One of the cooler stores in Chicago, especially if you like robots and robot toys. The sales clerk said this is the only robot store in North America.
www.robotcityworkshop.com/homeframes.html
All I could do to restrain myself from purchasing vintage Heathkit electronics, but I did buy a couple items, including a robot for my nephew.
Wiki:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heathkit
Maybe next time…
No knowledge of electronics was needed to assemble a Heathkit. The assembly process did not teach much about electronics, but provided a great deal of what could have been called “electronics literacy,” such as the ability to identify tube pin numbers or read a resistor color code. Many hobbyists began by assembling Heathkits, became familiar with the appearance of components like capacitors, transformers, and tubes, and were motivated to find out just what these components actually did. For those builders who had a deeper knowledge of electronics (or for those who wanted to be able to troubleshoot/repair the product in the future), the assembly manuals usually included a detailed “Theory of Operation” chapter, which explained the functioning of the kit’s circuitry, section by section. Heath developed a relationship with electronics correspondence schools (e.g., NRI). Heath supplied electronic kits to be assembled as part of courses, with the school basing its texts and lessons around the kit.