Here is a list of some places you might go to buy various items in and around San Francisco. This is from the Flaming Lotus Girls “Suppliers” list.

Picture Printing

Enlarged photos of our art are popular sellers at fundraisers

Lee used http://mpix.com and was very happy with the quality, price and ease of using their web site. He found the http://www.whcc.com web site hard to use (it’d probably be better for professional photographers).

http://photoworkssf.com/ is on Market St. They can do quick turnaround (order online to get a discount). They cater to the “pro-sumer” market. Lee and Charlotte used them for the FLG photobook and the photos came out very well.

David Ellsworth writes: I’ve heard good things about http://www.mpix.com and http://www.whcc.com. If you want cheap, http://www.perfectposters.com and http://www.reliablephoto.com have low prices for big prints in their ads in the latest Pop. Photo magazine.

I’ve been happy with Costco, which has the advantage of 2 hour turnaround, but you need to be a member, and they only go up to 8×12 or so.

Don’t forget to make small enlargements to sell, too. They sold well at the last fundraiser.

Calypso Imaging in San Jose does a good job, but they are pricey.

Picture frames from Ikea is good.

(keywords: fundraising, fundraisers, benefit, benefits)

Electrical, Electronics and Embedded Computer Stuff

http://findchips.com and http://octopart.com aggregate the catalogs of many electronics catalogs

http://weirdstuff.com/ Surplus electronics in Sunnyvale

http://www.sparkfun.com for prototyping

Al Lasher Electronics in Berkeley. I haven’t been there yet ~Lee

HDB Electronics – great small electronics parts etc, 9a-5pm retail in Redwood City. Can get many catalog parts in 2 days. Very helpful staff.

Allied Electronics

Farnell

http://apcircuits.com mail order custom PCB maker. They have 1 day turnaround!

Jameco Electronics Large mail order supplier with Will-Call in Belmont

Mouser

HSC Electronic Supply – retail parts with a surplus feel to the place. Open Mon-Sat at the intersection of Lawrence and Central expressways.

Hosfelt Electronics – mail order parts, sometimes pretty cheap. In Ohio.

MPJA – mail order place in Florida. New and used. Inexpensive

Eagle – powerful and affordable schematic capture and printed circuit board design package. Their freeware version works pretty good. :-)

http://www.electrical-supply.net/ – we bought some electric outlet stuff in 2006 from them

http://www.surpluscenter.com

Shop Stuff

Sentry Safety – Lee got reusable earplugs in 2006. Cheap, good people.

http://weldingsupply.com – Lee and Michael Prados got the Lincoln TIG 225 welder from them at a very good price 6-1-07

Metal

• Good cheap place for 2″ pipe among other things. It’s a hardware store – Good View 1320 Marin Street, SF CA 94124 282.9748

Misc

Coliseum Flea Market in Oakland – Thursday and Sunday. Used tools, lots of great junk, bicycles

Oakland Flea Market at Laney College – Weekends. better for houseware-type stuff than Coliseum Flea Market

Many Small shops on Mission between 19th and 24th – super cheap backpacks, electrical cords, socks, locks

Recycled and Inexpensive Stuff

This list originally from BManUpdate:V11:#11:RESOURCES

• The Reuse People (Oakland) http://www.thereusepeople.org
• The Reusable Lumber Co. (Woodside) http://www.reusablelumber.com
• Building Resources (SF) http://www.buildingresources.org
• Urban Ore (Berkeley) http://www.urbanore.citysearch.com
• Garbage Reincarnation (Santa Rosa) http://www.garbage.org/index.htm
• Caldwell’s (New & some used. SF) http://www.caldwells.com
• Whole House Bldg Supply (E. Palo Alto) http://www.driftwoodsalvage.com

These local organizations sell inexpensive donated materials for art projects:

• S.C.R.A.P.: http://www.scrap-sf.org
• The East Bay Depot for Creative Reuse http://www.east-bay-depot.org

The Build it Green Product and Service Directory also provides some useful information:

• http://www.builditgreen.org/guide

Even more sources for cheap and free stuff:

• San Mateo Recycleworks: http://www.recycleworks.org/cgi-bin/bin/user/searchdatabases.pl
• http://www.recycleworks.org/reuse_center.html
• South Bayside Waste Management Authority’s Rethink Waste site: http://www.rethinkwaste.org/index.php

These online exchanges are FULL of people trading or selling useful used goods:

• FreeCycle http://www.freecycle.org
• CalMax http://www.ciwmb.ca.gov/calMAX
• Craigslist http://www.craigslist.org