A sad day today - another LHS closed...

One of our two local shops (Smith Brothers Hobby in Lancaster, CA) closed in April. My wife, a native of this area, said it had been open as long as she can remember. I assume all their inventory went to the other store they have in Northridge. I can only assume it's a similar situation because there were only a couple of employees, two of whom were very near retirement. My suspicion is that the store manager retired and the owners decided to consolidate to the one store.

It's really sad when an old, established friend/hobby shop disappears.

The closing of local shops is never a good thing. I have seen too many close their doors over the years. In one sense it is inevitable, for unless the owner sells to a local buyer to carry on, they will one day retire or die. But we all who mourn any local shop that closes need to do our part to help keep them in business! Shop locally!!!

In 2001 the Chicago hobby shop Stanton Hobby closed ; the first in a series of closings I once thought would never occur.

Venture Hobby shop closed last summer due to their RC business being undercut by internet sales.

I heard Al's Hobby in Elmhurst, Illinois closed after 65 years in business, possibly for the same reason.

Those three shops held a lot of memories for me over the decades.

Stik - you hit the nail on the head. Sad thing, when owners retire, it seems to me not even their family members/kids want to take over the hobby business. Heck, Dan was asked by the owner of the shop a few years ago  if he would be interested in one day taking over the business. Dan declined.

There is one glaring thing I never noticed/paid attention to until recently. They never advertise their business beyond a sign outside or promote sales. Of course, all that cost money to advertise in the papers/local television.

I'm gonna have to check out the other LHS in Whitesboro area soon and get a feel what they have to offer.

Skysport Hobbies was one of the LHS around here.  It went down when I was really young.  It was sad to see.  He had a big sale and when it was closed. It left one other Hobby Shop in town.  It's still here and struggling but is alive.  

I agree with you guys,  its one thing if you know what you are getting but half of the fun is to hold the product, become familiar with it, talk about it to the employees, and sometimes even test it out.  I dont know about you but I also buy things I'd never think of buying if it was online.  For instance... I would have never thought of buying an RC Helicopter but when I went into the shop the owner let me fly it and I ended up buying it.  I had alot of fun with it too.  I guess my point is... there are a lot of fun hobbies out there and without a Local Shop you may never be exposed to it and enjoy it.  

I agree with you twoonefour the loss of a local business sucks they're what makes home feel like home whether its alarge city or a small town the LHS  has always been a place us glue sniffers could go and not be looked at like ...well we were sniffing glue. I personally like the instant gratification of finding " that kit  " , the challenge of sneeking it past my wife, and then the eventual buyers remorse that sets in once I realize I already have two in my stash and it may be YEARS before any glue touches it. Yeeuup a sad day indeed.

Hi , Black Sheep !

   I really like the way you put it .The effect of a hobby shop does affect many people and not all are modelers either !  .Now that said , I certainly got a surprise the other day . One of the railroad modelers here in the New Braunfels Rail Road Museum modelers society and REAL museum found a New hobby shop in San Marcos , Texas .Just opened too . It caters mostly to the R/C and railroad modelers , But , someone thought taking the chance was worth it .We'll see .  

stikpusher

The closing of local shops is never a good thing. I have seen too many close their doors over the years. In one sense it is inevitable, for unless the owner sells to a local buyer to carry on, they will one day retire or die. But we all who mourn any local shop that closes need to do our part to help keep them in business! Shop locally!!!

unless there is a crazy sale online i will spend the little bit extra to shop at COLPAR. IPMS gets a 15% discount on everything but magazines which, with taxes vs. shipping, is very competitive pricing. we have a Saturday morning breakfast group of 8-14  modelers at the restaurant next door. after breakfast we  hit the the store to buy stuff we don't need. they have coffee and are friendly. this is their bigger east store. even though they are now associated with HOBBYTOWN they are not a HOBBYTOWN store in layout and inventory.

I stopped by to see Dan at K&K Hobby and Train just to be nosey since there were a couple of cars in the parking lot. I kinda browsed a bit while he was taking care of a customer. Found he had more stock put out on shelves (most likely cancelled layaways/special order kits) and I was licking my chops on a nice 1/72nd scale B-17G kit - forget what the brand it was.

I inquired more info about the buyer of when they were suppose to come by and look at the store's inventory. He told me the latest is the end of June but they could come early. He doesn't know exactly when though. I asked what if the buyer doesn't take everything or is not interested. Worst case scenario is the owner will do a Retirement Sale of sorts but Dan doubts it will come down to that. He did tell me the owner doesn't want too much stuff sold by the public but Dan has let a few things slip by to make a sale.

I may stop by Tuesday and pick up some Tamiya thinner and maybe a few bottles of Tamiya paint as well.

Blacksheep, Sorry to hear you are losing your hobby shop. The old ones remind us of an era that has slipped away. I hope you can find another in your area. There is just nothing like being able to go in and look around. It amazes me how much time I can spend just looking at the items on the shelves and thinking about how to use some new product, or imagining building some kit.

BarretDuke -

There is oneother shop in my area. I have stopped there once before and now I can't find the darn place. LOL! Over the weekend, I managed to find the street number of the hobby shop in the phone book. Thing is - this particular shop is a hard one to find for there is no sign advertising his business. Gonna try and find it this week very soon.

I did find another hobby shop I've been wanting to check out next time I'm in the Syracuse area for the day.  I don't mind the drive to Syracuse/Dewitt since it's only an hour's drive from my home. Certainly can't go there on my lunch hour. It's tempting though. LOL!

BlackSheepTwoOneFour

There is one glaring thing I never noticed/paid attention to until recently. They never advertise their business beyond a sign outside or promote sales. Of course, all that cost money to advertise in the papers/local television.

I think this is a symptom of the larger problem: Owners haven’t changed with the times. Not many local hobby shops have even a halfway working website with reliable inventory, let alone actually sell online and ship. If they never even paid to put an ad in the local paper, they’re probably not going to bother redesigning their whole retail approach either.

You can be local and sell online. My local junkyard still does in-person, do-it-yourself sales at the yard, but they also sell a ton of stuff online. And I was buying arcade game parts online more than 20 years ago, from smart mom & pop repair shops who understood that the Internet was the future. Most of the guys selling parts on eBay aren’t some evil national conglomerate; they’re the same exact guys that used to sell stuff in person. They are little independent stores whose livelihoods have been saved because they sell all over the world instead of relying on random customers wandering into their little shop on Main Street. You can still have the shop, and that’s great, but you have to do more. I’m sure it’s a pain to pack and ship and maintain the online stuff, but it’s better than going out of business. 

Stopped by today and picked up a few Tamiya paints and thinner.

My LHS is an hour away, ( another hour to look around the store, another hour home,  fills in an afternoon quite nicely).  But he is already building his retirement home, (thanks in part to my spending habits).  I'm hoping someone will take over, because the next nearest LHS is 3 hours away. And that is a long drive for a jar of black paint.

I hear ya. Last week, I got to thinking: "Hmmm.... maybe I can convince Hobby Lobby of something." That's exactly what I did. I sent a email explaining the demise of my LHS and requesting that my local Hobby Lobby to start offering an expansion of their hobby paint with a FULL line of both Testors Model Master enamel and acrylic paint line AND a full line of Tamiya paints as well.

I did get a response stating they will forward it to their distribution department. With that being said. I'm not holding my breath waiting HL to fulfill my request. Methinks they won't do it.

It would be nice of them to do, but if you look at what the LHS carries (mine anyway) a lot of the paint just sits there for years without moving; it would be hard for them to justify the investment. They do carry a good selection of MM, Testors square, and now Vallejo; and I see that they added the CreateFx line, too. HL would do well partnering with the local clubs that are out there; they would both benefit from the extra exposure that the partnership would bring to that side of the store.

Tonight I managed to find the time to locate the other LHS in my area. Can't believe I drove past it - not once, but twice! LOL! Gonna stop by Thursday during my lunch hour and check it out.

Today I checked out the other LHS in my area during my lunch hour and I must say, I am impressed! It is a small shop but packed to the rafters of kits of all kinds and scale. you name it : Tamiya, Revell, Italeri, Lindburg (Yes, you read that right! LOL!), Monogram,  Airfix, Zvezda, Heller, Trumpeter, Hasegawa, Czech Master, etc...

He has a far wider selection of Armour kits and ship model kits which I did like.

I also like the fact he has Aqueous/Mr. Color paints as well as Model Master (enamel & acrylic), Pollyscale, Pactra, Floquil, and Tamiya (very limited stock - a bummer though).

I did talk to the owner for a bit when I first entered and he seem like a pretty decent guy. I told him about how I heard K&K Hobby is closing and I didn't know there was another LHS in this area. (He knew about K&K closing) He told me a little about his shop and his business and he is willing to order anything hobby kit related I'm looking for. Hee also carry rocket and train supplies as well.

There is one thing I did notice he has decal sheets for sale as well - which I haven't seen in over 20 years at another hobby shop I use to frequent to.

I thanked him and told him I was very impressed with his stock and will definitely be stopping by more often to give him the business.

Next stop is a hobby shop in Dewitt, NY (Syracuse area) I've been wanting to check out the next time I'm out that area - hopefully this weekend. LOL!

Happy days are here again!

BlackSheep. It doesn't bode well for the future of any business that doesn't even bother to put out a sign! Hobby stores are even more at risk when they fail to do the basics. I'm afraid a lot of these stores are still owned by their founders, and they are just thinking about retirement. Their stores are winding down just like they are.

There are more factors to the end of K+K than just 'another hobby shop closing'. Frankly, the store was dying already. It was heavily train based, and train sales have been in serious decline for years. Quite pointedly, many of the good customers have simply died, and there isn't, and won't be anyone to replace them. Gun sales kept the doors open for a while, until the owner got tired of the hassles and regulations of that.

I think Dan made a very wise decision to not get involved with the running the store himself. That should tell you something about the state of affairs, when an insider does not want to take it on as an investment.

Also, I feel the store had degenerated to a 'hangout' for keeping people company. That is inevitable in this kind of business to an extent, but it infected K+K to an unhealthy degree. You had people that came in daily - and basically never bought anything. Just to clog up the counter space, and spout off their political views.

The OP mentioned he finally picked up a kit he had on 'layaway' for 6 months when the store finally closed for good! How did that help the store any? Situations like that are what help nail the door shut. How many times in those 6 months did he show up there, just to hang out, and never buy anything, while the item was sitting out back?

I fully understand the decision NOT to have a going out of business sale. The vultures would circle and pick off the good stuff, leaving 2/3 of the store that would be basically the unsalable leftovers. I am sure the owner wanted it to be over, not a continuing hassle to get rid of everything. Thus, the liquidator.

Frankly, I am surprised they lasted as long as they did, given the awful economy of upstate NY, Manufacturing leaving and the closing of Griffiss AFB were blows never recovered from here. Now the area is a vast wasteland of dollar stores and chain restaurants. Not surprising no one has money to spend on a very upscale hobby here. 

Some will take this as being too harsh, but I think sometimes hobbyists are too busy lamenting closings to ask a very basic question - what role did I play in it happening? If you're a serious hobbyist, and weren't supporting the store, and just using it as hangout and storage place for kits you were going to buy 'someday', then you did play a role,however small.

None of this reflects on Daniel. He was always a gentleman, sometimes maybe even just a bit too nice. I hope he finds other, better, work somewhere soon. There is a lawn calling out to him!

I agree on all points up to a point. I do know for a fact one gentleman is ALWAYS there every time I stop by. And yes, Bill has shown some dislike to him hanging out for 4 - 5 hours a day as well as another gentleman I was told of. Yes I do pick up a few things every time and yes I am guilty of hanging out for a few minutes before heading back to work. Keep in mind, I stop by every few weeks. I do my best to keep the business going. At least it's putting money in his pocket. The majority of the time there's hardly a customer inside every time I stop by every few weeks.

MJames - my kit was not on hold for 6 months. I asked Dan if it would be a problem to hold it until I was able to pick it up when I can. I was told it's not a problem since I was one of his loyal customers. If it had been an issue, I would have been told a long time ago. I'm sure I'm not the only one with items on layaway and I'm sure some never even bother to pick it up after the fact. Wouldn't be too surprised none even bothered. So don't place the blame one person as one of the reasons the store is closing. From what I was told Bill has been figuring out when it was time to call it quits for a few years.

Harsh? I don't think you get the scope of how many LHS are closing nationwide for one reason or another. The real final nail in the coffin is the competition of online hobby stores. Many of the older generation simply don't want to bother with the competition or compete with who can get the best price. I'm not buying the fact that you're blaming the customers for not doing enough to keep the business thriving by hanging out.

In fact, I have asked Dan how long and how has the business been holding out. I was informed the business is getting by hanging by a thread and it's a matter of time whether or not the owner decides to call it quits. He is an old man after all. While I do agree it would be a wise business move to close up and sell the entire store to a buyer than run a retirement sale. I would have done the same thing too.

The hobby interest just isn't there anymore - especially with today's generation of young kids and adults alike. They're simply too technology dependent. Look around - iphones, iPads, XBox, Playstation, the internet and the social community like Facebook. Kids today just don't have the interest or the patience to sit down and do a model kit or plan/create a train track layout. Heck, I'll bet they wouldn't even know where to start even if they tried. To them is not a hobby but a waste of time in their eyes. Just as I or anyone would tell them that Facebook is a complete waste of time to their face.

Like it or not, that's the God honest truth. Believe me I have told my nieces that outright on more than one occassion. The look on their faces is priceless. They just didn't know how to respond to that. When was the last time you saw kids playing hide and seek, street football or baseball with the neighborhood kids? When was the last time you saw a kid climb a tree? At least we try to keep my son involved in other things besides Xbox and 3DS or the computer at home.

Let me give you another prime example of a hobby business closing down. Although this is totally unrelated to model kits but it does strike a chord for mom & pop stores. Baseball card shops. Remember those? I do, because I used to collect baseball cards during the late 80's early 90's. I hung out in one particular card shop almost every day after work to browse, shop and trade baseball cards. Guess what? They closed down. Why? It's not due to folks hanging out or not buying stuff. It's because the hobby has gotten too saturated with "chase cards" Too many baseball card companies putting out too many different kinds of brands of baseball card products. It got so bad, it was sickening so I quit collecting. It got too expensive to collect and nowadays common superstar cards aren't worth a crap in toilet unless you happen to pull that "one-of-a-kind" rookie chase card or special card series in order to complete a set.

Heck, even complete sets you build aren't worth anything anymore. Plus add the shop dealers charging ridiculous dollars for that one "ultra rare card."

I'm glad I quit when I did. Otherwise I would have gone broke trying to find that one-of-a-kind card to complete a set. It's just not worth it nor fun anymore. In fact it still disgusts me to this day what the hobby that was once suppose to be fun for kids and adults alike. Not anymore.

I remember when there was only Topps, Donruss, and Fleer. What do we have now? Topps, Topps Stadium Club, Topps Chrome, Bowman, Bowman Chrome, Donruss, Fleer, Fleer Ultra, etc.. the list goes on and on to the breaking point. The hobby's become so saturated it takes the fun out of baseball card collecting. Sure, every once in a rare, blue moon , I might pick up a pack at Walmart or a dollar store out of curiousity to see what's out there.

There used to be numerous baseball card shops in my area - at least 7 back then. Now there's only 1 and he hardly has customers. I used to give him the business but not anymore. He's become crooked and is one of the reasons baseball card collecting isn't as fun as it used to be. The thrill of finding that hero star in a baseball card.

There have been a lot of hobby shops closing for many reasons from owners passing away, retiring ,the poor economy . There is the occasional new hobby store opening.

In the Milwaukee, Wis area about a year ago a new one opened. Strictly military kits aircraft, armor, ships and figures. Ran by a scale modeler so he knows what he's talking about..

When some told me the name of the store was Panther Hobby's the first thing I said was as in tank  cause we needed a store that catered to the military builder's.

I do have one comment regarding MJames70's response. You wrote:

"Some will take this as being too harsh, but I think sometimes hobbyists are too busy lamenting closings to ask a very basic question - what role did I play in it happening? If you're a serious hobbyist, and weren't supporting the store, and just using it as hangout and storage place for kits you were going to buy 'someday', then you did play a role,however small."

Lamenting on closings? I think not. We all mourn a closing of a LHS due to owners' reasons. Not because of a couple of bad apples using the shop as a hangout spot. Yes, there are one or two individuals that do hang out at K&K Hobby for 4-5 hours on a DAILY basis (which I don't since I do have a full time job anyways). I fault Dan (and the owner) for not taking the initiative to ask him to leave if he's not going to by anything.

Again - the shop was barely hanging on to get by. It was just a matter of time before K&K became another sad statistic of mom & pop hobby store closing.

BlackSheepTwoOneFour

.

Like it or not, that's the God honest truth. Believe me I have told my nieces that outright on more than one occassion. The look on their faces is priceless. They just didn't know how to respond to that. When was the last time you saw kids playing hide and seek, street football or baseball with the neighborhood kids? When was the last time you saw a kid climb a tree? At least we try to keep my son involved in other things besides Xbox and 3DS or the computer at home.

I am from the generation where my mother didn't arrange playdates for us,as 9-12 yr olds we went out in the morning,came home for lunch,went back out,came home for dinner and was out until sunset.We did all the things you mentioned.You know why they can't do those things today.Climb a tree,fall, some one gets sued,play football or stickball in the street,god forbid you bump into or hit someones car, another lawuit.Hide and seek ?? if someone sees kids in their backyard hiding-their calling the police.Not to mention the predators out there today.Parents can't even let their kids play in front of the house without worrying about being snatched up.Yes times certainly have changed in regards to just about everything,not just mom+pop model shops.There are no more mom+pop hardware stores,candy stores,pharmacys anymore either. 

You hit the nail on the head Tojo. Do you know what's the saddest part of it all? They were kids once themselves and probably never told their kids how to play just as they did when they were kids. Sad really.

Exactly right Reaper. Kids nowadays just don't know how to have fun anymore. In fact, this past 4th of July family get-together, I saw my two nieces in the pool playing with the newest waterproof iphones. I told her that was the saddest thing I ever saw. She can't be anywhere without that darn iphone, smartphone or whatever they called. LOL!