Ax-Man Surplus Stores is a chain of

surplus store A surplus store or disposals store is a business that sells items and goods that are used, purchased but unused, or past their use by date, and are no longer needed due to excess supply, decommissioning, or obsolescence. The surplus sold is often ...

s in the Twin Cities metro area in

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

, known locally for its eclectic atmosphere and unique selection of merchandise. They specialize in industrial and scientific surplus, as well as manufacturing surplus and failed consumer products. The chain has locations in

Saint Paul Paul, also named Saul of Tarsus, commonly known as Paul the Apostle and Saint Paul, was a Christian apostle ( AD) who spread the teachings of Jesus in the first-century world. For his contributions towards the New Testament, he is generally ...

, Fridley, and St. Louis Park, as well as an online store.

History

Ax-Man was founded by Jess Liberman, a native of Saint Paul whose father was a tailor. In the early 1960s, Liberman acquired a large lot of shoes, which he proceeded to sell at his father's business. In the mid-1960s he opened a store in downtown Saint Paul, which he called "The Man With The Ax". In the late 1960s,

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota Twin Cities (historically known as University of Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint ...

art school graduate David Gray began working at the store, and in the 1970s he became a partner in the business, with the two developing the store that was to become the modern Ax-Man Surplus. The Fridley location was opened in the mid-1980s. After Liberman's death in the 1990s, Gray bought the business from his estate, becoming the second owner. In 2001, businessman Jim Segal purchased the business. A location in

Crystal A crystal or crystalline solid is a solid material whose constituents (such as atoms, molecules, or ions) are arranged in a highly ordered microscopic structure, forming a crystal lattice that extends in all directions. In addition, macros ...

was opened in 2009, and closed on Halloween in 2015. Beginning in 2010, Ax-Man Surplus was one of many businesses on University Avenue in downtown Saint Paul to voice concern regarding the effects of the construction of the Green Line on their business. At a 2011 Metropolitan Council hearing, Segal criticized the Council, accusing them of downplaying the projected effects on businesses in the area. Construction on the Green Line was finished in 2014; the Snelling Avenue station now sits across the street from the Saint Paul store. The stores were closed for around seven weeks in early 2020 due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. During the unrest that followed the

murder of George Floyd On May 25, 2020, George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black American man, was murdered in Minneapolis by Derek Chauvin, a 44-year-old White police officer. Floyd had been arrested after a store clerk reported that he made a purchase using a c ...

in May 2020, the flagship location in Saint Paul was broken into and vandalized. Segal was inside the store at the time, and had to barricade himself inside of his office as the store was occupied by rioters. Following this, the store was closed for repairs until mid-July.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Ax-man Surplus website
Surplus stores Arts organizations based in Saint Paul, Minnesota Tourist attractions in Saint Paul, Minnesota Culture of Saint Paul, Minnesota