My LHS is closing its doors :(

Sad indeed. Hopefully it was because they were of retirement age, just not because of viability in the community. Too bad they couldn't find a buyer. The HobbyTown should capitalize on this, making them stronger...hopefully they have done their homework. If not educate them!

We had a hobby shop here in town that was much the same run by a husband & wife.  I have many memories riding my bike from home, getting my supplies with what little money I could scrounge up, and back home to the work shop.  I miss that.  They too, closed up after they both retired.  Sadly, the husband (I forget his name) passed away here a couple years ago.  It was nice to go in there because the guy actually knew models and built them. 

 

What? Another one?!? Seems we are seeing posts like this way too often.

to Gerald.....if possible, get Hobbytown to fill any voids in your local market.

(sometimes threads like this feel like trying to put toothpaste back in the tube) 

Yeah, the Hobbytown USA is a great place with good variety of kits, but they lack the aftermarket selection that Hobby Hangout had, as well as their great selection of styrene stock. What i'll miss most is how well they new what they had, all you had to do was ask for an item and they either new exactly where it was, or where to get it for you. like i said, they had made great profits there every year, and just decided to retire, too bad no-one bought it and kept it running...if i had that kind of money i would have so i guess i'll be shopping online for most of the aftermarket parts now, but i'll see about getting Hobbytown to start stocking some of those items to fill the void.

My Hobbytown here is good to us builders.  He's got a decent stock of brass and styrene stuff, a minute selection of aftermarket parts too.  The guy will also order anything we ask for if he can get it and doesn't charge us shipping on top of it.

Hobby Hangout ...is closing its doors...i'd been spoiled by the Hobbytown USA in the area and tonight, visiting Hobby Hangout for the first time in a few months,

Wonder how many others did the same thing.

i stocked up on paint and aftermarket auto parts for bargin prices...

I bet he appreciated your last minute patronage.

i guess the silver lining here is the owners are retiring and so the store is closing, which is much better than going out of business simply because of lack of profit.

Which statement saves face: I'm retiring or I'm losing money hand over fist to Hobby Town?

Still, i feel bad that i hadn't shopped there in its last few months of business. Sad to see the store my dad used to shop at when he was my age, and took me to to buy my first model kit, go out of business

Loke Joni said, you don't know what you got 'til it's gone.

 

".....a big yellow taxi came and drove my LHS away!.......don't it always seem to go..............." 

I had a hobby store about 35 minutes away up until about 8 years ago.

Then I went to a hobby store 45 minutes away up until 4 years ago.

Then I went to a hobby store 1 hour away until 2 years ago.

The only closest hobby store to me is now 1 1/2 hours away, and so now I do 100% of all shopping online.  

The positive side is I save on gas

Dave 

Its really sad that the LHS's are closing and their becoming almost a relic of the past.  Then again Hobbyytown had something to do with too in IMO.  I don't want to knock Hobbytown too much because they have really came through for me in a pinch.  I go there and buy the things that I don't want to wait for "if they have it in stock" LOL 

Mostly, I'm about 98% online shopper.  Most retailers have the item in stock and then alot of them now are getting the items out to me quicker too.   So, most of my money will go to them.

I never saw or even heard of a hobbytown except on this forum and in FSM mag. advertisements.

I live in a rural area but it is not really sparcely populated.  You'd think more folks up here would do hobbies on the long winter nights.

Oh well, sometimes it's fun being unique in a locale.

Dave 

 

Dave I think you and I probably shopped at the same hobby shops. I live in Laconia. Hobbytown has opened a store in Manchester. I haven't been there yet but should as I received a gift card for Christmas. The one in Manchester is on South Willow Street near to the Mall of New Hampshire. There is also one on Amherst Street in Nashua.

Mr. King,

Thanks for the heads up!   I will have to find it this Summer.

Also, good article in FSM a few months ago.

TY,

Dave 

 

Yeah, those of us who still have a local hobby shop within, oh, a day's drive feel fortunate indeed. Mine is downtown, and I buy ALL of my paints, glues and other supplies that I can there, as well as the occasional kit. Does it cost me a little more than buying on line? Perhaps.

But - If I want something, and it's in her distributor's catalog, she'll order it for me at cost and I have it within a week. Without the obscene shipping charges most on-line shops slap on things. And when I have enough spare cash to put together a box for the troops overseas, she'll typically knock 25 percent or more off the total. Try getting that at a Hobbytown or other franchise hobby shop. 

Gordon D. King wrote:

Dave I think you and I probably shopped at the same hobby shops. I live in Laconia. Hobbytown has opened a store in Manchester. I haven't been there yet but should as I received a gift card for Christmas. The one in Manchester is on South Willow Street near to the Mall of New Hampshire. There is also one on Amherst Street in Nashua.

   Gordon,Dave I live in Nashua and and the Hobby Emporiumin in Tyngsboro is were I do most of my shopping. They have ton's of kit's in stock and if they dont have the one your looking for they'll order it for you.There having an open house on July 16 and I will be there along with a few other's to show off some of our work and to give building and painting demo's.So if you guy's are in the area stop in.

                     Steve

I wish I had seen this earlier, I would have gone. Easton is only an hour from where I live. I'm sure I could have found something to make the trip worth wild. Then again maybe its better that I didn't.. lol