Has anyone else made this observation

Not here.  Not far from me there are 4 or 5 really nice shops within walking distance of eachother.   Bewteen them I get almost the full Eduard, Ultracast and Qucikboost lines and ALL the kits.  They will occasionally get into a little price war.  That's so cool.  If you pay cash they will usually round down... nudge, nudge, wink, wink, know what I mean  and then...sometimes... YAWN!.......

 

Hey...I dozed off... what were we talking about?  The LHS?  Yup thanks to the power that be...I still have 1.

I seems to me that web sites offer more variety of kits and specific parts/decals, etc.

I went to my local Hobbyland and noticed that prices were comperable to web stores, (considering price, tax and gas).

LHS's can't maintain stock and have to be generic in their selections of kits and when you can't find what you want, where do you go?

Along with the virtual catalongs and pics of items available, webstores are on top. Considering the cost of gas and the 'hit & miss' (hoping to find what you want); the cost of S/H aren't that far off in expenditures.

In my area most of the LHS are into R/C and only maintain a limited amount of kits and for me

We have two here in Des moines, IA.  And another in ames [30 min north].  We just lost all our Hobby Towns [one here one in ames].  But the LHS are doing good.  Not much competition, because they seem to stock different stuff when it comes to models.

In my area there is a hardware store which has devoted approx 1/3 of it's space to models-R/C, plastic and RR., there is also a Riders nearby. In Farmington, MI, there is a fairly large hobby shop, Joe's, which has a good mix, and in Garden City there is Imperial Hobbies, which is exclusively plastic. So far I've bought all my models from LHS's. A small shop opened a few years ago devoted to R/C, mostly cars and boats. We have lost a model RR shop recently due to death of the owner. There may be others in SE Michigan that I'm not aware of. The shops I have mentioned are pretty good at ordering models, just don't try to order PE, decals or other aftermarket accessories.

Yes, same story around these parts.  A couple have closed, and two others have relocated to smaller shops in less desirable areas because the leases are cheaper.  It really is too bad.

When I go to my LHS, which is for railroad stuff, I usually spend about an hour chewing the fat w/ the other old timers and little money changes hands. Kind of an expensive proposition for the Owner. Good times, like the forums, but not any way to run a business.

RC cars, lots of energetic young kids, smart and technically adept, reminds me of taking my box of slot cars to the Hobby Shop on Saturdays where there was a track in the back room.

Real estate is another issue, many hobby shops lease their building. Since real estate has really gone up over the last 10 years many land lords have been jacking up the rent. I know 3 of the LHS' where I used to live had this happen. All had been in their location for decades and suddenly got hit with huge increases, some as much as double. Two were run by older people who chose to close their shops and retire rather than deal with a move, the third is moving. All 3 were good shops, with a good selection of models / supplies and also were diversified into trains, games, R/C etc so buisness wasn't really hurting.

I know an LHS can survive and even thrive because I have run across a few that are, but with the internet and other pressures the need for the owners to have good buisness sense and embrace new hobbies and technology as they arrive is even more important than before. Unfortunately some of those great shops that have been around 30-40 years are trying to do buisness as they always have and are not making the transistion well.    

mucker wrote:

Sadly, with the pricing and availability of kits globally online, the LHS is going by the wayside. There are still a few around by me, but I seethem gradually moving towards wherethe money is for them: RC cars and planes. In today's world, you either have to bethe cheapest or the best (rarely do you see both). It's not worth it for the LHS to be the cheapest (they have to pay the bills, too) and there is not enough demand in the smaller towns and cities to sufficiently stock a store to be the best (resin, PE, paints other than Testors / Model Master / Tamiya), hard to find brands, etc. I've come to accept the current situation and now do what I can to support the online shops that provide the best overall value with consistency.

 

I too have come to accept the trend and do most of my kit purchases online. However I am able to get my paints and supplies local

Sadly, with the pricing and availability of kits globally online, the LHS is going by the wayside. There are still a few around by me, but I seethem gradually moving towards wherethe money is for them: RC cars and planes. In today's world, you either have to bethe cheapest or the best (rarely do you see both). It's not worth it for the LHS to be the cheapest (they have to pay the bills, too) and there is not enough demand in the smaller towns and cities to sufficiently stock a store to be the best (resin, PE, paints other than Testors / Model Master / Tamiya), hard to find brands, etc.

I've come to accept the current situation and now do what I can to support the online shops that provide the best overall value with consistency.

In the past few years three hobby shops in the central New Hampshire area and one just over the border in Massachusetts have closed. Two closed because the owners retired. The other two closed because of a lack of business. One nearby RC store has recently started to car a few kits and paint supplies. At least I don't have to do a mail order for basic supplies.