Sunny's Surplus (formerly known as Sunny's Great Outdoors and Sunny's: The Affordable Outdoor Store) was, at its peak, a chain of 29

surplus store A surplus store, military surplus store or disposals store in the Commonwealth of Nations sells items that are used, or purchased but unused, and no longer needed. The surplus is often military, government or industrial excess often called army-na ...

s in

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

, Virginia, and

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...

. The chain was founded in 1948 by Sidney Weinman to sell

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

surplus. The name Sunny's is from the first store manager. The first store was located at East Baltimore and Frederick Streets in Baltimore, Maryland. It later added camping gear and in 1990 renamed itself Sunny's The Affordable Outdoor Store. The chain also carried

Cub Scouts Cub Scouts, Cubs or Wolf Cubs are programs associated with Scouting for young children usually between 7 and 12, depending on the organization to which they belong. A participant in the program is called a Cub. A group of Cubs is called a 'P ...

and

Boy Scouts Boy Scouts may refer to: * Boy Scout, a participant in the Boy Scout Movement. * Scouting, also known as the Boy Scout Movement. * An organisation in the Scouting Movement, although many of these organizations also have female members. There are ...

uniforms, badges and equipment.

Recent history

In 2000, Sunny's filed for

Chapter 11 Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code (Title 11 of the United States Code) permits reorganization under the bankruptcy laws of the United States. Such reorganization, known as Chapter 11 bankruptcy, is available to every business, wheth ...

protection in U.S. Bankruptcy Court and emerged 13 months later. In early January 2007, Sunny's began liquidation sales as it prepared to close down all of its locations after the Elkridge-based company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy for the second time in a decade. March 16, 2007, marked the final day in which the company's remaining stores (a handful of stores up until this point had closed) were open for business. In late October and early November 2007, Sunny's reopened its doors with three Maryland stores, in

Annapolis Annapolis ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Maryland and the county seat of, and only incorporated city in, Anne Arundel County. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east o ...

Westminster Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Bu ...

, and

Frederick Frederick may refer to: People * Frederick (given name), the name Nobility Anhalt-Harzgerode *Frederick, Prince of Anhalt-Harzgerode (1613–1670) Austria * Frederick I, Duke of Austria (Babenberg), Duke of Austria from 1195 to 1198 * Frederick ...

. These stores were again closed in late March 2008. Sunny's was a

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

landmark and has appeared in

Barry Levinson Barry Lee Levinson (born April 6, 1942) is an American filmmaker, comedian and actor. Levinson's best-known works are mid-budget comedy drama and drama films such as '' Diner'' (1982); ''The Natural'' (1984); ''Good Morning, Vietnam'' (1987); ' ...

's movie ''

Liberty Heights ''Liberty Heights'' is a 1999 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Barry Levinson. The film is a semi-autobiographical account of his childhood growing up in Baltimore in the 1950s. Portrayed are the racial injustices experienced bot ...

'' and show '' Homicide: Life on the Street''. The chain's "dog in the gas mask" commercial was awarded a

Clio In Greek mythology, Clio ( , ; el, Κλειώ), also spelled Kleio, is the muse of history, or in a few mythological accounts, the muse of lyre playing. Etymology Clio's name is etymologically derived from the Greek root κλέω/κλεί� ...

. At the end of March 2008, Sunny's Surplus closed its remaining physical stores. In September 2022, Lyfe Rocks Multimedia (LRM) bought the rights to Sunny's Surplus and planned to revive the brand as an ecommerce store. Currently its website has been transferred to LRM, which is doing business as Baltimore-based Sunny's Surplus Online.

References

Surplus stores American companies established in 1948 Retail companies established in 1948 Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2000 Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2007 Defunct retail companies of the United States {{US-retail-company-stub