How About A Call Out For The Old Time Hobby Shops

[oldcarfan]

I don't mean this as an advertisement so I hope it's okay. It just that it seems like the only time we hear about a hobby shop is when they are closing. How about we start a listing of those old line shops that are still holding out?

I'll start it out with two that I know of in Texas. King's Hobby Shop here in Austin and WIld Bill's Hobby is in Dallas (Irving), TX. WIld Bill's has an extensive collection of car models including some offerings that are out of production.

[Mike_G]

Eugene Toy & Hobby has been in business over 70 years- I used to work next door

They carry a good selection of model kits, supplies, and tools

I've known the owners since they were teenagers working behind the counter, now their kids are working behind the counter.

 

[mikemodeler]

Model Empire in West Allis WI. Always enjoyed going in there when I lived in the Midwest. 

Don's Hobbies in Kenosha WI. The owner was a character and was fun to talk with. I think he sold the business as he wanted to travel and enjoy retirement and someone is running it now.

[Rob Hall]

20 years ago when I lived in Ann Arbor, MI, I enjoyed going to Riders Hobbies (one downtown and one in Ypsilanti on Carpenter Road), when I lived in Colorado Springs, Compleat Games and Hobbies was a great place I went to nearly every week...  When I lived in Denver, I frequented Colpar Hobbies in Aurora, always had a good selection.  There was a place in Greeley I'd take a road trip to visit once a year or so, was pretty good also IIRC.   Here in Phoenix, I like Hobby Depot in Tempe, don't get there very often--was there recently and they had remodeled and expanded, but the selection of kits seemed thinner than in the past.  

[Harry P.]

When I was a kid I lived in Chicago. Bill's Hobby Shop on Fullerton Ave. was my Saturday hang out. Closed many years ago.

When I got married we moved to the suburbs. Venture Hobbies in Wheeling, IL., was probably the single largest hobby shop in the entire Chicago metro area. I spent a lot of disposable income there over the years. Closed several years ago.

Al's Hobbies in Lombard, IL., probably the second largest hobby shop in the area... closed several years ago.

See a pattern here?

[Don Sikora II]

Model Empire in West Allis WI. Always enjoyed going in there when I lived in the Midwest. 

Don's Hobbies in Kenosha WI. The owner was a character and was fun to talk with. I think he sold the business as he wanted to travel and enjoy retirement and someone is running it now.

These are both great shops! Don's is my local shop and I've been going there since I was a little kid. First stopped at his original location on Roosevelt Road with my dad in 1976 or so...he opened in '74. Don is semi-retired now. Haven't been there for a couple months, but he's been selling down his inventory and opens a couple days a week. Not too many kits left the last time I was there, but there's still some stuff to look through.

[Don Sikora II]

When I was a kid I lived in Chicago. Bill's Hobby Shop on Fullerton Ave. was my Saturday hang out. Closed many years ago.

When I got married we moved to the suburbs. Venture Hobbies in Wheeling, IL., was probably the single largest hobby shop in the entire Chicago metro area. I spent a lot of disposable income there over the years. Closed several years ago.

Al's Hobbies in Lombard, IL., probably the second largest hobby shop in the area... closed several years ago.

See a pattern here?

Visited Al's many times. Venture was a great shop! It had been in decline for quite a while (at least from my point of view as a plastic modeler), but it's still sad it closed. Don't get down to the northern suburbs as much as I used to, but I was pleasantly surprised the last time I stopped at Ron's Mundelein Hobbies. Mostly a train shop, but they had a surprisingly good car kit selection when I was in there last fall.

[GaryR]

I've been going to Burbank House of Hobbies ever since I moved to Los Angeles 30 years ago!

A great friendly place that looks like a hobby shop should, packed shelves, old kit boxes displayed and a Fewdozen airplanes suspended from the ceiling!

Robots, space ships, blimps ALIENS!!!! GREAT SERVICE and GREAT PRICES! No, I don't own the place, just the kind of place where you can always have some fun, IF YOU LOVE MODELS!!

[Roger U]

R Hobbies in La Mirada, CA is a nice hobby shop. He sells car models and trains. A good selection of Revell, AMT, Monogram, and a few other makes. This is where I buy MCM.

[Harry P.]

This is where I buy MCM.

God bless you!

[iBorg]

To expand this thread a bit......what about hobby shops in the tradition of the old hobby shops. Nitro Hobby in Nitro, WV is a large full selection shop (with a heavier emphasis on trains ) that has been around with two owners since the 60's. Go there every time a new issue comes out. About twenty years ago they started Teays Valley Hobby in Teays Valley, WV. Teays Valley is the larger shop with a large selection of RC, plastic kits, some Sci-Fi, tools, paints, railroading and general supplies. Both stores also carry craft items to serve the female clientele.

Plus they've offered a space for meetings as some of the guys are trying to launch a club.

[Foxer]

I posted this a couple years ago so just pasting it in here. The shop is still open and the owner hasn't been able to sell it yet, as far as I know.

 

Hope this isn't taken wrong as I have no connection to Hobby World other than as a dedicated customer. As with many local hobby shops, the owner has decided to retire and has put the business and land up for sale. As I said, I have no interest and am not trying to sell. I will miss this shop dearly if it ever closes .. this shop is what we all think Hobby Shops should be .. small but always seems to have what I need .. and if not, can be ordered. Owner is a car modeler but his stock and knowledge covers many hobby areas.

 

This is located in the far western part of Massachusetts in the Berkshire Hills .. a beautiful vacation area but only an hour from two major cities. We are extremely fortunate to have a resource like this so close.

Hobby World

171 Grove St. (Rt 8)

Adams, MA 01220

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Edited July 7, 2016 by Foxer

[TarheelRick]

When we lived in Rutherfordton, NC more than six years ago I used to go down to Spartanburg, SC and would always visit Great Escape Bicycles and Hobby Shop.  Always had a good selection of plastic and a very knowledgeable staff; not sure if they are still open.  Another one is King Hobbies in King, NC, has been around for many years, heavy into RC but has a great selection of reasonably priced plastic kits, also carries a fair supply of train stuff.  Haven't been over there in a couple of years, it is 45 miles one way and no direct route - whole lot of back roads.

[Mike999]

I've been going to Burbank House of Hobbies ever since I moved to Los Angeles 30 years ago...

Thanks for the memories! I started going there when the original owners still ran it, the couple who started it in the Fifities. I distinctly remember when Glen took it over. At the time, his first daughter was a baby and his wife was pregnant with the second daughter.  Last time I stopped in, before I moved out of LA in 2015, his older girl was getting ready to start college.  Man, does that make me feel old!

You probably also remember Tony and Addie's hobby shop on Victory Blvd. Display cases full of vintage built Fifties kits. Including some of the original Monogram, Revell, etc. store displays from that era. Tony has turned down hundreds of offers to buy those displays and kits.  As of 2015, Tony was still keeping his hand in - he worked at the Smith Bros. hobby shop on Reseda Blvd.  Another great shop that has been open for many years.

Which reminds me of Kit Kraft in Studio City - the very first place I ever saw Scale Auto Enthusiast magazine back in the 1980s. Still owned by the original family who started it back in the Fifties, AFAIK.  That place was like a mini-Michaels, only with a LOT more model kits in every genre.  It carried supplies for bead, papercraft, leather-work etc. etc.  Plus the biggest model paint selection in the area. I could easily spend a couple hours in Kit Kraft, figuring out how to re-purpose other craft stuff for model building.

 

Edited July 7, 2016 by Mike999
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[oldcarfan]

When I was in the Navy I frequently drove from Norfolk to Texas and back. One of the things I look d forward to was checking out different hobby shops in the town I stopped in. 

[cobraman]

Back in the day when I lived and worked in Chicago I loved going to Trost Hobby Shop on 63 st.

[Spex84]

Hey, I just ordered a new Revell '30 coupe online from Burbank HoH. It'll take a while to get up here to Canada, but the price was about the same as buying from a Canadian hobby shop, so *shrug*. Anyway, they shipped almost instantly, great communication.

 

[JTalmage]

Hamilton Hobbies in Hamilton, Ohio

Ben Franklin's 5-10 store in Bethel, Ohio

Those are pretty much the only 2 non big box stores that I know of in my area. I'm sure there's more...

[oldcarfan]

If anyone in the Virginia area is reading this, is Denbigh Hobby Center still in Newport News? I spent a lot of money there back in the day. They used to buy up collections so there were a lot of obscure car kits in stock.

[wayne swayze]

Probably mentioned this before, but in south-western Ontario there's Dave's Sports and models in Woodstock, and in London there is Broughdale Hobby ( mostly trains, but a nice selection of model cars) . There are a few other shops (Dundas Valley Hobby shop in Dundas and Toys and Hobbies also here in London Ontario. Hats off to all the brick and mortar shops!

[Deathgoblin]

We've got a few around here in Columbus:  Hobbyland in Graceland Center, Robbie's Hobbies on High Street, Tom Thumb Hobbies on Wilson Rd, Grandview Hobbies in Grandview....

[HomerS]

Tim's Trains and Hobbies, Covington KY.  He bought out the last Johnnys Toys Latonia location.

[Roadrunner]

I'll put in a plug for CRM Hobbies and Mark Twain Hobbies, both here in St Louis.

[snacktruck67]

In Columbia SC there is a great hobby shop called Brookland Old Time Hobby Shop. 

Edited July 8, 2016 by snacktruck67

[BIGTRUCK]

When I was a kid I lived in Chicago. Bill's Hobby Shop on Fullerton Ave. was my Saturday hang out. Closed many years ago.

When I got married we moved to the suburbs. Venture Hobbies in Wheeling, IL., was probably the single largest hobby shop in the entire Chicago metro area. I spent a lot of disposable income there over the years. Closed several years ago.

Al's Hobbies in Lombard, IL., probably the second largest hobby shop in the area... closed several years ago.

See a pattern here?

Ive been to Venture many times and Als Hobby shop (it was Elmhurst not Lombard) Trost was a drive from the burbs but I went anyway. Before I had a car a trip to Dispensas kiddie kingdom (spelling)  was always great . Loaded with toys only it had one long aisle of models ...boy to be back in the old and older days..