I have no idea how big the local market for cool, modern electronics stuff might be. And I'll be sad if it disappears. But it would be nice if somebody could make a business out of this.
But it you haven't checked out your local RadioShark in the last few years, it might be worth a look.
Then I needed some parts on short notice. Their supply was present but incomplete enough to be frustrating, and when I asked one of the employees about their inventory, I got "I'm sorry; I'm not sure. You're likely to know more about that than I do." I really appreciate the employee being up front with me instead of jerking me around, but it's disappointing that Radio Shack couldn't (or wouldn't) commit to having at least one employee educated in the hobbyist electronics section.
Now, I pay a monthly fee at a hackerspace and have better access to component stock and knowledge than I expect any brick and mortar store to provide.
The community finds a way.
They could continue to sell cables, batteries and universal remotes to consumers to help pay the bills while creating a place to learn and buy supplies for tinkerers, robot clubs, hobbyists etc.
One of the earlier HN articles mentioned how RS had an electronics repair biz at one point (maybe they still do). That seems like a good starting point, then cater to hard core hobbyists which would be the core of whatever clientele RS still has. It's just not a big enough business for a public company.
Personally I think it's a good idea. 50% of Radio Shack locations will be up for rent soon, so all you budding entrepreneurs out there, go find some seed money and open your hobbyist/enthusiast/maker supply store. Do electronics repair, repairing phone glass, all that kind of thing, then try to reconnect with the core market of people who love electronics. Make it like the neighborhood bike shop that all the cyclists come to to hang out at. That's how Radio Shack started out.
I live in an area that can be characterized as a giant suburb of 1 million+ people with no big city around it. There's one store in the industrial park with components and they've been around for decades, altho their ownership has changed hands a couple of times.
Real cities should have it better - I remember being in minneapolis and needing some bits for work and finding in the yellow pages a giant electronics store a few blocks from my worksite (downtown somewhere.) I was in a pinch in Cincinnati too and also found a local supplier.
These kinds of businesses are generally counter service, not self service retail.
A lot of people whine about paying $2 for five resistors because the same $2 gets you 200 at mouser. But you'll pay at least $5 for shipping and have to wait.
Amazon is more of a "get it in 1-2 days (when we guarantee it)" and "We'll make sure you get your money back, anytime".
At least those have been my experiences.
Turning the existing RS network into a non-denominational PackStation-type setup seems like a good idea.
When Circuit City went bankrupt in 2009, they sold the chain to Bell Canada (our version of Sprint or Verizon).
It seems to be a common trend for bankrupt chains' leases in Canada to get bought up for the instant network of stores.
Is this a rare phenomenon in the US?
If you can't get a signal on a Sprint phone, drive up to a Sprint store. They have mini cell sites so their demos work.
Check out octopart, sparkfun, adafruit, and so on. Much more fun these days.
Worse, they haven't found that niche to pay the bills.
In a few small towns I've spent a lot of time in, there's joint Ace Hardware-Radio shack stores which are pretty useful.
It ain't no Fry's (and even Fry's is pretty crappy compared to dedicated component stores), but it's better than nothing.