I just called EoT in Bensenville and got the “the number has been disconnected” msg. Did they fold? They had one of the best N-scale selections in Chicago.
Well, there is an End of Track Hobbies on ebay in Franklin Park, IL. I just looked up his listings and he only has 9 items shown. If my memory is correct, he used to have a few hundred items out there.
I haven’t visited EoT in a few years. I notice they aren’t listed in the directories in the back of the model magazines anymore.
The folks who ran the place were an older couple and their family. The shop was 60% N scale trains, and all their other hobby stuff was a sideline. Moreover, most items were in glass cases, requiring assistance from the staff. (I like to help myself in a store; I tend to feel obligated to buy something if I have to talk to a clerk.)
I thought I heard rumblings that there was some bad blood between a local N scale club and the management.
Other problems might have included the shop’s location. It was not an easy place to get to, and there wasn’t much parking. There has been a lot of road work in the area. Moreoever, the neighborhood was developing a very pronounced ethnic cast that I suspect might make some people uncomfortable.
None of this bodes well for a business catering to what is a rather small niche market.
End of Track Hobbies listed about 100 items on ebay in the last few hours, so there is a sign of life. I’m not sure what that means about the status of the actual shop.