The Hobby Shop of today!


N

NP2626

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A really good friend of mine used to own Baker's Hobby in St. Cloud, Minnesota. He sold it around ten years ago, the guy he sold it to, pretty much ran it into the ground, it was rescued and sold again, purchased by the "Hobby Town" Franchise. I visited this hobby shop about a month ago and I could not find anything in the store I had any interest in. All the Freight Cars where RTR and mostly from the modern era. They had a pretty good selection of Model Cars, ships and airplane kits. They had almost ready to fly (ARF) R/C airplanes. It appeared to me that they where mostly into R/C cars and even had an R/C Race track for them in another part of their building. The other Hobby Shop I have frequented, is in Fargo, North Dakota. On occasions this one might have some Accurail kits, which I do like. However, other than those and some model railroad structure kits, it is pretty much the same type of hobby shop as the Hobby Town shop in St. Cloud I mentioned above. I really find no need to visit these types of Hobby Shops, so the brick and mortar Hobby Shops I feel are not worth the time to go to. I really miss the old days when I could spend hours just looking over all the neat things I wanted at the Hobby Shops of 20 years ago!

Any body else feel the same way?
 
I really miss the old days when I could spend hours just looking over all the neat things I wanted at the Hobby Shops of 20 years ago!

Mark: I'm in agreement. The last one was on the way home from work, and I would stop at least once a week. Guy closed over 20 years ago.

Boris
 
Mark,

I totally agree when it comes to Hobby Town. The Hobby Town in Kalamazoo, Michigan has gone the same way as those in your area. That is one of the reasons why this forum is so valuable. The folks here are great at sharing information and giving suggestions. But there are times when I just enjoy going to a hobby shop and spending an afternoon with friendly, knowledgeable staff to talk trains like you mentioned doing 20 years ago. I am lucky for the fact that I can drive to Granger, Indiana and visit the guys at Jerry's Trains. Or I can go up to Rider's Hobby Shop in Grand Rapids, Michigan. These hobby shops will even order things for you from manufacturers. That is a real plus for me as my online ordering experiences have not always been the best.
 
I'm lucky in that there are a several local model railroad shops around. Granted, local for me is within an hour. But the shops are there for me. Three of them are really good. Two others, so-so.

Whenever I travel, I try to visit hobby shops where I go. In some places, the last hold out is all there is and it's in sad shape. I highly encourage people to take their copy of MRR or RMC with them when they travel. Plan a trip to the advertisers in the back of the magazine. Buy something.

Do I buy off Ebay or the internet? Yes, but I try to find ways to buy local first. When the Bachmann 4-6-2 K4S Streamlined came out, I found a deal and got my local hobby shop to match it.

If the local hobby shop is to be saved, it's up to us. Do your part.
 
Mark - I went to a Hobby Town once and probably won't go again. Nothing there for me, either.
The best MRR shop that I frequented, closed up 20 years ago. I got 90% of my supplies there. Nice guy with good prices.
The next closest shop is 100% Lionel, which I don't model. Nice to go in and look around, but leave empty handed.
Another hobby shop 50 minutes away has too much of everything. They carry every scale of trains, even Brio and other toy trains. I won't make a special trip, but sometimes, if I'm in the area I'll stop in. There's a couple of more shops, but they're 90 minutes away and in downtown Pittsburgh - which I don't do.

At least in my area, shops aren't what they use to be. I'm kind of forced to buy online.
 
There is one place that I go to that is a regular "Old Time" hobby shop and that is Carr's Hobbies in Duluth. Duluth is about 165 miles away from me, so it's not a place that I get to often. Here is a description of the store:. It is in a rather run down section of town. They are into almost everything and the owner doesn't understand the current Ready To Run craze, either! There is railroadiana items scattered through-out the store, Locomotive headlights, etc. The isles are very narrow due to so much inventory! There are display cases full of brass locomotives in several scales. They have hobby books for trains, airplanes and ships. It is well stocked to overstocked, in inventory. You walk in and can feel like you've stepped back in time, to when a hobby shop IS what a hobby shop is supposed to be like.

If the local hobby shop is to be saved, it's up to us. Do your part.

Railrunner130, I don't feel there is anything in the current shape of what is considered to be a Local Hobby Shop, worth saving! Put that and the fact that I live where a LHS could not support itself; so, must drive close to 100 miles to get to a hobby shop that is stocked with stuff I have no interest in and it should be easy to see why almost all of my hobby purchases are done on line! Now, with the closing down of Northwest Shortlines, the hobby is loosing one more essential business and that is so sad!
 
Not for nothing, my experience has been that, the death of the brick and mortar LHS business plan is a self inflicted wound.

Simple stuff, like refusing to carry code 83 track products, not accepting pre orders, and not having aany inventory beyond entry level Bachmann will kill a business real fast.

I don't know what the answer is. I can drive across the state to a really good shop, or deal with a local guy that prefers to sell R-T-R, or deal on line.
None of the current options is ideal.

Boris
 
I would prefer to buy local - if there was a place?
Nearest decent is 60 miles away and 8 (3.50) gal RT and 8-9% tax on purchases - makes it rather expensive for me to go just to get a couple bottles of paint and some stripwood?
 
I would prefer to buy local - if there was a place?
Nearest decent is 60 miles away and 8 (3.50) gal RT and 8-9% tax on purchases - makes it rather expensive for me to go just to get a couple bottles of paint and some stripwood?

My case as well! I have Lombard Hobbies an hour away. It’s a phenomenal place to do business with, and they have pretty much everything. As Sherrel pointed out it takes $5-$7 worth of gas, 3 hours of a weekend, and 10% that Cook County want for their cut makes it better to stick to online retailers.
 
I would prefer to buy local - if there was a place?
Nearest decent is 60 miles away and 8 (3.50) gal RT and 8-9% tax on purchases - makes it rather expensive for me to go just to get a couple bottles of paint and some stripwood?
My case as well! I have Lombard Hobbies an hour away. It’s a phenomenal place to do business with, and they have pretty much everything. As Sherrel pointed out it takes $5-$7 worth of gas, 3 hours of a weekend, and 10% that Cook County want for their cut makes it better to stick to online retailers.

Also valid points There is a shop, "The Model Railroad Shop", in Dunellen, NJ, that was founded by industry pioneer Howell Day, back in the 1930s.
It's a great shop, Unfortunately, I live near the shore, so it's a 90 minute + or - depending on traffic drive each way. Plus gas, and they are (or were) a full price shop, plus 7% tax. I don't know how well they are doing, but they did a fantastic lunch time business from the AT&T Engineers back when AT&T was in Bedminster. I used to be a regular, then I was Local Freight Czar for Conrail. The problem is that depending what I'm looking for, it will cost me a whole lot more than I can get it for from MB Klein or Trainworld. Come to think of it, Trainworld, is maybe a 90 minute drive also, plus two bridge tolls to their Brooklyn store, even farther to their store on the Island.

Again, I don't have any answers:rolleyes:, it is what it is. :rolleyes:

Boris
 
My case as well! I have Lombard Hobbies an hour away. It’s a phenomenal place to do business with, and they have pretty much everything. As Sherrel pointed out it takes $5-$7 worth of gas, 3 hours of a weekend, and 10% that Cook Crook County want for their cut makes it better to stick to online retailers.
Fixed your mis-spelling.
 
I have emailed NWSL to confirm that they will; or, will not close. I think I heard this news at the ANPL Coffee Shop.

I never even thought to add in gas costs to my costs of going to hobby shops that are accessible from my location. In my case, there is only one hobby shop worth my time to go to and it would cost $22.00 with my car that get's 36 miles to the gallon and takes 5 1/2 hours to drive. Pretty easy to understand that shopping online is the only way to go for me, unless there is another reason to go to Duluth.
 
Just for the sake of accuracy - Lombard is in DuPage County Il. Not Cook or Crook County.
I certainly miss the multitude of hobby shops that were in the Chicago area just a few short years ago. In my neck of the woods it's pretty much Berwyn Hobbies and Toys. I guess I would think they are excellent if O gauge was my interest, but their HO selection is limited and they carry no N at all. That said, I try to support them just to be able to get general hobby supplies close to home. Hobby Lobby carries a surprisingly large selection of hobby tools and scenery items. With their weekly 40% off coupons, you can get some good buys.
 
Hobby Lobby carries a surprisingly large selection of hobby tools and scenery items. With their weekly 40% off coupons, you can get some good buys.

Gary B: Consider yourself fortunate. Our local Hobby Lobby stocks a very limited selection of scenery items, and paint. They phased out Woodland Scenics for Model Power lighting items, which is regression. I have been buying some trees and HO scale brick sheets, every time they are in stock.
The 40% off coupon applies to one item per transaction, so that's usually what I get.

Boris
 
I have emailed NWSL to confirm that they will; or, will not close. I think I heard this news at the ANPL Coffee Shop.

I sent the above question to NWSL on Wednesday the 20th and have heard nothing back! I think I saw this information on the ANPL Coffee Shop. Don't remember who said it and I have proven to myself that unsubstantiated rumors should be ignored. I apologize for making the statement as without NWSL's confirmation, it is only an unsubstantiated rumor that they will close!
 
I sent the above question to NWSL on Wednesday the 20th and have heard nothing back! I think I saw this information on the ANPL Coffee Shop. Don't remember who said it and I have proven to myself that unsubstantiated rumors should be ignored. I apologize for making the statement as without NWSL's confirmation, it is only an unsubstantiated rumor that they will close!

I read it on their Facebook page.
 



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