When your pet squirrel needs underpants or your pinky finger needs a tiny rubber hand or your 15-year-old self needs to build a makeshift bong because the squished soda can isn't cutting it, there is only one place to go. 

American Science & Surplus.

A beloved Midwest fixture for 88 years, American Science & Surplus, 6901 W. Oklahoma Ave., is part science museum, part maker’s playground, part curiosity cabinet and part straight-up weirdness in the best of ways. From the detailed handwritten product signs to the imaginative, otherworldly displays to the demos that get customers up close and personal with a Van de Graaff generator or a Jacob's Ladder, American Science & Surplus is one of a kind (well, OK, three of a kind - there are two other locations in Illinois).

And now, the business needs our help.

Thus, American Science & Surplus owner Patrick Meyer launched a GoFundMe with a $125,000 goal to try to save the biz before it’s too late. The company needs to relocate and downsize its warehouse to the tune of $130,000 and update its software for $25,000.

The GoFundMe description says, “rising operational costs, the increased pressure from online retail giants, software issues and soaring shipping rates” as the company's greatest challenges.

"After nearly nine decades, the possibility of American Science & Surplus disappearing is a heartbreak we can't imagine, and we hope many of you feel the same," writes Meyer. "So we ask if you are in a position to help support us, we would be extremely grateful ... so we can continue to be the same source of ingenuity, invention and wacky products that you have known and loved over the years."

My plan? To donate to the fund, but also go holiday shopping this week. My kids' stockings will blow without American Science & Surplus treasures.