Yet another brick and mortar store closing the doors....

GMorrison

Ask any hobby store owner and they will tell you that the average customer comes in, chews the fat with the counter guy for an hour, and leaves with a bottle of paint.

It doesn't pay the rent.

 

Bill

 

I have seen that same kind of thing happen with a shop that used to specialize in avionics on 1:1 aircraft.  It got so bad the shop owner was actually looking into renting office space off the airport so the riff-raff wouldn't know where to find him and he could finally deal with paying customers and get billing done.  He went out of business almost 12 years ago...it was my former employer.  Brick and mortar hobby shops were built to cater to people looking for something to do in their spare time, but unfortunately most of them were ruined by people just like that.  Nothing BUT spare time on their hands...so why not go hang out at a business, take up their time, and when you finally do buy that bottle of paint...complain about how its so much more expensive than it used to be.  I'd be willing to bet that the brick and mortar hobby shops that are still in business are only able to do so because they got smart and started selling their inventory on-line.  People just browsing on-line can't monopolize your time.  Its not Floyd's Barber Shop...its a business...buy something, have a VERY brief convo if you'd like, and then go home so the next guy can do the same.

Hey ! 

        If I wasn't so old (79) I would take you up on that Bakster. I forgot how Hot Texas could be and it seems to get hotter every summer earlier than usual. And, I live in the Hill Country to boot! I made the folks at Poppa Johns laugh when I told them to put 100% double ingredients on my Pizza!! Oh, and Cameras, Why did they ever do away with the Bottom line Haselblad Reporters camera?I had no problem with it and all it;s lenses. And it was 35 millimeter too!

        As far as Pizza parlors, In my definition a Warm and Family place .It is too costly in both Building and Operation expenses to start one from scratch now. Just for my Hobby Shop Idea, the bank said I would have to have at least $350,000.00 in reserve Before I opened my doors! The Stress would definitely kill me. I wouldn't like that, I like my life too much!

Thanks Southpaw. I was always treated good there. When I got back into modeling they were a great help in all aspects of what I was doing. 

Bill, I saw that at several stores which are no longer around. There is not much good to say about those people.

Another thing that killed me was when a young (new) builder brought something in to show, those same "experts" would tear the work apart without any form of encouragement. The time I noticed it I stopped the rukus and encouraged the new builder. I could then only hope that thier yerk like actions didn't crush any chance for the hobby to grow in the person. Eventually the owner had them permenantly move on, so words must have been said (and that's good). Just thinking about that still gets by blood going. Those were most likely the same people who pushed our local stores into closure.

I'm like many of you who have lost numerous hobby shops. Some that come to mind near me in Ohio are: Slaters in Lancaster (huge model, RC, and train with great service and club support), Hobby Lobby in Columbus (not the chain, but three stores with models, RC, Train, diecast, gaming, and any supply you could imagine, great owner too), Don's Hobbies in Newark (models, RC, and a huge selection of anything slot car. They even had several very large slot car tracks and an outdoor RC racing facility), Model Barn in Zanesville (years ago), just to name a few near me. All of them had a great store and they all started selling on-line as well, but it just wasn't enough, as you have said, to keep the doors open. 

The only places to drive and get anything now are either the Hobby Lobby chain which has very limited in selection of models or paints and supplies, or another chain called Hobby Town and they are 35 miles one way, with kids staffing them only to take your money. Even there, most of the store is RC, railroad, gaming, or toys. Roughly 20% or less of the store is actual modeling and the paint or supplies stock is lacking.

I guess this is one part of our hobby that as we all age, is not a positive thing. At this point, on-line and mail order seems to rule.

GMorrison

Ask any hobby store owner and they will tell you that the average customer comes in, chews the fat with the counter guy for an hour, and leaves with a bottle of paint.

It doesn't pay the rent.

 

Bill

 

Exactly this. It contributed to the demise of one of the last local stores. There was always a crowd of neckbeards hanging around the counter, endlessly chatting, and bashing every new release. It's a wonder anyone else got any attention or a word edgewise, as they occupied all the staff's attention. And in general, they almost never bought anything! Sure, management needed to do something. But they didn't, and it became an unwelcoming place to anyone new to the hobby. Who wanted to go there with these jerks monopolizing the counter, and loudly bad mouthing every kit and product? Tell me it doesn't happen at your store...

Ask any hobby store owner and they will tell you that the average customer comes in, chews the fat with the counter guy for an hour, and leaves with a bottle of paint.

It doesn't pay the rent.

Bill

When I was growing up, and even through college there were numerous hobby stores within a 20 mile radius.   Now, there is nothing worth discussing within 75 miles.  The Hobby Town nearby is mostly RC with a few dozen cheap kits.  

I'm guessing that the economics of stocking model kits and supplies in brick and mortar just isn't there anymore.  

Dang it. Move up to WI and open another one. I know several people that would go to it. I think there is a huge notalgia market waiting to be tapped. 

Hey! If you do... I will teach you how to use your camera. How can you pass up a deal like that! 

Yes, Bakster:

      I am telling You I owned one. It was at the foot of the old bridge from Little Rock to North Little Rock on the L.R. side of the river!

I saw your question on Scale Model Supply. So I thought I would answer it for you. Yes, they are still there. I go in there occasionally since I live in the Minneapolis metro area. The one thing I've noticed with them is that their prices seem to be a bit high. Especially on bigger kits. But they are still there. 

Building a model now takes some pre planning,you try to gather all your stuff before you start.I only have a nice Hobbytown 25 min and a better one 70 min away.

But I have to say,even though I only build one at a time,I never got stopped in my tracks because of paint,there was always something else to do while waiting.

Hey Missileman, Do you know if Scale Model Supply in St.Paul is still open. They are on the corner of Lexington and University. I grew up with the manager, His name was Daug. They were great everytime I went there. Now that I am 2 plus hours away its hard to get there very often.

There is only one LHS around here.  They are staffed by clerks/cashiers who only know how to ring you up and take your money.  They know nothing about the products they are selling or our hobby.  I don't know where the owner is hiding out, never saw him.

So I don't mind buying on line.  They don't deserve my business.

Hey there were Shakey's here in Hawaii too!  They sadly disappeared by the 1980s though.

There were Shakey's in Japan as well.  I went to the one in Umeda, Osaka.  They had 80's rock music playing on the PA.  There were some odd pizzas, like natto (fermented soy beans), squid, and codfish roe.  And corn was a pretty common topping.  We just had a good old fashioned pepperoni, sausage, mushroom and olive combo.

Tanker-Builder

Shakey's Pizza!!       My gosh, I haven't heard that name since I closed my store in 1972.

TB, you telling me you owned one?

keavdog

We used to go to Shakeys after football games.  Bust some heads and go mack on a pizza - best thing ever

Lol..

Oh man, I miss the place. Many memories there. I think there is one still open bit it is in California. Maybe we could do a road trip and then stop  to the one remaining BlockBuster video.

Ah the good old days.

Tanker-Builder

Shakey's Pizza!!

      My gosh, I haven't heard that name since I closed my store in 1972.Only Pizza parlor with Family Room and Service, Just like old Pubs and " Sunday Beer"( Little Rock, Arkansas used to be dry, Sundays) "Sunday Beer" was a concoction One of my personnel came up with. It was "Paltry's Sunday Beer" (Paltry was her name)  it was a mix of Root Beer, Seven Up and Vanilla for suds. It went over big! But Pizza Hut and others undersold me on my best day! I still think about our four pound "Shakey's Supreme" and that was the Medium! 

 

We used to go to Shakeys after football games.  Bust some heads and go mack on a pizza - best thing ever.

It was always fun to go to a store, even if it was a simple drug store.  Now, as far as I know, there is only one store in town.  Fortunately it also has photogarphy supplies, does framing for pictures, and trains besides models.  

Humper

ndows are plastered with the yellow signs: everything must go etc.  WOW, Really?!

  I don't believe many of us are 'not guilty' of ordering online but we still enjoy going into the store, correct?

  

 

Absolutely-  particularly when I run out of paint unexpectedly.  Many of us are in the situation now where we are forced to mail-order our paints.  Running out of paint may set up a several-day hold on working on that project.

Shakey's Pizza!!

      My gosh, I haven't heard that name since I closed my store in 1972.Only Pizza parlor with Family Room and Service, Just like old Pubs and " Sunday Beer"( Little Rock, Arkansas used to be dry, Sundays) "Sunday Beer" was a concoction One of my personnel came up with. It was "Paltry's Sunday Beer" (Paltry was her name)  it was a mix of Root Beer, Seven Up and Vanilla for suds. It went over big! But Pizza Hut and others undersold me on my best day! I still think about our four pound "Shakey's Supreme" and that was the Medium! 

Hey!

      Ya'll listen ta my boy now! He's so right. San Antonio is a fairly large metro and we only have two that I know of. That's Dibble's on Donaldson and Hill Country Hobbies out on Bandera Road inside loop 1604. B & M Stores cannot be profitable for the most part. Rising Rents, Utilities and Severe requirements from Banks( Parking, Pedestrian Access, Volume of Pedestrian Traffic, and the list goes on) have pretty well stomped them into neverland!

     Oh, and None here in New braunfels except H.L. There is a new one in KYLE,Tx.( a forty minute drive from my house) North of N.B. I am somewhat surprised, Because in the Seguin area (Southeast of us ) there is a very formidable Model Flying Club that meets annually in an old aerodrome there. I guess there's nuttin but "On Line" for us! Oh, There Was, or Is "King's" in Austin. But most of us avoid that city. The traffic is heart attack inducing, anytime of the day! 

That's a bummer and I feel your pain. A few years back we had a store close that had been around for many many years. It's one that we shopped at from young on and they did an awesome job stocking it. It was a sad day when they announced it was closing. Heck... the store was such a mainstay here that it even made local news. Fortunately, I have a few other stores to fall back on.

Now...if only I could find a suitable substitute for the Shakeys Pizza Parlor that closed years back. We loved the buffet. 

Are you kidding me?  Going to the hobby shop is one of my favorite things to do in this hobby.  I think every modeler gets a thrill visiting the brick and mortar joints.  Whenever I travel I look to see what shops are in town.  I have 3 shops all about 60 or so miles away and would be crushed if they went under.  
A note to new modelers.  Don't bring non modelers.  They get bored after a few minutes and we want to spend hours in these stores.