Two local veterans are opening up a military surplus store in Rindge, trying to bring back the kinds of stores they themselves explored when they were young – and love even now.

“When you’re a kid, in these stores, you dream about playing Army,” said store co-owner Frank Parillo. “Now, we’re just trying to be kids again, and try the gear and play Army like we used to when we were younger.”

Parillo and Joel Michaud have soft-launched Good to Go Army and Navy Military Surplus, which, just as it sounds, sells surplus supplies of military paraphernalia and field gear.

The idea was birthed when Michaud, who also owns Ponderosa Pines Wood Products, which produces custom sheds, was looking for an idea for the floorspace at the front of his business, Parillo said. He asked Parillo if he’d be interested in partnering with him on a surplus store.

Parillo said he has fond memories of visiting surplus stores as a child, and that interest has continued to adulthood. But there are no surplus stores locally.

“I said, ‘I’m all in,’” Parillo said. “It was meant to be. A dream come true.”

Michaud is a veteran of the Army, and Parillo of the Air Force.

“We’re just two old school veterans that are hoping to recreate what we had as kids and experienced first hand in the military,” Parillo said.

Parillo said the goal is to fill the store with “true grit, down and dirty, military grade” surplus equipment – many surplus stores these days bolster their stock with after market or non-American military supplies, he said, but Good to Go is looking for only the real deal. That usually means scouring weekly auctions and acquiring stock from stores that haven’t fared well in the pandemic.

Sometimes, Parillo said, the finds are too good to stock the store. A pair of rare “Mickey Mouse” cold weather boots – so called because of their over-sized nature – went into Michaud’s collection, instead of onto the shelves.

Parillo said he himself collects military gear, with a particular interest in World War II. He said he enjoys the personal gear that he once had to carry himself in the Air Force – uniforms, backpacks, helmets, even poncho linings.

“The old Army helmets are just one of those things that are on a top five list of things that are just neat to have in your home,” Parillo said.

The store is still in the building stage, Parillo said, after several months of loading up on inventory. He’d like to see it decked out like many of the surplus stores he visited in his youth – with photos honoring area veterans and military historical photos on the walls, to accompany the stock of military gear.

Currently, the store is a sideline business for both Parillo and Michaud, and is open for business only on weekends from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The store is located at 8 Sears Drive in Rindge.

 

Ashley Saari can be reached at 924-7172 ext. 244 or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on Twitter @AshleySaariMLT.

]]>