NEW LHS, Mt.View, Ca YANNIS HOBBIES

That's good to know!  Next time my wife tortures me on another 3.5 hour run to IKEA in the Bay Area, I'll leverage that into adding a little detour down to Mt. View to check it out!   

3 1/2 hrs drive to ikea

yeah right and women thing us guys are crazy with models

 

DURR wrote:

3 1/2 hrs drive to ikea yeah right and women thing us guys are crazy with models

Isn't that the truth! 

Looks I'll have an opportunity to check out that new hobby store in April. 

espins1 wrote:

DURR wrote: 3 1/2 hrs drive to ikea yeah right and women thing us guys are crazy with models Isn't that the truth!  Looks I'll have an opportunity to check out that new hobby store in April.

Think she'll let ya bro??? Hmmm..... she might "if" ya promise to take her out fer dinner perhaps

Heading off to the Bay Area to see Jimmy Buffet tomorrow night.  We're staying at a hotel Tuesday night not too far from Yannis Hobbies in Mt. View, so we're going to make it a point to stop by there.  Hopefully I'll find a couple of "gems" that I've just gotta have!  

espins1 wrote:

Heading off to the Bay Area to see Jimmy Buffet tomorrow night.  We're staying at a hotel Tuesday night not too far from Yannis Hobbies in Mt. View, so we're going to make it a point to stop by there.  Hopefully I'll find a couple of "gems" that I've just gotta have!

Kewl Bro!! Ya goin' straight down I- 80 to 101? Or ya gonna take I-5 and cut over? Just curious...

Not sure, haven't thought that far ahead yet.  LOL  We're staying with some friends in San Rafael tonight.  We're going to run around in Berkeley tomorrow and hit the hobby store sometime in the afternoon.  

Ok, San Rafael huh? Yup, straight down I-80.  i was gonna say "if" ya was comin' thru Stockton we could have a cup o' mud somewheres...

We went to Yannis Hobbies this morning before we headed back to Reno.  It is a great store!  He has a great and wide variety of aircraft and armor kits.  He has one of the best selections of reference material that I've ever seen at a hobby store.  There are even some after market decal sets and Fruil tracks on the shelf!  The guy is also very, very knowledgable as he is an avid modeller, and it shows.  He's very passionate about the hobby, just like most of us are.  I highly recommend his store to anyone who happens to be in the area.  My wife and I spent almost an hour there talking with the owner and really enjoyed ourselves.  I picked up some magazines, a few books, a Hasegawa 1/32 FW190A8 and some other supplies.  Everytime we're in the Bay Area, we're going to make it a point to swing by there.  He will also order and get you anything you could possibly need. 

Since he's only been open a short time, he's still in the process of getting everything set up, his shelves and display cases will be there soon.  My wife even snuck a robot model into my stack, the robot from Lost in Space.  LOL  I think maybe she's getting the modelling bug? 

Scott, Sounds like it was a well worth-while trip And the wifey slippin' one in on ya too? I think ya better watch yerself bro!!

Yep, Yanni's definately one of us. I first met him in the basement of Berkeley Ace Hardware, where the models (and trains and slot cars and hot wheels and die casts) are. Later he started coming to Silicon Valley Scale Modeler's meetings, the southbay IPMS chapter. He's a good guy, passionate about modeling. Hangs with people who are better modelers than me, always a treat to talk with.

If anyone is driving out to the Bay Area for Ikea or similar familial needs, DO also check:

Berkeley Ace Hardware- just below UC Berkeley at the east end of University Avenue. A WIDE variety, from old Frog to Special Hobby, etc. 10 minutes from Ikea.

Dan Webb Books - Just next to Broadway in Oakland- less than 5 minutes from the freeway, 15 minutes from Ikea, tops.. Best used airplane book selection I've ever seen- better even than Paul Gaudette's shop in Tucson. He does general military history, armor, some automobiles, lots of trains, some general.

Hobbies Unlimited - 20 minutes down 880 from Ikea, 5 minutes from the freeway in San Lorenzo. Superb stock of everything, amazingly good work on display. Some of the work on display there is by Roy Southerland (Cooper Details)

D&J Hobbies in Campbell is about 1 hour down 880 from Ikea. Large Hasegawa, Minicraft, Academey and Italeri airplane selection, Fair Revellogram, Tamiya, lots of others. Large Armor and Car sections.

Including Yanni's, that's less than 1/3 the worth-a-visit shops in the Bay Area. Talbot's Toyland  (San Mateo), J&M Hobby House (San Carlos) Chan's, Franciscan & General Hobbies  and Crafts (SF, SF, SF) are all on the way between Ikea and Yanni's. If you prefer RC, Sheldon's in San Jose is on the way to D&J, not to mention Wold's over in Dublin, Kit & Cabootle in Albany. 3 or 4 HobbyTown USAs, (Concord, Fremont, Petaluma, San Jose), Japan Center in SF, smaller places like Hobby World, Castle, Boss Robot, and then the places I've yet to visit, Black Knight in Fairfield, Capitola Hobbies, W Barton Berg in Napa, etc.

Just some of the many things we're lucky to have, here in the Bay Area. Other than spending money with them all, I have no interest in any of the above named businesses.

And if you've got your kids with you, take them to the Exploratorium in SF.

Bill IV

man i'm so jealous!!!!!! the closest shops here are:

75 miles ^^^ that way and 50 miles <<< that way ,the one that's 50 miles away has very little,but will order anything you ask for as long as you pick it up within two days

Thanks for all the info on the local hobby shops Bill IV.  My wife and I like to run down to the Bay Area every couple of months to visit friends and spend some fun time in Berkeley and surrounding areas.  I'll have to make a "hit list" for the next time we go.  We'll keep frequenting Yannis Hobbies because that guy is such a kick to talk to.  We must have spent almost an hour chatting with him about all kinds of modeling stuff. 

Also, if you're into gaming at all, war gaming, miniatures, Dungeons and Dragons etc. Games of Berkeley is an awesome store, located at 2151 Shattuck Ave. in Berkeley. 

Hi Scott,

Yep, enjoying him is definately a reason to go to Yanni's! Al at Hobbies Unlimited is also fun, as  is the other Al, at D & J.. I try to support the locals however I can. Lucky me, I have lots to support. If you and your spouse are travelling by car, you might check what other places lie along the route- I found a nice store in Chico when I happened to be there, several in the Boston area when repeated business trips took me to Concord, etc.

For the modeller who is 75 miles one way from a shop and 50 miles another way, there's definately mail order- bsides Squadron, Roll Models, etc. etc, check out price and selection at 2nd hand dealers like Dean's Hobby Stop, Milam Models, even KingKit in the UK.

Happy Modeling!

Bill