hello my LHS closed in the past two weeks hudson toy train it was about 10 min from home now my drive is about 30 min -1 hour for a good shop out of 3 shops and i think one of those is for sale [:(]
frank
Yeah, I think they all probably will because of the net.
Frank,
Is that the one in downtown Hudson, right across from the main square? That was a nice store. [:(] What are your other LHSs?
Tom
We have a couple shops in Ft Wayne, Indiana
One of them usually matches or beats internet prices.
Known as Hobbyland.
The guys who work there are great to work with, and if something goes wrong ( which I can’t remember the last time I had something go wrong, they will make good on it.
The Net doesn’t give you that advantage.
And they are still doing a good business.
Yes you can shop the net, but it’s also a good idea to support your LHS when you can.
I ordered the Walthers HO 130 foot turntable from Hobbyland and the price I was given beats ANY DEAL on the NET !And they usually carry a nice selection of traiin equipment, and rotate their stock and have sales every so often, and their prices are very competitive.
What I like is I can see what I am buying, I can have it that day, get it at a price so close to net prices, or sometimes below, so it’s a win-win situation, and a great LHS.
let’s say you buy a kit on the net, and it’s missing pieces. Try and get them replaced!
Buy a kit at Hobbyland, and it were missing pieces, Jeff and Dave ould make good on it.
To me that’s a BIG ADVANTAGE of LHS’s.
PLUS they are both technically oriented, so you can get help on a problem should you need it.
Try that on the net!
The K4 Kid
Working on my Pennsy layout
yes thats the one . i also go trains ect in guy falls or hobby ect in parma i think is for sale? ,trains-n-toys in north canton. and a rc shop insouthgate has some old stuff sometimes. but the train shows are starting up i will be at some looking for deals frank
I am sorry to hear that your LHS closed. Too many have closed in the last 10 years or so. I try to support the two that are closest to me, one is about 25 minutes away and the other 35 minutes. One of the two stores is actually in his home, where he has converted the entire lower level to MRR shop. That is one way to keep your cost of store ownership down because you can claim part of utilities, and office, etc on your taxes, and you sure don’t have to pay some Mall or strip Mall owner exorbitant rent.
Me thinks they won’t close because of the 'net…but mainly because folks don’t walk the talk when it comes to supporting their LHS. Any LHS is well-advised to have a 'net presence 'cuz there is little loyalty from customers. Too many folks confuse saving 5 bucks with Christian principles or something.
Cheers,
Mike
Sorry to hear they closed.[:(] It’s always a sad day when a good hobby shop closes.
One of the two LHSs I live close to closed recently, most likely because they recently got a building in the middle of no-where. At least there’s still one left, and it’s more dedicated to trains than the other one, so it’ll still be fine around here.[:D]
Customers will pay a bit more for goods if they get exceptional service. I try and support my LHS but service is “ZERO”. The shop is stocked with high priced items the guy won’t sell in a 100 years. Topeka KS is big ATSF and UP country for modelers, so you think that he would have more ot these items; NOT!
JIM
Sorry to here. My LHs is 2 miles down the road. The owner is nice and gives me deals. He carries a lot of New England stuff so Its perfect for me.! I think me and my freind make up 90% of his N scale sales though. lol Tim
Frank,
If you are going as far as Parma, here’s a few others for you to check out sometime, if you haven’t already:
Westside:
Depot Train & Hobby
4342 W. 130th Street
Cleveland, OH 44135
(216) 252-8880
Wings Hobby
17112 Detroit Avenue
Lakewood, OH 44107
(216) 221-5383
Eastside:
Stewart Hobbies
38033 Euclid Avenue
Willoughby, OH 44094
(440) 942-6632
All of them are good stores and worth visiting.
Tom
I live in Mishawaka, IN and we also have a Hobbyland up here. I have been going to them for over 30 years and they have always been great to work with. In fact I just bought 100 pieces of Atlas Code 83 flex track from them. They have been very helpful over the years and I hope to keep goiing there for many more. They do have an internet site and very helpful employees.
John
hello yes i have been to wings nice shop stop at stewart when i was out that way for work did not to much time but did fined a varney box car old cardstock kit have not been to depot train& hobby but will put on my list me and my dad will go out one day and go to all the shops on one side of town then the next trip is to the other side try to spend a littel $$ all over[:)] frank
A sad follow up to this older thread. Hobbyland in Fort Wayne, Indiana, is closing as we speak. The store in Mishawaka, Indiana, will remain open.
This store will be missed. Good selection, reasonable prices, and GREAT atmosphere. [:(]
Which shop do you go to? I feel the same about mine, Maine Trains in Chelmsford, MA. Great service, significant discounts and good stock of both HO and N. He’ll order anything, too, and give me the Walthers sale prices when they have them.
This summer, he had a modeller from the Pepperel Siding club come in and give free weekly “weathering clinics” each Thursday. We had a regular crowd of 8-10 people, and most of us ended buying weathering supplies. I learned a lot about using weathering powders, too.
His shop does have an internet presence, too. He’s not trying to compete with the big boys on price, but instead on specialty items like New England railroads.
And there are always customers in the shop, even in this slow summer season.
tstage-Do you know if International Hobby in Parma is still open? I used to walk there all the time when I was a little kid.
Trains are a lower priority item at my local hobby shop because the store specializes in remote control model airplanes, but I find some overlap with aircraft modeling when it comes to buying supplies. Even though I haven’t bought many locos or cars there, I find the place handy for picking up modeling supplies like paint, brushes, small tools, scratchbuilding materials, etc. I don’t think I’d want to place a small order for paint and brushes with an internet-based dealer. The shipping costs just aren’t worth it.
It’s always a sad day when a LHS (local homefulloftrains…err shop) closes. Unfortunately, I must honestly admit that I’m part of the problem. It’s hard to pass up a $100 savings. As Mister Beasly said, Maine Trains has figured out the balance in how to compete with the online big box (the box you receive in the mail) stores. He provides excellent service, a strong selection, and the ability to order anything. And yes, there are many items that are worth it to have the LHS order and get it down the road instead of buying from an e-tailer and getting it down the road.
Darn. I saw the clinic listed on the site, but didn’t go. Shoot. I was particularly interested in diesel locomotive weathering.
I believe trainfreak92 is referring to Shepaug, over in Leominster.
Ive seen MANY Hobby Shops close in my lifetime. I cannot offer you anything to ease the loss but I can tell you that one door closes, another opens.
There has been a few hobby shops that to me was the end all and too big to fail; having every little thing you could want in the hobby and then some. But when the doors close and the lights’ go out for good Life has a way of moving on.
I guess I have traveled a thousand miles away from all of those closed stores and found two good ones nearby. When and if they close in the future, there will be other stores. As long as someone likes to run a train there will be a store somewhere.
I use the net to communicate with the shops and get the necessary orders in. If I had to do it the old school way by reading MR magazine and walthers catalog for the new announcements, everything would be out of production for months or years. Life has speeded up greatly because of the internet, and that is not always a good thing.
If someone in the sky pulled the big plug on the entire internet and make it all go buh-bye… we would not know what to do with ourselves would we?
Dont worry, there is a good store somewhere out there.
We have another LHS that just announced they are going out of business. We still have our share of shops, but things don’t look good for a few years from now.
Four shops are strictly trains, mostly Lionel and other large gauges. One sells most stuff as estate auctions, he has a good supply of N and HO, but rarely below MSRP. Another has little for HO or N, most people who have been their commented about the owner’s crabby personality. The other two are well stocked for most scales, one carries DCC equipment. Both of the latter owners are going to retire soon and are trying to find buyers for their businesses. Only one of these shops is in a rented space, the other three own the shop outright, which is probably why they are still open.
There are four other hobby shops within an hours drive that sell model RR stuff, but very limited selection. The bottom line for hobby shops is that RC planes and cars are more profitable for them, so they will get more attention than trains. When you have a shop in a mall or shopping center, you need to focus your resources on what sells in order to pay the rent. I for one wouldn’t want to have to order on-line for a few packs of Kadee’s or some jars of paint, but a hobby shop can’t stay solvent selling just nickel and dime stuff.