Has anybody been to Walthers showroom store? Im going to Trainfest and was woundering if worth leaving a day early to hit some of the hobbyshops in Milwaukee
jlwii2000 (on youtube) has a tour of Walthers using his video camera to walk the aisles just in case you’d
like to see the shop and can’t get there.
Jim Edit: can’t find that one but here’s a link to another guy’s:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKt7uJRM2J4 If the link isn’t “live” maybe someone can help there? thanks.
Here’s the link to James’ tour of Walthers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JANPFhJLuF0&list=UUZd2tMd0OKe4-GK5pPF3_PQ
The major reasons to visit the Walthers showroom are 1) the ability to purchase anything in stock that they catalog, and receive it immediately with no shipping charges – they are pulling from the same warehouse shelves that the hobby shops and direct mail orders get their orders from, 2) knowing that you’ll get the monthly Flyer sales prices then in effect; not all hobby shops build those into their cash registers, 3) check out the 'as is" sales on three bookcases with damaged, discontinued, damaged packaging, kits raided for parts, etc. Some great deals are to be had, 4) view the very nice N and HO display layouts, 5) view the cabinets with historical model displays and 6) if they have time they can show you the warehouse. Of course there are the intangibles like chatting with other modelers etc.
Frankly if you expect the showroom to look like a huge big hobby shop, it does not. They have some popular merchandise on display, but otherwise it is two computer terminals where you can search their catalogs (and learn whether the item is in stock or not), and order stuff at the counter.
There are other hobby shops in the Milwaukee area that will give you more of that “joy of browsing” feel. One of them and perhaps the best equipped is Jetco/Hiawatha Hobbies, just featured on a VideoPlus video. Greenfield News & Hobby, Southside Trains, Summerfelds, are all worth visiting
Dave Nelson