John Cumming remembers playing with friends in his father’s unique shop, hiding in bundles of camouflage nets and sitting in old tanks.

After decades in business, Crown Surplus in Inglewood is closing.

The operation is phasing out gradually, running daily through September. Starting in October, it will be open only on weekends, and the remaining inventory will be offered for sale until the property is sold. Cumming said he will likely use online marketplaces to get rid of the leftover items.

“There are 71 years of memories here,” Cumming told CBC News. “There are items here that probably haven’t been touched for longer than I’ve been here.”

Cumming inherited it from his father, but it was his grandfather Al who opened the business in 1953.

Cumming took over the family business about seven years ago. His father, Gord, who had helped with the business since he was 20, was in poor health and could no longer take care of the store. Gord died about four years ago of Lewy body dementia, his son said.

Cumming said his father, whom he described as his best friend, was constantly at the store. Gord demonstrated a work ethic that Cumming always admired.

“I always said, ‘God, I don’t want to end up like my dad.’ But that was his passion,” Cumming said. “People would always ask him, ‘Gordon, when are you going part-time?’ And he would say, ‘I’m going part-time now, I’m only working six to six.'”

The business is unusual

According to Cumming, the name Crown Surplus comes from Canada’s Crown Assets Disposal Corporation, the federal agency responsible for selling surplus items from the Canadian Armed Forces and other government agencies. The Crown Assets Disposal Corporation is now called GCSurplus.

Cumming had decided earlier this year that the store’s business was coming to an end after considering several factors, including the fact that his partner was retiring.

“We both just want to slow down a little bit and take less stress out of our lives,” he said. “For the last year and a half, I’ve kind of been taking from Peter to pay Paul, you know? Business has been a little quieter.”

Cumming says the three-acre property has been for sale for about a year, and he speculates that the building will likely be demolished to make way for a new development when all is said and done.

When he announced the store’s closure, he heard many people say their grandparents brought them to Crown Surplus years ago and now they are grandparents themselves.

“This is a bit of a shock to them, you know? I think they always thought Crown Surplus would come and their kids would experience it, just a complete cycle,” Cumming said. “Things change.”

First-class clientele

He said there are several people who have been coming to the store for years and who he will miss once he closes the store.

“There are certain customers who are just so happy to see them,” Cumming said.

Crown Surplus has long been a popular hangout for survivalists, preppers, military buffs and movie set decorators. Cumming said he’s seen all kinds of people come into the store, including some colorful characters.

“Groups used to come here and ask for 18 machetes. And you’d ask, ‘What do you need 18 machetes for?’ And they’d say, ‘For camping,'” he said, laughing. “I’d just sell them one and say, ‘You can share it,’ and that was it, end of discussion. People come here from all walks of life.”

Cumming said one young man in particular impressed him. He came into the store, plugged in his laptop with an extension cord, put on his headset and played video games for hours.

“At the end he shakes his fist at me and says, ‘Mr. Cumming, I have Dracula’s heart for you!’ Those are the kind of characters and customers I’m going to miss,” he said. “I don’t even know if he was a customer, because I don’t think he ever bought anything.”

Crown Surplus has also been used as a filming location for numerous high-profile projects, including Honey, I shrunk the kids, Hellboy And The Revenant, among several others.

His spirit remains

Although the Inglewood store is closing, Crown Surplus’ legacy will live on in Drumheller, Alta.

Oliver Hampson and his wife Tammy acquired the rights to the Crown Surplus brand in the summer. He opened the new location in Drumheller in July.

Hampson, originally from Calgary, told CBC News he was a loyal customer of Crown Surplus for years before finally starting to work there.

“I’ve been a military collector all my life. So was my grandfather and my father,” he said. “I’ve been going to Crown Surplus all my life, just like everyone else.”

He said he always planned to open a similar business, and after being employed at Crown Surplus for a year and getting to know the business, he jumped at the chance to carry the torch.

“I realized what an icon it is to everyone who has ever been there and it would be a shame if it were gone,” he said. “So I went to John and said I want to take over his 70-year-old business and make it 100 years old.”

Hampson brings many of the historic items from the store to Drumheller.

“The sea mine and some training rifles in the cut and all the big things that everyone associates when they go in there,” he said. “I wanted to take all the big iconic pieces from the store and … recreate the experience.”

Hampson likens the closing of the Inglewood Crown Surplus to the end of an era. He said nothing lasts forever, but he wants to keep the spirit alive as long as possible.

“It’s an honor for me to do this. … At the end of the day, I’ll be able to carry the name forward.”

Hampson said his goal is to run the Drumheller store the same way he runs the Inglewood store.

“I want it to be preserved for future generations,” he said.

An oasis of nostalgia

Cumming said he inherited his interest in military equipment from his father.

“It was always fun. I always enjoyed it,” he said. “My dad had the leather contract at the base in Calgary, and there were times when my dad and I would drive up with the old 3/4 ton army truck and trailer and just load it up with hundreds and hundreds of pairs of leather boots.”

There are still some questions about Crown Surplus that Cumming has not yet found answers to, including the whereabouts of the purchase contract for an Army Jeep.

“Someone is interested in it and I don’t know where it came from. There are a lot of little things like that,” he said.

Cumming said he has many fond memories of growing up with his father at Crown Surplus.

“I’ve been here a very, very long time,” Cumming said.

He recalled his father’s frequent trips to England, from which he would bring back unique and unusual items to sell in the store, including British Army pattern belts from World War II that were in excellent condition.

Despite all the memories Cumming has of Crown Surplus, he said it was time to leave everything behind and start new ones. He said he feels good about starting the next chapter of his life.

“For me, it’s just time. I’ve had fun and I’m ready to try new things.”