Anchor Electronics

After only knowing HSC for so long I never imagined an electronics store that actually knew exactly what they had and where it was. :-) But this is the place.
View there well formatted and informative PDF catalog and call if you like to verify availability. NIce people working there and reasonably knowledgeable. This is the place to go when you want to get what you want and get out quick. Prices are reasonable as well.

Anchor Electronics is a place I recommend for colleagues to go that need to get parts right away. Their inventory is very organized and the staff is helpful. It would be great if they had more hobbyist components and longer hours on the weekend, but overall they are a great resource to have in the area.

$ 20 minimum? Forget about it.

Wow wow wow, this is an electronics hobbyist’s dream. The place is immaculate, very organized, and the staff is quite helpful. I almost think this is one of the best-​kept secrets in the tech retail world.
Bonus that it’s less than 2mi from my house and open early so I can pick up parts on my commute to work.

The only store in Silicon Valley that comes close to stocking a wide variety of useful electronic components and accessories for both hobbyist and work related projects.
You can replace that soldering iron tip that just went out or get your bill of material filled, though they may not carry every part you need (necessitating a Digi-​Key order), but with their large selection of surface mount parts, you usually can find a substitute that will work in a pinch.
Yet this is the place to be if you are prototyping and need some ideas of what’s available. The staff is very familiar with their products, and it’s fun to wander around the store and envision what you’d like to see in your tool box.

CLEAN!!! A staff that knows their stuff (including the obscure surplus leftovers from yesteryear) and seem to really enjoy helping you with what you need. Good pricing, and most of those parts are in plastic bags, not just big, dusty bins. If you don’t see what you need in the bags on the racks, it will probably be waiting in the Great Wall O’Drawers behind the counter, or in the warehouse in back.
The bottom line: If you need electronic parts, this is the place to come.

This place is great. All of those hard to find chemicals and parts that I have to order online are right here in this store. People who work here are very knowledgeable and helpful, unlike most other electronics stores.

Very cool store. Very well organized. Bags are labelled and check this: the floor is carpeted LOL
Good find!

I am a hobbyist amp/​speaker builder and anchor electronics has been able to provide me with everything I need to build some cool electronics projects. The staff are very knowledgeable and have been able to answer any questions I’ve had. Thank you anchor electronics.

Cool local electronics store, when you need some parts fast or just for a small project, also check out halted and jameco!

Very clean store and everything is well organized. Friendly and helpful staff. The only complaint I have is the components are a bit expensive compared to other places I’ve been (maybe $ 1 for something that would be 35 — 50 cents elsewhere. Not outrageous, but if you need a lot of components it could add up.
This is a retail store with everything bagged up and labeled, not a warehouse full of surplus parts in bins. All of the small things like resistors, caps, ICs, etc are behind the counter so you need to know exactly what you want. If you just want to get random stuff to have on hand for future projects, it might not the best place since the browsing is limited.

Because HSC is so near by, I usually stop by there first before coming to Anchor. The order may change in the future.
By comparison, Anchor is so *clean*. Esp. as said coming from Halted, I feel all grimey after entering the store.
Staff is friendly, selection nice, everything so neatly labeled and… just a wonderful experience. Anchor definitely has the upper hand over HSC on resistor selection, especially 1% tolerance ones. Often times I don’t need say 1K, I *need* 1.1.K, and Anchor is there to deliver.
Love the McDonald’s entrance sign at the door.

A huge selection of electronics parts that you won’t find walking down the aisle at Fry’s. Open on Saturday’s for a short amount of time too. Helpful staff. This place was a lifesaver when I had to buy some parts last minute.
Oh, and the parts are nice and cheap too. Less than a dollar for many IC’s and packs of resistors.
Cons are that walking into the store feels like you just got sent back into the 1970’s by Skynet. Still, I keep coming back here when I need to dig up some parts for my latest EE project, so that says something, doesn’t it?

The Bay Area has progressed from the hotbed of semiconductor to software companies. In all these transitions, what has disappeared are stores that cater to the knowledgeable engineer (electronics geek, DIYer). These stores have all gone online.
At one time there were at least 10 – 15 such stores all over the Bay Area – names like Anchor, Frys (original), Jameco, JDR, Quement, Radio Shack (yesteryear), etc.
Anchor is the last standing brick and mortar all around electronics components and parts stores, catering to the prototyper and hobbyist, whether at the basic level of or into microcontrollers.
I recently rediscovered this store (after 10 years) when looking around for some basic semiconductor parts. This store has a lot of items that caters to the DIYer, and there is the ever present gentleman who greets and helps you find what you want. If he doesn’t have the part or tool, he suggests ways you could craft one in your garage!
All in all a gem of a store, and I hope they stay in business. The round up of such Bay Area stores is this and HSC. JDR primarily does online.

Anchor is wonderful. It’s small, but looks are deceptive: They have a comprehensive inventory, clean and well-​organized, with individual parts in their own little price-​marked ziploc bags; the ladies who own and run the place are meticulous. Very easy to find things there.
The place was a labor of love by the founder (see story below or on their new web site), and though he’s gone, that spirit continues — you feel it when you walk in the door. Make sure to stop by the little glass case of John’s mementos by the exit door — I hope when I’m gone someone cares enough to do something like that for me, let alone keep my business going.
The poster below who mentions «grouchy» ladies may have either been being difficult himself, or misunderstood a dry joke — there are some sharp wits behind that counter. Over the years I’ve been going there, I’ve found them to be good friends. I think folks are conditioned to expect «customer service» when walking into a store; at Anchor, I just think «family» instead.
Most of the chips and standardized discrete components are behind the counter. Before you go over there, grab a copy of their PDF price list/​catalog from
– that price list is pretty complete and accurate. If I’m putting together a large project I’ll go ahead and kill some trees and print the whole thing, mark up the pages that have parts I want, recycle the rest, and then when I walk in, just hand them those pages. That makes things real easy.
I’ve pretty much stopped going to Fry’s. HSC could be this good, if they wanted to; not sure what’s gone wrong over there.

These days those who spend their extra time @ Frys are casually classified as nerds /​geeks.
But you’re not a real nerd or geek unless you have tried DIY radio /​tube amplifier /​solar toys projects. Supercharging your PC to overrev the clock for gaming is NOT a nerd project, sorry,
Fry’s has a very poor collection of real useful electronics parts,
and the staff there are best classified as… oh nevermind.
Enter Anchor electronics… where you can find almost ANY IC, capactor, connector, fuse, plugs, breadboards, you name it.
Best of all, the people there are are knowledgeable and friendly,
and AMAZINGLY enough that place is neat and clean!