About Us

Surplus Unlimited first opened in 1981, in a small 4,500 square foot store in the Laurel Hill neighborhood of Norwich, CT. We had a staff of 7 people, 3 of which were family; the owner, Joseph Matera, his son Michael and his daughter Susan. Most of our merchandise from New England and New York was not delivered by a freight company, but was personally picked up by Joseph in a van.
As business grew, we had more and more opportunities to purchase close-out merchandise. This enabled us to increase our variety, however, we were outgrowing our present location.
In 1986, land was purchased on West Main Street and Surplus Unlimited moved into its current location. With 3X more square footage, business flourished. Loyal customers followed and new customers came.
In the next five years, the Matera family constructed Willow Tree Plaza, home to six businesses. A 17,000 sq ft warehouse was also constructed to add to Surplus Unlimited’s buying power.