My Kingdom for a Decent Hobby Shop!!

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
21

I am fortunate to have a pretty good pusher (oops! I meant LHS [;)]) in Austin, in the form of King’s Hobbies. I haven’t been to the Collectable Caboose in Cedar Park because I HATE driving on 183 and won’t do it except at great need. Village Hobbies is a fun place to browse, but John still favors merchandise with horn-hook couplers and no DCC. Plus, King’s is right on the way for me to and from work. It is almost too convenient. They put on clinics on such topics as MIG weathering powders, how to use an airbrush, and now, a four-part series on Woodland Scenics modules. On the whole, a good store, and one I would recommend.

Village Hobbies is not as well-laid out, but it is a good place to look for out of production items, especially Walthers buildings and such like. But, they only stock code 100 Atlas track and, as I mentioned, no DCC.

When I was in the hobby before, as a teenager living in rural Oklahoma, the nearest hobby shop that was any good was 90 miles away in Oklahoma City or 85 miles away in Tulsa. Needless to say, all my purchases were mail-order from AHC in NYC, E&H Model Hobbies in Philly, or Terminal Hobby Shop (Walthers). But, I did have a layout then. Now, I am still in the “armchair” stage.

[C):-)]

22

Must have been a while since you’ve been to the “House of Mouse”. Train Depot has been closed for about 4 years now. They sold to a large chain store that had a store in The Florida Mall, but they went belly up too. Orlando’s best is now the previous second best, Colonial Hobby. Ok stock, somewhat friendly staff. The hole in the wall junk shop you eluded to has been gone for about 8 years now. I still have a few milk cartons of Sculpt-a-mold (sp) I got for about .50 each. at their going out of business sale.

The best hobby shop I’ve ever had the pleasure of giving my hard earned money to is Al’s Hobby in Elmhurst, Illinois. Al has been there since rubber band drive made it’s mark and they are still going strong today.

23

There is a great LHS located in Princeton, Illinois (North Central Illinois) called Mainline Hobbies Inc. off of I-80 exit 56. Owner is a model railroader for 34 years. The store not only carries railroad N-G scale, but other items too. Full-Line store. Great C.S. and an online store too! Clean, organized, well lit and if they don’t have it in stock they can get quick! Decent prices, they don’t screw with you. Great online store too! mainlinehobbiesinc.com . Check them out!

24

One thing I hate is when you go to a shop for something they said they stocked on the phone and it’s NOT there and they say “well, we can order that from Walthers if you really want one” I can order stuff from Walthers if I want something.(or direct from what ever company and avoid the Walthers and LHS mark up). With the price of gas these days, that really ticks me off! I’ve waisted so much gas going to 3 LHS’s that said they stock Floquil paint, only to get there and find out it’s Polly S or maybe they have 4 or 5 stray bottles of Floquil in unusable colors. How can you run a LHS and not know the differance between the paints? I just don’t get the mentallity these days.

25

I recall MB Klein, Gilberts, New Oxford and several others in the greater Baltimore area. I think MB Klein is one of the few survivors of the “Good hobby shops” I live in AR now and there are two “One track Mind” in Mabelvale and the other “Hobby Shack” in Jacksonville near the USAF base and one more in Conway.

With these three stores it is easy enough to uncover or order anything that is availible in the hobby today. More importantly I believe they understand very well how to run a Hobby Shop and does a very good job of it for a number of years. I feel fortunate to have enjoyed thier hospitality while spending money.

I have not spent much hobby money this year but there are orders for the Reading T-1 and several other cars and trucks spread between both stores well into next year. There is a great deal of time lost waiting for these new items to enter the market… in some cases a year or more.

In the meantime… paints, couplers, parts, visits to shoot the breeze and dig thru the store looking for that one gem at a good price is what it is all about.

Sure Ebay and internet houses sometimes have OOP items (Train shows do too.) from time to time but I prefer to go to the LHS first.

I remember one particular store in the carolines. I think it was about 15 years ago I spotted this place, staged my 18 wheeler in a nearby field and walked into it. I was feeling like Indiana Jones in the lost realm looking to make a new discovery that day.

The door hardly closed behind me when I heard [censored] this and [censored] that.

I know all the words and can use them as well when I have to… but that level of noise pollution is NOT what the hobby is about. I took a glance around and left. Too bad too as I had some items I needed to fini***he kits I had going in the sleeper.

26

My LHS is a 30 min. bike ride away, friendly staff, good merchandise, regular sales, great stock, great location, and, as far as I can tell, business is booming! There is no doubt in my mind that it is the best train store in Alberta.
In the late 1990s, they moved into a bigger building, and there was aisleroom galore! By now, the aisles are somewhat crowded with stuff, and they renovated last year, with a boxcar front! (The guy who did it is also in my train club)
Trainboy

27

My LHS is kinda somewhere in between, and its in a tranisition stage. They have good selection, but I find stuff sitting there for years. There is stuff that in the 5 years I have gone there, hasnt moved. They face some fierce competition though, as not to far away there is a G Scale specialist Shop, and a New England Railroads specialty shop. My shop has a good selection of structures, locomotives, track, , but the selection of scenery materials and more specialty things like sidewalk sections etc is much more limited. Also, ownership has changed, so the store’s style is kinda changing. The part im glad about is that the new owner is much more open to younger employees. I think the old owner is softening up though.

Beckers Model Railroad Supply in New Brighton, MN very close to both downtowns in the Twin Cities, is a great shop, in my opinion. They have a great selection of everything, even though they are not all to big a shop. Most things you need you can find there, asuming you arent looking for things like brass locomotives. The store is well lit, very friendly, and very helpful.

28

Let me see if I understand what the modeler’s dream is all about.

You want some individual to take at least $500,000.00 and invest it in a train shop. You expect this guy to sell you any product your heart desires at a 20% discount and provide you with all of the bells and whistles with respect to service.

Now if the guy is able to turn his inventory at least three times in a year (which is pretty good by industry standards) then he would gross about $1,500,000.00. He would pay about $900,000.00 for the goods. Now that will leave him with about $600,000 to pay his operating expenses.

Lets look at some of his expenses:

This would very likely be a big store, perhaps 8,000 square feet. A good retail store located in a good neighborhood wil probably run him about $2.00 per square foot per month. His monthly rent would be about $16,000.00 per month or $192,000.00 per year.

Now if he has eight employees and pays them an average of $40,000.00 a year, plus he pays himself about $80,000.00 a year, his payroll would be about $400,000.00.

Now he has already spent $592,000.00 of the $600,000.00. The remaining $8,000.00 has to pay for utilities, bags, receipt paper, ribbons, garbage communications, etc.

You may have noticed that he made $80,0000.00. Actually he could have made that $80,000.00 at any job. If we look at the annual return on his original $500,000.00 investment, it appears to be ZERO.

IMHO a zero return on investment is unacceptable. I invested some of my money in Starbucks last January and have received a 100% return on my investment thus far this year. In addition I earned income from my regular job. Why would a prudent person want invest money your dream hobby shop?

29

I frequent Custom Railway Supply in Colorado Springs, and occasionally make it up to Caboose Hobbies in Denver. Both top notch shops. They are much better than any of the hobby shops in San Antonio, with the exception of Lone Star Trains.

30

I wouldn’t… but in your example, he doesn’t have to and probably wouldn’t have 8 employees, Not for just a train shop and $40k per year each sounds mighty generous and VERY unlikely unless you are considering total cost… Health insurance, unemployment insurance, and the overhead cost of just having employees…

It would be nice but I don’t think anyone expects perfection. However, If I’m going to spend the time and money to Get to the LHS, they better have more on the shelves than 3 bottles of dried up floquil, ever increasing prices on stale stock, and a locked glass case of Santa Fe locomotives…

Some are better than others and the ones that’ll survive will be the shops who’s owners understand how to find the happy middle between customer wants and his expenses…

Jeff

31

Wow, where can I get a job at a hobby shop making $40,000/year. That’s about twice what I make now. And I bet $80,000 is more than most LHS owners make.

Ok, so you can get it cheaper online and the stores are cramped, but most of the time the small LHS people know what they are selling, stand behind their merchandise and will gladly take returns for their regular customers. Usually they give discounts to club members and are supportive of the clubs.

Also don’t forget the “train show” merchants. Used and discounted new equipment from people who mainly run the local show circuits. The reputable ones can usually be found at all the shows within driving distance.

32

Well guys if you had $500,000.00 cash in your pocket, you probably earned it with a good paying job and $80,000.00 a year is a good paying job by most folks standards. Your probably right, $80,000.00 is seems like more income than most LHS owners make, so this adventure will require someone willing to invest $500,000.00 with expectations of a lower annual income than the might have been used to.

Now we all know that very good help needs to be paid very well, so $40,000.00 represents a skilled and ambitious person with all of the skills you want to see. If you want to hire someone away from McDonalds to lower your payroll costs, then feel free to back off on the requirements for your employees.

Now if the store is too big, then we would have to back off on some of the space to be used for train layouts and other desirable activities, e.g. classroom space. In addition, maybe we could reduce the cost per square foot if we located in a less desirable neighbothood. $2.00 per square foor is actually a fairly low rate compared to what you pay in Seattle, Redmond, or Omaha.

You can futz with the numbers and the requirements all you want, but when you dream, there has to be some foundation in the real world of money. All of the ancilliary vendors and sources of goods will provide you, the consumer, with lower prices, but at some point the financial case will cause investment money to move somewhere else, not into LHS’s. You will get what you pay for!

33

I appreciate everyone plugging the exemplary hobby shops they have dealt with, but I was hoping that some of you guys could share some negative experiences you have had in hobby shops as well. Maybe it was due to unfriendliness, selection, atmosphere, etc. What kept you from purchasing, or better yet, returning? If you shop at one a few times a year, what keeps you from going more often (aside from the cost of fuel)? If the store is still currently in business, it would probably be appropriate to NOT mention any names. However, if they have closed, then discussing negative experiences may be beneficial for the stores that are still hanging in there.

Personally, I have no problem paying full MSRP if it is for something that I really want. Last week I purchased three new Atlas 11,000 gallon tank cars lettered for the Mississippi Chemical Co. for $24 each at Hobbytown USA (the only hobby shop within a 90 mile radius). I could have gotten them as a Buy It Now on eBay for $16 each, but I wanted them as soon as I saw them. You know, the whole instant gratification thing. I would have spent more money there, but everything else has been sitting in the same spot for the last six months.

One bit of popular terminology in the retail vernacular is “driving sales”. What could your LHS do - or have done - to drive their business. These days one can no longer be content to wake up, unlock the store, and sit behind the counter for 8 hours, then go home. A business requires an investment of not only money, but also time and creativity. During my many years of retail management, not one district manager would have accepted the excuse, “well, no ones in the mall today” for below quota figures. No interest in the hobby in your area? Then CREATE interest in the hobby in your area.

For the record, I did not want this to be an opportunity to slam our hobby shops. I understand that it is a hard living and as someone who has sat on the other side of t

34

I remember the Rip Track, I went there twice. It was a trip down memory lane - he had some old stock. Aisles were very narrow.

My biggest complaint about my LHS is he doesn’t carry S scale - he did when he started but I guess there aren’t enough S scalers around here. I do most of my buying at shows.

Enjoy
Paul

35

I live in an area with several LHS. The closest is R Hobbies in La Mirada.This place offers free coffee and soda,and usually has items at discount.The proprieter is very helpful and explained to me how to turn my test track layout(on a 4’ X 2’ board) into an actual model railroad using materials from Woodland Scenics plus some wadded up newspaper.Another shop that often has deep discounts is Arnies Trains in Westminister. I have gotten some really good deals here. I do visit the Original Whistle Stop,and Allied Model Trains sometimes,but both of these shops sell virtually everything at MSRP so I usually only buy magazines or books at either one.However, I can use light rail lines plus a bus to reach the last two listed.

36

No…My dream is an LHS that knows the differance between oil based train paint and water based train paint. And one that doesn’t lie to me on

37

As espeefoamer stated, two of the shops in the greater Los Angeles area sell virtually everything at MSRP. They are also the two that have the largest selections around. I prefer receiving a discount from the stores I visit, but am willing to occasionally pay MSRP if it’s for something that I want now. What I don’t like about some stores is the “stuffy” attitude of the staff that thinks because we’re the “biggest/best/closest/only (take your pick) store in town”, you should be thankful that we let you come in here. Some stores are like that, though I don’t mean to imply that the stores previously mentioned are that way. I’ve found that more in other types of stores than Model Railroad hobby shops.

Another thing I don’t like is for a hobby shop to advertise that they carry model railroad supplies only to find out that they have three Athearn HO locomotives in stock, two MRC power packs, a couple dozen Bachmann railcars, three train sets, a few packages of Atlas Snap-Track, half a dozen Life Like structures and several small items like track nails, EZ mate couplers and some Woodland Scenics items. This is very similar to the selection that Toys R Us used to carry twenty years ago (at least the store I went to when I was a kid). Now I have more than that in storage in my garage! I have been to quite a few shops like this, and will only return if I need something very basic and they’re the only shop in the area I will be in. Otherwise, I’ll just wait until I get to another shop that actually has some semblance of a selection.

The other thing I don’t like about some places I’ve been (again, not specific to the hobby) is that salespeople can be very one sided. If you don’t use the exact product that they carry, you have something inferior. I can pict

38

Negative experiences… Hmmmm… Where to begin. I won’t mention any names whether they are in business or not. I think each of us would have different experiences or read them differently…

Several years ago there was a guy who told me that unless I was there to spend at least $100 he wasn’t interested in my business. Seems he had read an article in MR where it was stated that was about the average outlay for the typical model rail per month… Of course, this was a time when blue box Athearn cars were $2 per. Though at the time I could have easily spent that much in a visit, I didn’t appreciate being told that’s how much I should be spending. He’s long since out of business or moved somewhere else…

A few years ago, I was at a shop during christmas time, probably a couple weeks before the holiday… A woman walked in the door, who happened to be blonde, and inquired about a Lionel train set, ANY Lionel train set, and was turned away because they had all been sold out… No problem there but the words out of the salesmans mouth after the door closed behind her, bugged me for some reason… "Her Next stop is the marathon station to refill the air in her h

39

G’day, Y’all,
Having worked in a hobby shop for about four years, The Great Train Store near Atlanta, I can tell you that the only thing that can be said about what to stock is that you can never figure it out. We had a Japanese businessman from Tokyo, who spoke no English, come in and buy a K-Line Coca Cola car. A PhD in economics with the Federal Reserve bought an Athearn 20th Century Limited locomotives and cars because he used to take it when he was young in New York.
Athearn’s F units in Santa Fe war bonnet red and silver would disappear off the shelf as soon as the Athearn shipment came in. The rest stayed there forever.
This was a national chain with 56 shops yet it never seemed to understand marketing. They would ask more than MSRP for all Thomas the Tank Engine pieces even when we were down to almost nothing and would not get a new shipment until all was gone. Other stores in the mall which sold Thomas would sell off the remainder at a pittance and get new stuff. We’d still have nothing to sell.
Our great marketing dept. was comprised of a man who was a Marklin HO fan and he filled out stores with German trains. The had to be placed on the floor where they were kicked around by customers. Thousands of bucks went down the drain. And then there was the wooden chilldren’s train with a MSRP of $500. Someone came in and offered me $300 one night. I could have taken it but gotten fired the next day. I think they ended up selling it for practically nothing when they went out of business.
But it was a fun place to work. I loved our customers, especially the children.
Jock Ellis
Cumming, GA US of A

40

I have been to The Great Train Store a few times, both in the River Walk in New Orleans and Tyson’s Corner in Northern Virginia. Here is a great example of having a corporate bank account, high traffic locations, sparkling attractive stores, helpful friendly sales people, but lousy marketing and buying. Jock is correct - the prices were unbelievably ABOVE MSRP on most everything I saw. I guess this was to meet the rent in these very upscale malls. I thought the company did a great job of having merchandise that would attract children and families (like Thomas and railroad-related toys) along with the things that would lead them to scale modeling in the future. But $500 for a wooden train set??? Even Donald Trump wouldn’t give a 3-year old such an over-priced gift!!

The one area of the store where I spent some money was the books section. Great selection, reasonable prices, and displayed in a Barnes and Noble type setting. So where did the company go wrong? For one thing, Jock is correct that European trains dominated the shelves. Also, the high-rent malls were too ambitious. Nice strip malls in good areas of town would have been