UCSF had a surplus store in south San Francisco. I worked nearby and we’d make it an office excursion occasionally to go there at lunch. One coworker found a fresnel lens, our company bought a server rack there… they had small auctions for the more expensive items but you could also just buy things… sorry, this was so long ago I can barely remember other than the dusty smell and the comfy feeling of wandering the warehouse.

I just looked it up and it looks like they still use the warehouse but now sell everything online.