MB Klein is the showroom and retail store for Modeltrainstuff.com. I stopped in there today. They occupy a long rectangular building. They occupy the left 2/3 and an unrelated business has the other 1/3
Used to be you entered on the very left. That room was rolling stock, loco’s, electronics, Walthers structures, track, N-scale. The middle room was O and G scale and the room the right was paint, scenicking, more kits, an HO layout, Chooch type stuff.
The mailorder/customer service has taken over the middle and left rooms and everything else is smushed into the right room.
I understand that they have to go where the money is, but as I customer I like to shop and browse. I often see something to buy that I didn’t know I needed when I walked in the store. In the big scheme of things I guess that doesn’t count for much. Mainline Hobbies is about 150% further away from me but I will be going there instead.
I can understand your feelings, Henry. I prefer going to an LHS in person so that I can view and touch what I’m buying, as well as getting to know the proprietor. While MB Klein wouldn’t be the ideal drive for me (3+ hours), they are probably one of the best online establishments at presenting what they have and how many they have of it in stock - i.e. live inventory. [Y] Still not quite as nice as in person…BUT…the prices generally make up for it, for me.
Moseying around an LHS and looking through the inventory is still the best though. [:D]
I don’t know anything about their store since I live in the center of the country, but I sure like there web site. One of the best at showing what they have. I seem to often end up there ordering things. They’ve had stock on things I wanted the nobody else had.
I too like browsing my local hobby shop and purchasing there, but I find I almost always leave with my list unfulfilled and end up ordering the whole list on the internet.
Well, I have dealt with MB Kleins for many, many years. First as a kid growing up near Baltimore and later as an adult. As I have traveled the country I always found it to be one of the best places to shop. I haven’t been to the new location in person but have placed the majority of my model train orders through them.
Since retiring and moving from Scum City (Houston) where there WERE several good shops and being I live very far from the closest (and lame) hobby shop the majority of what I buy comes through the mail from Kleins. They are very efficient and I love the living inventory system. I REALLY HATE backorders and excuses. With them I don’t have to worry about not getting my stuff. Even better is they beat any prices I’ve seen at other sources like the Walthers Flyer and other places like Trainworld and others.
For me it’s a win-win situation and I’m sure glad they are there and do business the way they do.
I agree that sometimes you really want to touch and fondle things, especially new items or something from a new company, but sometimes it just isn’t possible.
From what I have heard, BigDaddy’s assessment of the situation is correct. I was told that they have computer stations set up and if you want something they have, you get the item number off the computer and they go into the back and get it. They had this before, but I think it has been expanded and the amount of items out on the shelf for “browsing” have been reduced.
I was at the MB Klein store over the weekend. One employee told me that they will only be using one section of the old store as the retail store. Basically one third the size of the old store. I was also told that they need the space for the warehouse. They just don’t have the room for everything. They still have the kiosk to purchase items that are not on display. This way you can see the item before you purchase it. I usually print out a list of what I want at home and then take it to the store.
Another thing a single car order can cost more then buying one at the LHS due to the added postage. OTOH the nearest shop to me is a 52 mile round trip with full MSRP now,add gas and lunch it costs me more. Lunch or a snack is needed to maintain my sugar level so it won’t drop.
I really don;t think there’s any ‘sadly’ about it when it comes to Klein. Unlike so many, they recognized the coming Internet and embraced it rather than dismissing it and thus instead of being “yet another hobby shop closing down” they are thriving. I have yet to go in person, last time I was at the Timonium train show I ended up being at the show until closing which puts it past closing at Klein’s, but I continue to order a large percentage of my stuff from them. Sometimes they have better prices even than eBay sellers.
Tom, you must be moving closer to me, or else you drive a lot faster than I do (not likely LOL ). It’s an hour and a half for me to get down there, and nearly 6 hours to get out to just above Franklin, so if it only takes you 3 hours to get to Timonium…
I know it’s nice to have a place to browse but I don’t think your not doing business with MBK is going to hurt them. There are plenty like myself that find MBK to have excellent service and great prices and an easy way to see and buy online.
When I am intown I do visit them and yes, sometimes they have items in the store that are sold out online and I usually pick them up, and sometimes I still look things up on their computer and have to have a guy bring it out.
In general, I see a lot of complaining here that sort of fits the category of “the good old days are going away” and I’m not happy about it.
Sure, I’m old enough to miss many things about 25-30+ years ago, but times, they are a changing, and already for many of us, a brick and mortar hobby shop is a thing of the past. I’ve already moved on - I don’t complain and wring my han
I’m with Randy and Jim on this issue. Forums like this one and all the other online content like youtube reviews and online magazines have far surpassed whatever added value was provided by even the best of the LHS’s.
I can’t understand why anyone would prefer the typical LHS over Modeltrainstuff.com or the mall over amazon. When it comes to shopping for MR stuff, these are the good old days.
I don’t see the big deal about ordering stuff from an online store. It’s just the way things are. You browse, add stuff to your cart, push a few buttons, and two days later goodies show up on your front porch. What’s not to like about that?
And regarding MBKlein Modeltrainstuff, they are pretty close to the top of the A List of online merchants.
I’ve already moved on - I don’t complain and wring my hands over the lack of the hobby shop - probably 2/3rds of the many many I have darkened the door of were no good to me anyway (and I’ve visted more than I can count); so that “nostalgia” is something I don’t really feel.
Jim,You just summed up the root cause of the demise of the LHS and probably the future demise of train shows.
Let’s not fool our selves folks on line shopping is far easier then driving to a hobby shop or train show and costs far less if one orders enough to help cover shipping…
IMHO the day of the walk in customer is fading as the empty malls and closed mom and pop businesses shows.
It is the social aspect we are loosing. Half of the enjoyment of going to lhs or show is the meeting of new friends and talking with old ones. It the same with going to the mall with friends. You go to socialize while doing a mutual activity and interest.
A buyer has to be fairly knowledgeable of the item in order for the internet store to be more convenient…or the buyer doesn’t care much about what they’re buying.
Returning items via internet sales invovles as much work as selling an item on ebay. It has to be (re)packed and shipped. Unless the item is defective, buyer pays shipping.
I agree with NVSRR about the social part being gone. Many of us don’t have a large club (or any club) close by or modeling friends to visit so the FLHS was our “Cheers”. Hanging with like-minded folks on Saturday was always a special event to look forward to after a grueling week at work. I miss the usually enjoyable talks with fellow modelers while leaning on the counter and picking up my weekly “fix” of supplies. For those of us without that enjoyment we have to find that “thrill” here in the posts and other sites.
I miss being able to touch and see new products without having to buy them blindly. Most mail order shops do have decent return policies but that’s a hassle to me. One-on-one time with something beats that. With the loss of so many shops it’s harder to do it this way and for many of us far removed from the closest shop impractical.
As several wise posters have stated…this is the new age of model buying. Like it or not this is basically how it is and how it shall be. Like ugly plastic automobiles, throw away electronics and RTR rolling stock…this is our new lot. It really isn’t bad…just different. I’m OK with it and find it to be a lot less hassle thanks to folks like Kleins.