Between this, Radio Shack closing a few years back, and small shops like Al Lasher's in Berkeley biting the dust, there's no longer a place where kids can just

Between this, Radio Shack closing a few years back, and small shops like Al Lasher's in Berkeley biting the dust, there's no longer a place where kids can just walk in and buy $3 worth of exactly what they needed for their project, and another $3 worth of parts they didn't need because they looked cool. Shenzhen and the dark corners of Akihabara are basically it now.