Since just after Reagan was elected, Mark Landers has been working and managing the tightly packed store.

"The store is still family owned after all this time," Landers, a 26-year veteran of the store, said. " Al Finer still owns it."

Finer opened the store as a primarily military surplus outlet in 1947, Landers said, but over time it, and most military surplus stores around the country, have adapted.

"As time goes by, we've added Carhartt and workwear. But we look like your typical surplus store still," Landers said.

"Levi's, though, have been a main draw since the inception of the store. Al has been a great Levi's dealer for all these years," he said.

The 9,500-square-foot store and the outlet store that opened just a few steps north in 2005 are packed tight and tall with "tens of thousands of items," according to Landers. In between racks of gas masks, replica helmetsand authentic Russian AK-47 T-shirts, walls of boots and jeans offer every size and function that someone looking for durability could conceive.

"The military stuff is still our main draw, though," Landers said.

"Let me show you my favorite," said Jin Stanger, an eight-year veteran of the store as she laid out the store's collection of vintage bayonets on the front counter. "Black is good at night, but with green, you can blend in," she added as she unsheathed a green M16 bayonet.

Landers said that he and other staff members buy merchandise either directly from manufacturers or from vintage auctions to keep costs down to compete with big-box stores, but that knowledgeable workers, customer service and specialized equipment keep customers coming back, generation after generation.

The store's Web site, armysurplusforless.com, gets hits from across the country, but only contributes a small portion to the store's total sales, Landers said.

"Just like around here, the Internet is getting over-retailed," he said. "But it's growing."