There has recently been a lot of discussion about how the internet is “making the LHS obsolete”, etc. I believe there are certain things about hobbyshops that can not easily be done online:
Having an expert examine your defective locomotive to diagnose a problem;
Providing a CONVENIENT place to buy generic supplies (couplers, detail parts, paint, tools etc.) that you suddenly discover you need;
Providing a means for potential buyers to “test drive” a model loco (especially the sound-equipped ones);
There must be ways to make money in the MRR business – maybe not as a full-time career, but enough to finance one’s own hobby expenses – besides having a bunch of models sitting on shelves and hoping people will come in and buy them.
I know of one LHS near me that offers a repair service, seems to be fairly well-used though I’ve not tried it myself. They also organise exhibitions/swapmeets in the area which seem to be a good way of getting new people into the hobby. The problem many stores would face is with finding reliable, capable people to do this sort of thing - for example, they would need someone who was experienced at weathering and paintwork to be able to offer these facilities, or someone skilled in electrical and mechanical work to offer a repair service. There’s also the issue of what happens if it goes wrong.
I’d love to see a store open here, but suspect that it wouldn’t survive long. Mail Order/Internet/eBay could probably make it profitable, but the real secret seems to be to stock the right stuff - you need plenty of cheaper locos, cars, etc for the newbie market, but also one or two high-level locos that will attract the established modellers and also be an incentive to the newbies - showing them it’s worth investing in the hobby and what they can buy “one day”. Other useful services could include offering locos completely RTR - for example, Athearn BB locos could be offered with handrails fitted/painted, Kadees fitted, DCC decoder fitted, and varying levels of extra detail/weathering. I know most modellers wouldn’t want this, but I suspect there would be a few customers amongst new modellers so long as the prices were right - decoder installation would probably be very popular. Just my thoughts!
The owner knows a lot less than I do about the hobby, so I would not take anything to him to be fixed.
He does carry SOME generic supplies, but rarely what I want. And I’m not going to pay Cdn $5.25 for a pair of Kadee #5 couplers! Hardly any Floquil paint, small selection of Modelflex paint, etc.
This test drive thing may or not be possible - he does have a small layout section (never completed) but doubt if he’d open sealed boxes to allow one to try to run new engines back and forth. And his prices are so high that most serious modelers don’t even bother shopping for high end models at the shop. He has one BLI steam engine with sound (Cdn $400.00) that he did demo for me, as I had never heard a sound equipped one before. But the price made the engine way beyond my interest.
He also carries plastic models, R/C models, etc., and I suspect that is what carriess the store. The most I buy there these days is a magazine once in a while. I just ordered a Bachmann HO Climax from an online Canadian shop, I never even bothered to price it at the LHS because it’s almost always “list price all the time”. So rather than him making a small profit from my purchase, he’s not making anything.
I really think the only way to have a truely successful train only hobby shop these days is to essentially be a glorified mail order warehouse. Have a decent inventory, packed tightly on the shelves to minimize the valuable square footage and its associated overhead.
The main thing is price at the store. It has to be competative with mail order on large ticket items like locomotives. I just can not see paying an extra hundred dollars a locomotive at the local hobby shop. Of course the business should have internet and mail order to suppliment the business too.
The store hours have to be minimized to keep overhead down and be hours convenient for the customers. Weekday hours could be from noon until 8 or 9 PM. Saturday hours could be from 9 AM to 6 PM.
Our LHS carries some train supplies. His loco prices were seemed decent from what I remember seeing online. His track parts are high. But being new in the hobby, I find that I need a part and I am willing to pay his price instead of waiting on mail order. He does have a nice older layout that he is reworking right now. He gave me some pointers on doing layouts. He carries mostly RC planes and cars.
There is a hobby shop about 70 miles from me that carries more trains than anything else. I bought my first layout (if you can call an oval a layout) from them. Since I did not have a clue on what to buy to get started, it was nice to be able to talk to someone face to face. Her prices are also high, I think I paid almost twice what I could have bought it for mail order, but it was worth the price since I did not know the first thing about the hobby.
There is a Hobby Shop in Jacksonville called Hobby Shack and another in Mablevale AR called One Track Mind. Between these two hobby shops I have a wide range of products to choose from either in store or by special order. The upcoming trainshow at the Project 819 building in Pine Bluff AR brings in yet more dealers from Alabama, Texas and possibly MO and KS which really exposes one to a good reach across the hobby.
There is a large crafts store called Hobby Lobby in Little Rock and they have basicaly toy trains in HO meant for children.
I recall MB Klein in Baltimore, Gilberts in Gettysburg (Steinwher ave) and several other hobby shops that also stand out in service, knowledge and willing to lean on the counter and trade train stories for a hour in quest of knowledge.
I have visited a few…(Very very few) “bad” stores that had high school staff watching the clock for quitting time. grumpy service or little to no converstation besides a “Grunt” at the door and a second grunt going out the door. I havent been back.
I do hope that there are those in the hobby with the desire and the willingness to lead our hobby into the future upon the fine ways to run a hobby shop.
The owner knows a lot less than I do about the hobby, so I would not take anything to him to be fixed.
He does carry SOME generic supplies, but rarely what I want. And I’m not going to pay Cdn $5.25 for a pair of Kadee #5 couplers! Hardly any Floquil paint, small selection of Modelflex paint, etc.
This test drive thing may or not be possible - he does have a small layout section (never completed) but doubt if he’d open sealed boxes to allow one to try to run new engines back and forth. And his prices are so high that most serious modelers don’t even bother shopping for high end models at the shop. He has one BLI steam engine with sound (Cdn $400.00) that he did demo for me, as I had never heard a sound equipped one before. But the price made the engine way beyond my interest.
He also carries plastic models, R/C models, etc., and I suspect that is what carriess the store. The most I buy there these days is a magazine once in a while. I just ordered a Bachmann HO Climax from an online Canadian shop, I never even bothered to price it at the LHS because it’s almost always “list price all the time”. So rather than him making a small profit from my purchase, he’s not making anyth
I can do that myself, however, this would be good for people who do not yet know enough to do it himself. I would recommend that if someone is going to be a model railroad that he learn how to work on locomotives.
That is nice. Too bad one of the model railroad or hobby shops in my area carry much. I seems like they never have any of these that I am looking for.
It is a good idea to test a locomotive before buying it. Locomotives are the only thing that I have only bought in person.
Also, if you do not belong to a club, it is nice to stand or sit around the shop talk about trains a bit.
I would like a hobby shop in my town because then I could walk there instead of driving the seven minutes it takes to get to the hobby shop in the next town west of here.
Of course I might have to drive in either case since I usually come out with more than I had intended and would need the trunk in the car to toss it in! [:D]
I want a shop in my town because the one I always go to is sort of unfriendly. I asked if they sold those new HO vehicles made by model power, and the guy said: “NO. and we wont be carrying them” in a rude voice. And another time, I asked for HO grab irons and they just threw a box of details right on the counter so I have to Pick through the bags. 10 minutes later when I was done all I found were etched metal grills and Passenger car diaphrams, none of which I needed. They also seem to be a very Lionel-centric store too. And the staff watches me with an eagle eye.
Bob, I’m in your boat. I know more than the owner, so you can guess how little he knows.
He has horn-hook couplers for sale, but no Kadees,
He only has EZ track and Atlas snap turnouts.
He has a Proto 2000 FA2/FB2 unit for sale for $179. I got mine a year ago for $49.99.
I operated a pet store for 5 year until 2003. A different type of hobby business but still a hobby business. I new that some people bought supplies and accessories online and I never really new how much online sales affected my business, but I never worried too much about it. The www age was well underway when I opened my store.
I found that my biggest customer base were beginners and newbies and I knew the more experience hobbiest eventually found other sources and cheaper ways of keeping their hobby. Experience hobbiest still came to me but needed less advice. Some were just so “old school” to be helped anyways. LOL.
People came to me for live stock (ie Fish) and bought the large heavy items (ie
glass aquariums) as you can understand weight meant high shipping costs ect. These two items I mentioned were sold at cost, for other reasons and I never made profit on these items anyways.
Another item I sold “at dealer cost” were starter kits. The reason came from competion from other “brick and morter” stores but also, the big box stores such as Walmart. I never was concerned about big/box stores because they put people into the hobby and when they needed advice and better quality stuff the customer eventually found me. (they put em in, I kept them in.)
Anyways… I would have liked more success as a hobby store as small business is tough and frustrating venture. if I were to operate model RR store, I would pick a large city and try to combine my hobby business with a complimentry business such as a arts/craft store, a hardware store or an electronics store.
Many things just cant be bought without seeing it up close so I will always need a LHS. I think Brick and Morter will never disappear.
I actually had one LHS owner get mad at me becuase I found his site on the internet!
Havn’t been back there since. What gives with these guys. Where is the service with a smile? Price doesn’t always matter, sometimes you need to see what you want first and touch it, feel it, you know! The other LHS I got to is small doesnt have a lot of stock but is just starting up, however they do have a web site and yes they are friendly people and if you ask, they just might give you a price break, if you make it worth there while.
I want a LHS, i have to go to Preston or Wigan and they are both Sharks when it come’s to prices, there is another local shop but they only sell beginers stuff so it’s useless, another shop owner is a butcher when it comes to fixing stuff and surprisingly he went bust