a&b surpluss

By Kirk Hanna
Times staff writer
Orange barrels and street barricades stand out in Rawlins with the current construction under way.
In downtown, a certain business stands out, well, blends in, with its camouflage door and awning.
A & B Surplus has been located on the corner of Third and Cedar streets since the summer of 1998. It was then that owners BJ and Archie Lloyd set up shop in Rawlins. Before the summer of 1998, the Lloyds made their business selling military surplus and camouflage clothing at gun shows around the country.
“We went everywhere in the country,” BJ Lloyd said. “Texas, California, Kansas, Oklahoma, Montana, Wyoming and Colorado. You name it, we were there.” The Lloyds started there business in 1994, but during a few of the gun shows, customers told them south-central Wyoming badly needed a surplus store. “We bought the property in 1996, and opened it a few years later,” BJ Lloyd said.
When one walks through the camouflage-painted door, it’s not hard to realize what A & B Surplus sells. Mannequins adorned in BDUs and FRCs — battle dress uniforms and fire resistant clothing, respectively — immediately catch your eye. Unless of course, the plethora of elk, mule deer, pheasants, geese, wild turkeys and mountain lion don’t catch your pupils first. The decorations within the store go right along with the theme of sold products.
While BJ Lloyd said she and her husband have never sold a gun, “and probably never will,” a few gun cases hung in the corner. “We do sell some ammunition and some hunting knives,” she said.
The basis of the products sold, however, is clothing. Camouflaged fatigues and BDUs lined the shelves in the center of the store. Mossy Oak hunting coats hung in the shape of a circle and as one’s eye peered towards the back of the store, boots - some steel toe and others not — soon became the focal point.
As one walks towards the back of the store, they soon notice the overabundance, or surplus, if you will, of clothing. That, and the lack thereof of space. Not to worry though, BJ Lloyd said, “We carry the largest supply of girl’s and women’s camouflaged clothing. ... And that’s of any other surplus place I’ve come across.” The reason for the large volumes of female oriented clothing is because of recent fashion shows and studies of what women want. “It’s been the fashion lately,” she said.
And it’s not all greens and browns. If one is interested in hiding amongst school buses, fire engines or Mr. Magoo’s egg-plant automobile, A & B Surplus has the yellow, red and purple patterns, respectively, for you.
Beyond the outdoor wear, the surplus shop also carries a limited supply of police officer gear, sunglasses, and medical and camping equipment. Colleen Secrest - an employee the Lloyds said they couldn’t run a business without — works from noon until close on Tuesdays through Fridays, “and sometimes weekends when (the owners) can’t make it in to work.” The store is closed on Mondays.
During a typical day, Secrest said the store sees most of its action during the evening hours between 5-7 p.m. “A lot of the guys are from Sinclair and the oil fields,” Secrest said. “I even stay open an hour later on Friday’s for the guys who get off late.” BJ Lloyd said, “The FRCs are mandatory clothing for most of the oil refinery workers, so they’ve been the biggest sellers” as of late.
During the day Secrest finds time to stay busy by stacking the shelves. When asked if it can get lonely waiting for customers Secrest said, “Sometimes, but other times we get people who like to just come in and talk. ... I’ve had war veterans come in and tell me war stories, so it’s a pretty interesting place,” to say the least.
As of late, BJ Lloyd said the prices have gone up lately because the process of getting a hold of the items to sell has added steps. “It used to be, we bought the items from an auction,” she said. “Now, big conglomerates outbid all of the items and then sell to the ‘little guys’ like us. It definitely hurt us very much.”
Not to worry, Secrest said the prices are still fairly well priced when compared to places like Cabelas. “This is the only surplus store that I know of without going too far into another state,” she said.
The camping gear at A & B Surplus is a limited selection of tents, sleeping bags, back packs and canteens, but Secrest was quick to say, “We have the best fishing hats around.” At least the biggest supply as she pointed out the center aisle filled with floppy-brimmed bucket hats.
Secrest said, “We have a limited supply of some things. And a large supply of others.”