When I was a kid, there was one walking distance away, and an easy bike ride, right next to the deli (where we'd usually pick up a bottle or can of soda once we made it all the way there) and what we kids called the candy store, which was actually a stationary store that had a large candy section, along with comic books and some toys (we'd resupply ourselves with caps for our cap guns there, and they had those burning snake things and such). The surplus store was called Marine Surplus, and it was its own building, separate from the strip mall it was right next to, and likely predated.
We kids loved going in there and looking around. Me and my cousin bought a couple of knives in there once. I think I bought a Swiss Army knife and he bought a Case Bowie knife that was missing a sheath, so he got a good deal on it. He made a sheath for it later, but my mom confiscated the knife from him when she discovered he bought it. I assume he eventually got it back, somehow. Maybe my aunt and uncle took possession of it.
Fun place for a kid to wander around in.
