Military surplus store in Calgary, destination of celebrity shoppers, closing doors

Crown Surplus owner John Cumming is closing down the family business after 71 years in operation and is pictured with military vehicles for sale in Calgary, Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

Cher, Anthony Hopkins, Heath Ledger, Alec Baldwin and Tom Hardy are just a few of the celebrities John Cumming met while growing up in his family's military surplus store.

After decades in business, Crown Surplus in Calgary is closing its doors.

Cumming, 61, said he's not sure of the exact date, but it will be shuttered by the end of the year.

His grandfather Al opened Crown Surplus in 1953. It was later turned over to Cumming's father, Gord, who died four years ago.

"It's 71 years worth of stuff that my grandfather (and) my father collected over the years," said Cumming.

"It's time to move on."

The olive-drab and camouflage-coloured store, with a large Quonset hut attached, looks more like a military museum than a retail shop.

It has long been a popular spot among survivalists, preppers, campers, military enthusiasts and movie set decorators.

When he was a kid, Cumming remembers playing army with his friends but also having to sort shoes as part of his chores. When he got a bit older, he started realizing some of the shoppers were famous.

"I'm really bad when it comes to faces and names. One time, we had this guy come in and I said, 'Hey, man! Long time no see.' He just looks at me and goes, 'Whatever.'

"I thought he was a previous customer. My brother-in-law said, 'That's Heath Ledger.' He was here for Brokeback Mountain.

"Oops."

He also remembers meeting British actors Tom Hardy and Paul Anderson when they were in town shooting The Revenant. They came in to get a bunch of pellet guns.

"I'm like, 'Tom, what are you doing with all the pellet guns?' He goes, 'Well, we play this game. It's called 'Not in the Face.'"

Cher even dropped by in 1999 when she was on her "Believe" tour.

"She had seen a little advert at the hotel she was staying at for German army singlets ... and she had one in one of her videos and saw we had them and came and bought a few," he said.

"As a child growing up watching (The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour), Cher (appeared) super tall and long and lean. And she wasn't tall; she barely came up to my shoulder," Cumming said.

"I wonder how tall Sonny really was."

One item on display in the store will go home with Cumming when he closes: a Union Jack flag. Purchased from the store, it hung in a hospital scene in Paul Gross's First World War movie Passchendaele. It was then framed and returned to the store after filming.

There are also thousands of clothing items, including Canadian, American British and French military uniforms, as well as helmets and non-functional rifles.

Posters for sale urge people to "Buy Victory Bonds." A giant Armed Forces billboard, with the slogan "There's No Life Like It," takes up almost an entire wall.

A 1944 Willys Jeep with a cat sleeping in a box on the hood is for sale, along with a large wooden crate.

"We have the Triumph TRW-500 (1957 motorcycle) still in the original crate," Cumming said. "We used to sell them for $700 in the crate, $1,000 assembled."

Cumming said a long-time customer plans to take over the Crown Surplus name and hopes to open a storefront in Drumheller.

Anything that doesn't sell in Calgary will likely go there, he said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 8, 2024.