. Good amount of metal related tools and supplies.
http://www.industrialmetalsupply.com/Locations/Irvine-Metal

Another cool place is Coast Airbrush in Anaheim if you're into paint/airbrush stuff, or just want to check it out.
http://www.coastairbrush.com/

For a taste of automotive paint supplies and such, Fountain Valley Paints in Fountain Valley.
http://www.fountainvalleypaints.com/

Also in Fountain Valley is Hobby People's main/biggest store. As the name suggests, hobby stuff/supplies and some tools.

If you ever watched the Overhaulin' TV show or follow Chip Foose, they give tours of his shop at noon almost every week day. I worked next door for five years and there were people waiting to take the tour pretty much every week day.

http://www.chipfoose.com/ws_display.asp?filter=Contact

Sorry if these should be condensed into one post, but whatever.... The places keep popping in my head!

 

[cyato]

For small electrical related tools and such, JK Electronics in Westminster is very good.

https://maps.google.com/maps?client...cs&ei=mH2_U972E4n38AGSgoGACA&ved=0CIMBEKAfMAg

Just down the street from there is Art Supply Warehouse, which is an amazing store. As the name suggests, art supplies and tools. Lots of them.

http://www.artsupplywarehouse.com/index.php

There aren't too many stores left like this place. Much better than Michaels or Hobby Lobby, which are chain stores catering to scrapbooking moms and such.

Speaking of chain stores, if you do decide to visit a Home Depot, try the one in Huntington Beach on Magnolia Ave. or in Irvine on Sand Canyon. There are different levels of security and selection depending on the neighborhood. These stores are newer and nicer.

If you end up going waaay up north to Hollywood/North Hollywood, there is a Reynolds Advanced Materials, which is a very small shop that carries mold making materials/supplies/samples. They cater to the movie/special EFX industry in the area. Neat stuff you won't seem in too many places.
http://www.reynoldsam.com/la/

 

[ddawg16]

You didn't say exactly where in S Ca....big place....

If in the LA area....Peterson Automotive Museum.

Tools....we have Harbor Freight....

Every Sat is a Flea market in Gardena...big one....and another one in old Torrance, Alpine Village.

 

[ZRX61]

You would no doubt find something "mancaveish" at the Garage Company, altho it is mostly vintage motorcycle stuff.

http://www.garagecompany.com/

 

[ZRX61]

If in the LA area....Peterson Automotive Museum.

Not worth the price of admission, you'd be in & out of the place in 30 minutes & that's if you dawdle.

 

[ZRX61]

Pick up a couple of pints for me from the King St Run on ya way

 

[softailgarage]

Just fiished reading this thread, so let me throw my .02 in. First of all, I'm a native so.californian and I hate the term Cali....it's ghetto and sounds stupid. BTW, if you get up to San Francisco, don't use the term "Frisco" they hate that too. For swap meets, well you couldn't have picked the worse time as you'll be here right in between the biggies. I do recommend Golden West College & Orange Coast College swap meets (get there early) and try to avoid the OC Fairground swap meet across the street from Orange Coast if your looking for tools (it's more of an outside mall). Here is a link to car show in so cal
http://www.hotrodscustomstuff.com/latest-stuff/upcoming-car-shows-and-events.html
There is also the NHRA Museum at the Pomona Fairgrounds and the Long Beach Motorcycle swap meet on 7/27 (there's usually a couple of guys selling vintage tools) and 7/20 is the Long Beach Antique swap meet if your looking for authentic garage signs, etc. and if you cant find any signs you like, contact me, I sell signs, banners, retro trash cans, etc. (I'm down San Diego way though).
Thanks for the OC links, way cool.