Julie Alleyne, owner of the resale shop Ecclection in Portage Park, has acquired a significant portion of inventory from the now-closed American Science & Surplus store. The longtime novelty shop, which had operated on Chicago’s Northwest Side for decades, shut down its Park Ridge location in the fall after facing financial difficulties worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic. A GoFundMe campaign led by former owner Pat Meyer raised over $194,000 but was not enough to keep the business afloat.
Alleyne discovered the opportunity while browsing Facebook Marketplace and soon realized it involved American Science & Surplus. She described her visits to their warehouse as enthusiastic: “I was like a kid in a candy store,” Alleyne said. “Some of the stuff I got, I don’t even know what it is.”
American Science & Surplus was founded in 1937 by Al Luebbers, who began by collecting and selling reject lenses from a nearby company through an advertisement in Popular Science magazine. Alleyne noted that researching this history gave her a sense of connection to the store’s legacy. “The more I researched the store, the more I felt a kind of connection,” she said. She added, “I felt like I was on a mission to save what I could because I realized that the rest was probably all going to a landfill.”
While other locations in Milwaukee and West Chicago were sold to employees last fall, Alleyne has been incorporating items from American Science & Surplus into Ecclection’s offerings since January. The expanded inventory includes science gadgets such as microscopes and ant farms, arts and crafts materials like notebooks and paint supplies, novelty trinkets including urinal shot glasses and mustache bottle openers, and some of the shop’s well-known rubber chickens.
Alleyne hopes to recreate some of American Science & Surplus’ distinct character at Ecclection. She wants shopping there to be memorable; customers spending over $25 can spin a “wheel of fortune” for free merchandise. More hand-drawn signs—another hallmark of American Science & Surplus—are also planned.
In addition to retail activities, Alleyne intends to hold monthly artist appreciation nights featuring local artists whose work is sold at Ecclection. These events will occur every third Thursday evening and include snacks and wine. Space will also be reserved for local students wishing to display their art.
Ecclection operates Wednesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., with updates available via its Facebook page or website.
