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Retail Outlets for Early Computers

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Bungo Pony

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After buying my Altair 8800 locally, I really started to wonder how widely those early machines were distributed. The person I bought it from purchased his kit in the USA back when they were being sold. That got me thinking about how uncommon computers like the Altair or the original Apple would be in countries outside the USA.

Where were these computers sold? Did anybody outside the USA buy them through the mail? Or did they have to buy them closer to where they were manufactured?
 
Bungo Pony said:
After buying my Altair 8800 locally, I really started to wonder how widely those early machines were distributed. The person I bought it from purchased his kit in the USA back when they were being sold. That got me thinking about how uncommon computers like the Altair or the original Apple would be in countries outside the USA.

Where were these computers sold? Did anybody outside the USA buy them through the mail? Or did they have to buy them closer to where they were manufactured?
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I never was a fan or ever considered an Altair, but I believe I remember seeing them advertised in the tech magazines like Popular Science and that ilk. Also, Lafayette Electronics (remember those guys?) may have been a source in some areas.
 
Agent Orange said:
Lafayette Electronics (remember those guys?) may have been a source in some areas.
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I don't remember Lafayette selling computers. Olson did (the Byt-8)

There were a handful of stores selling S-100 systems in the mid-70s, at least in the Milwaukee area. The Milwaukee Computer Store, Itty Bitty Computers in Shorewood (the first place I played with an Apple I)
and North Shore Computers, though they were mainly a big Apple dealer.
 
Agent Orange said:
Wow! What a blast from the past. Gotta love those Pioneer stereo receivers.
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I have a metric ****ton of vintage receivers, left over from when I was foolish enough to think that that I could find the perfect sound while remaining solid state. These days, they're all stacked up in my workshop or my basement, while my tube amps are run off of a passive pre. Aside from the CD player, the only solid state thing in my setup is the phono preamp and I recently got a quad of NOS 6612s, so once I dig out some suitable iron, that will be tubey too.
 
Al Kossow said:
I don't remember Lafayette selling computers. Olson did (the Byt-8)

There were a handful of stores selling S-100 systems in the mid-70s, at least in the Milwaukee area. The Milwaukee Computer Store, Itty Bitty Computers in Shorewood (the first place I played with an Apple I)
and North Shore Computers, though they were mainly a big Apple dealer.
Click to expand...
Vut da heck ver you doing in my neck of da woods hay?
 
roberttx said:
I have a metric ****ton of vintage receivers, left over from when I was foolish enough to think that that I could find the perfect sound while remaining solid state. These days, they're all stacked up in my workshop or my basement, while my tube amps are run off of a passive pre. Aside from the CD player, the only solid state thing in my setup is the phono preamp and I recently got a quad of NOS 6612s, so once I dig out some suitable iron, that will be tubey too.
Click to expand...

Well now we're talking. I walked in to a RS in 1981 and was actually able to hear some quality stereo sound, it had been a while. I had retired from the Navy a few years before and the jet engines had taken their toll on my ears. I came away with a Realistic STA-2080 receiver, LAB 360 turntable (direct drive hysteresis wound motor), and pair of Optimus solid wood 4-way speakers. I still have the who shebang and it all works, along with the dual tape deck and graphic equalizer. Remember that mail order outfit, DAK, I think. That was some good solid equipment and it will surely outlast me. There's no remotes. Imagine that - you actually have to get up off your keister once in a while and turn a knob or push a button.
 
Seems to me that the granddaddy of computer stores was "The Byte Shop" in Mountain View. You could buy an Apple I as well as an Altair 8800 there. 1975, IIRC.
 
Control Data had some microcomputer retail stores in the early 1980's, during my time with CDC I spent time at the store in Denver. I don't recall what hardware they sold other than I remember an Ohio Scientific machine, a real expensive 5mb disk drive that was about the size (and weight) of 11/34, and some other CP/M systems. I was there to repair Atari 400/800 machines. I don't know what happened to the CDC stores, but they never got much attention in the press that I recall.
 
I think I still have a Wren II 5.25" SCSI drive that I picked up at the CDC "going out of business" store. A friend picked up an HP plotter for peanuts.

Xerox also had retail stores. The sales staff were probably okay at selling copiers and typewriters, but generally were in the dark about computers. I think I picked up an auto sheet feeder for a Diablo 630 printer at the " leaving business" sale.

And, of course, Sears had computer stores as well--one of the places you could buy an AT&T 6300; TI had a retail store in the Stanford shopping center. Jade (a popular catalog outfit) also had a few retail outlets. Just about bought a NEC APC from them.
 
How about Computerland? My Dad used his IBM Employee Discount to help me buy my 5155 back in 1985 or so. According to Wikipedia, they opened there first store in 1976.
 
Chuck(G) said:
And, of course, Sears had computer stores as well--one of the places you could buy an AT&T 6300; TI had a retail store in the Stanford shopping center. Jade (a popular catalog outfit) also had a few retail outlets.
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In the UK, most of the main electronics chains sold computers. They'd each carry several brands, but would favor one. From memory, Dixons had the ACT Apricot, Laskys liked Ataris and the Newsagent WH Smiths pushed Sinclair machines - my ZX81 came from them. I don't remember where my C64 came from and I don't know what Maplins did - it was years later that I finally had one of their stores local to me.
 
ibmapc said:
How about Computerland? My Dad used his IBM Employee Discount to help me buy my 5155 back in 1985 or so. According to Wikipedia, they opened there first store in 1976.
Click to expand...

I spent many a dollar at Computerland. Bought my first computer at a RS store in Washington DC on my way out of the country for a few years.
 
I remember Bill Millard (he was the force behind IMSAI before Computerland), his daughter (who nominally for a time took over), est (probably unknown to those who didn't experience the 1970s) and spending money like it was water. He ran off to Saipan (?) and thence to the Cayman Island (he was a tax fugitive). I don't know where he is now.
 
I did today see obsolete, replacement-only twist lock outlets being sold in a retail hardware store.






sorry, couldn't resist. keep misreading the title.
 
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