Had I gotten on the interstate right away I would never had seen the Arcus Brothers store in Bloomsburg. They were closed when I stopped. It appears they sell mattresses, furniture, slot machines, condoms, musical instruments, movies, and probably items too numerous to mention. I didn't take a photo of the whole building, but someone did in 2003.
That's it for the trip to Ohio. I'm at a loss as to what to chronicle next. The trip to Iowa? All of this summer's bike rides around town? Maybe it's time to back to the Midwest!
Slot machines, condoms.
We buy old stuff.
Mattresses $36.00 - get them while they're hot. (I think not.)
Nice find, Joe! Folk art.
Posted by: cheryl | 20 August 2007 at 09:52 PM
Don't delay, buy today!
Posted by: Joe | 21 August 2007 at 10:29 PM
I am definitely scared of a store that sells both "old stuff" and condoms.
Posted by: Steve | 31 August 2007 at 09:45 AM
i would like to say that these guys are complete and total rip off con artists... i have rented the apartment above the store and they will take you for all you have if you're not careful... 2 days after we moved in the oil comviently ran out and then when we had someone come to give us oil we found that they needed to replace a vent pipe... that was 2 weeks ago... so after consulting with a lawyer we went ahead and gave notice to move out... now we have no power... ppl came and told us that the breaker box is in fact a sub breaker box and that they have control of anything that goes on up here in the store down there... the police will do nohing to help... neither will code enforcement, the town administrator, or the mayor.. we had to have our children relocated so that they could stay warm since it's friggin 30 degrees at night... all because we want to move out and won't pay another days rent here due to their outlandish slum-lord approach to being land lords... not to mention the fact that they let weirdo creepers into the house just to let us know that steve or mike wants to "talk" isn't that what they invented the phone for? no the police here don't help with that matter either... soon i will be taking pictures of the place and posting them on you tube... check it out it's a real "winner" really i urge that NO ONE should rent this apartment off of these guys unless you wanna pay their electric bill for the store and who knows what else...not to mention the fact that if they decide to turn off everything you have in the apartment then you'll have no one to call to help you when you need it
Posted by: unknown person | 04 November 2007 at 02:46 PM
Steve Arcus is a con-artist. He'll try to fast talk you into a poor deal with his snake-tongue. I suppose he's used to dealing with dopey college student who need to sell stuff quick and will treat you like a sucker. Caveat Emptor -- Buyer Beware.
On a less sour note though, if you just want to go in and look around, it's actually neat to see what is in stock.
Posted by: Mike | 26 December 2007 at 10:08 PM
Back in the 1980s, I bought quite a bit of audio equipment from Steve Arcus--the stuff was always good, and at exceptionally low prices. Yeah his place is a dump, and I always wondered whether he was in fact a legitimate dealer of anything, or whether he somehow acquired his extensive, eclectic stock through some less-than-legal means. I have an opinion on that, but nothing more than that. The only thing Arcus ever did that kind of miffed me a little was that, despite all the business I gave him, he never failed to greet me with a cynical "how much do you want to spend?"
Of his rental properties unfortunately, the same cannot be said. He rented one of my friends a slum room with a live snake still in residence. True story.
Posted by: Auslander | 02 January 2008 at 04:41 PM
We bought a water bed off them (well, just the frame - we put a regular mattress in it). Everything was ok at first. Their place is gross. There were roaches on the display waterbeds, but they gave us a good deal on the bed.
They talked us in to opening a store credit account. NEVER DO THIS!! We were young and stupid. We paid the bed off, and Steve got us a good deal on a used air conditioner, which we still use today. All was still ok.
When we paid that off, we decided we wanted patio furniture. They didn't have any, but they could order some. Almost 2 years later, we still didn't have it. Tons of excuses: it's on the way, it's stuck at customs, it didn't get on the container, etc etc etc. We got angry, and demanded our money back (conveniently, they charged the account immediately) plus interest that we paid. No dice. They got furious when we cancelled the furniture.
I came back, letter from my lawyer in hand (and I brought a friend as a witness). They refused my cash back, but I left with an equivelent amount of merchandise to cover what money they took from me. I wasn't happy, but it saved me from buying Christmas gifts for a few family members.
I too wonder how they aquire some of their stuff. And I would NEVER rent anything off them - especially after seeing the roaches crawling on the beds.
Posted by: FunkMaster | 08 January 2008 at 10:38 PM
i just sold my x box 360 for 50 bucks what a rip off
Posted by: logen mensinger | 28 February 2008 at 10:26 AM
These dudes are shady assholes.. They rip you off every chance they get.. And they give you the whole if you pay cash i'll give you a better deal.. Yeah so you can screw the tax system too.. These dudes are idiots and i hope they get caught screwing the wrong person..
Posted by: Joe Boil | 15 April 2008 at 08:42 PM
these guys are shady rip offs. they told me that they wouldn't go down on multiple cd's and referred to 'i don't make the decisions here--they do down at corporate. cd's are a flat rate' (corporate??? like they have a huge operation??? ha!)
completely creepy people and while i'm not a fan of wal-mart enough that i boycott them, they kept talking about how much they hate wal-mart, but how are they any better? a bad small business is the same as a bad big business. i'd probably prefer to shop at wal-mart even.
believe me--anything they have at arcus brothers can be found via auctions, thrift stores, flea markets and yard sales for much cheaper!!! do not buy anything from them!!!
Posted by: bernie mac | 10 September 2008 at 04:52 PM
totally agree creeps n weirdos they ripped me off twice once on stereo equip, then on a cell phone, Im just a nice guy who wasnt on guard against those shysters take advantage of young people, If there is a hell they r on there way, white trash gypsys
Posted by: joe joe | 19 June 2009 at 10:16 PM
guess what..they give jews a bad name....have a wonderful shabbaz!
Posted by: ek**& | 30 November 2010 at 05:19 PM
I love how shady this place is! I actually got a pretty sweet deal on a tape deck there, but not for the lack of arguments. Seriously, though- it's a wonderful shade of grimy, mixed in with enough stereo equipment to make you drool and a massive wave of doubt about legality. You won't get hurt, at least. Don't rent an apartment, though. Word to the wise.
Posted by: gerwulf | 20 April 2014 at 08:43 PM
Yeah I visited not too long ago. Overpriced merchandise. Poor customer service. I wouldn't doubt if the merchandise in the store was acquired from less-than-legal means. I'd love to see this place torn down. Eyesore.
Posted by: Arthur Schultz | 29 March 2015 at 11:52 PM