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Business & Tech

Army Surplus Store Looks Back at 50-Plus Years of Military Gear, Boots and Family

A Dearborn institution since 1955, Harry's Army Surplus is a store many people drive by daily without knowing what they might find inside.

A Dearborn fixture for more than 50 years, is one of those stores that many people pass by a million times without stopping to investigate.

It has a prime location on Telegraph Road just south of Ford, but a presence many shy away from.

"Army surplus?" they say. "That’s for someone else–not me."

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But once inside, it’s a shop that’s hard to leave without buying something–and you don't need to be in the armed forces to find something useful.

Harry’s grandson, Brian Zeltzer, is the store’s buyer. He touts the store's wide selection of clothing–especially boots.

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“It’s a good cold-weather store," he said, referring to their full range of gloves, industrial clothing, jackets, real military sleeping bags and work boots.

Zeltzer is especially proud of the extra attention the entire staff of Harry's gives to servicing the feet of its customers. They take into consideration the width, length, durability, comfort and intended use of the boots, as well as the shape of the customer's foot.

“It will be the best fit they can get,” Zeltzer insists.

The store even has a large 4-foot-long conspicuous “jungle boot”—a decades-old promotional prop that would be the perfect fit for a jolly green giant. Manager Carl Douglas, a 30-year Harry’s employee, recalls that a customer once exclaimed of the boot: "I want to buy this!"

But more often, customers are looking for sporting and outdoor goods–not giant boots.

Harry’s sells a variety of Air Soft guns and ammo for gaming–a sport similar to paintball, but even more popular. Safe plastic pellets are used, nothing injurious.

No real guns or ammunition are sold at Harry’s, but try telling that to the occasional customer who will walk in, pull out a .38 and blurt out: "You have a holster to fit this gun?”

Is that disconcerting or what?

Employee Joe Michnuk remembers those episodes, as well as instances when military veterans will look at things and explain: “I wore these; I had these,” during their time in the service.

Michnuk chuckles and also recollects that “a homeless man once walked in the store, put on an army helmet and started playing a trumpet he’d brought with him.”

Fortunately, Harry’s also has mainstream, conventional patrons such as Bob Holifield of Jackson, a former policeman and 15-year customer.

“They’ve got a great selection—about everything you need," Holifield said. "Quality of work is fantastic; friendly people.”

There’s also Gus Talley of Detroit. “Been coming here 20 years," he says. "(They have) everything you need; they never let you down. (I get) work boots, Carhartt work clothes, tools, knives.”

The list goes on: Harry's has a huge selection of knives, watches, handbags, hand-tooled belts, backpacks and military T-shirts with slogans. The store is also well-known for supplying goods to police, academies and EMT personnel. There are plenty of personal-safety products, including high-visibility clothing, pepper sprays and mace and expandable batons.

Zeltzer is persistent with the drumbeat of promotion–but it’s all in fun, as he highlights holiday specials and specific commemorations throughout the calendar year. There is info and tidbits about the military and interesting, detailed descriptions of the various boots—specific to each individual war or military action.

Truly a family-owned business in every sense of the word, Harry's son Irving Zeltzer is president and chairman of the board. He’s a 41-year employee who still maintains an active role–performed with a humorous demeanor.

Harry Zeltzer, employees say, was a family man and proud grandfather, with two sons. He, too, was a lot of fun and was always joking around. Harry was a presence at the Dearborn store for some 37 years. He worked until age 91 and died shortly after.

“Dad was extremely personable," Irving Zeltzer said. "Customers that knew him are still coming, along with their kids and grandkids.”

Some things have changed at Harry's–like the fact that it now has an active Facebook page and website. But mainly, the store's the same as it ever was.

“Harry was a phenomenal man, knowing what it (the business) needed to succeed," Douglas added. "He got in a groove, and it stayed there.”

Fifty-five years and going strong.

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