Camo, Ammo (Airsoft, That Is) and a Whole Lot More

Be honest... How many times did you drive by Sir Plus before you clued in to the double meaning of the store’s name? Maybe I’m particularly dense, but I had lived in Woodinville for over a year, and driven by the local outdoor supply store countless times, before one day, it hit me – “Sir Plus”… “Surplus”… “Army Navy Surplus.” Ha!

And I was right, at least partially. , which has been in Woodinville for about 15 years, does indeed do a brisk business in surplus and vintage military clothing and supplies.

The store’s manager and “Chief Curmudgeon” Randy Jaffee clearly has an interest in the stuff of military history. A display of over a dozen flight and combat helmets behind the counter attests to it, as do period posters and newspaper broadsheets lining the walls, and Jaffee’s obvious delight in a recently acquired day-and-night scope.

While much of the store’s military surplus comes from recently discharged vets looking to get some cash by selling their gear, Jaffee also helps families identify and assess vintage military items they find in relatives’ estates.

“The best place to preserve history is in the family,” says Jaffee, who adds he always encourages family members to “keep the minimum amount needed to tell the story,” and dispose of the rest so it doesn’t become a burden to future generations.

As central as camo and all things military are to the Sir Plus identity, the Woodinville store has much more to offer. “We have pretty much anything you need to work or play outdoors,” says Jaffee, who oversees the family business with his sister, Jackie.

In fact, if you look hard enough – and the store is packed – you can probably find something for just about everyone. In addition to shirts, pants and jackets, there are racks of hats, socks and gardening gloves, work boots, trail maps, ropes, long underwear, raingear and much, much more.

The store stocks a full array of family camping supplies including cookware, first aid kits and entry-level backpacks, tents and sleeping bags. Not the high-tech, high-price stuff sold at other outdoor suppliers … “Just the basics,” says Jaffee.

And don’t miss the display of message buttons – it’s designed for “equal opportunity offensiveness,” says Jaffee. You’re likely to find buttons that raise your hackles, as well as those that tickle your funny bone.

So who shops at Sir Plus? There is no typical customer, says Jaffee, adding that shoppers represent all walks of life and economic levels from “hard-core surplus shoppers” to Hollywood Hill moms with their cub scout sons to local high school students buying outfits for the latest camo- or jungle-themed event. “Halloween is huge,” he adds.

The clientele have differed at every Sir Plus location, says Jaffee, including the original site in Seattle’s U District which Jaffee’s father and uncle opened in 1975. At that time, he said, the clothing they sold was mainstream fashion for local college students. More recently, a store in Seattle’s waterfront district catered to neighborhood dock workers.

The biggest profit-center for Sir Plus is its airsoft hobby shop, added several years ago. According to Jaffee it is the largest and only full-service location in Western Washington. Airsoft enthusiasts from all over the Pacific Northwest fill the Sir Plus parking lot most weekends, coming to make purchases or have equipment serviced by one of the shop’s technicians. “We’re always looking for something new,” says Jaffee, showing that even a business grounded in history can thrive by continuing to look forward.

Oh, and about that mural on the back wall … it was painted by Carol Amsberry, also known as the “Window Woman,” who had a thriving business painting store windows and displays in the area for years.

According to Jaffee, the Sir Plus mural was originally designed to depict a Walter Matthau look-alike, a nod to one of the actor’s roles as a hapless outdoorsman. Unfortunately, Matthau died the week painting was to start, leading to a last-minute change to a Crocodile Dundee (Paul Hogan) look-alike.

Lucky for Dundee… he now enjoys a bit of immortality, watching over all of us as we drive by.