Another hobby shop bites the dust.☹️RIP

[NYLIBUD]

I've been going to a local hobby shop about 10 miles from my house for a long time.I haven't been there in a couple of years.So yesterday I decided to take my nephew and buy him a model.Well,when we got there,I was in shock.The hobby shop had closed,and the place was now a Verizon store.They apparently closed their doors sometime over the summer.Like I said RIP.

[LDO]

That's a real bummer. I like having a local hobby shop. It's great to go check out a kit kit before buying it, or to pick up something today. Lots of reasons why it's better than mail order. For me, anyway.  I only mail order if the LHS can't get it. I'm not wealthy. I just don't buy as much as I could. 

I suppose those of us who feel this way are old fashioned. 

[Tom Geiger]

The end is near!

In New Jersey,  Jackson Hobbies is gone. Owner needed to retire, nobody wanted to buy the business.

I also heard that Hobby Masters in Red Bank was consolidating into one floor, and would continue on as more of a toy store.

[mikemodeler]

39 minutes ago, Tom Geiger said:

 

 Owner needed to retire, nobody wanted to buy the business.

 

I think this is as much to blame for the demise of LHS as the internet is. Hard to find someone willing to invest their money in a business that has a shrinking/aging customer base that competes with online retailers and rising rent/utilities/taxes/labor costs.

[NYLIBUD]

Well it's clear,kids nowadays are completely involved with the internet 24/7.They aren't building models,or buying them.Im in my late 40s,and when I was growing up,a lot of people,kids and grown ups were building models.So there were hobby shops everywhere.But no more.I can name at least three stores that closed in the last 3 years,here on Long Island.Its a different generation.But whatever,just keep on building.And plus they just opened a Hobby Lobby near my house.But it does suck to see all these shops going under.If anything,I just feel bad for the owners,and their families.

[HomerS]

The hobby shop may have fallen victim to a Landlord that was able to get higher rents and a longer term lease from Verizon.  I've been in several different areas of commercial real estate for 30 years and currently do the in house leasing for a small footprint retail store nationally and my company has fallen victim to such actions.  

[NYLIBUD]

Oh yea,I know,it's all about the dollar.Everyone knows that,but when a single,widowed 75 year old woman has to close her doors after about 35 years in business,that just plain sucks.

[RickRollerLT1]

Which LHS was this? Don't tell me it was 3 Guys Hobby in Smithtown? I know that one was run by a widowed old woman as we've gone there on occasion, last we went was back in July IIRC.

I know, its sad all these are starting to fade away. Many factors are ever increasing rates of everything and lack of interest in the general public and most of today's youth (kids today are ether 24/7 PC gamers and/or know how to hack websites and phones, while ppl in my age bracket make shock videos and adult things on the web or scam for drug money, its crazy!)

Edited January 1, 2018 by RickRollerLT1

[russosborne]

 The OP stated that it had been a couple of years since he had been to this store.

Not picking on him, but maybe this is part of the reason it closed? Too many people not going there often enough?

Just a thought that reading this jumped out at me.

BTW, I do this too with some stores, just not hobby related. It's like I store the info in the back of my mind, and when I need what I remember the store sells I will go there. Problem is after so long the store is gone, or what I remembered them having isn't made anymore, or worse I made a mistake and got stores confused in my head. Getting old isn't fun.

Russ

[Mike C]

I was just visiting my parents in Delray Beach, FL last week. My Dad and I wanted to visit hobby shops, shops we'd been to before plus another one I had found. Well that was four shops I had in mind. Well, three of them were gone. One in W.Palm Beach was still in business. It was mainly an RC shop which is fine too. But I just couldn't believe how those other shops were gone.

[iamsuperdan]

We had an LHS that was about a two minute drive from my office here. I loved it, as he had a decent selection, and would stock supplies when asked.

And he shut down in the summer. In speaking with the owner he said it was all because ofthe internet. His store specialized in RC. Was the bulk of his business. The problem is, guys would ocme in to his store, pick the experts' brains about RC stuff, then go online and order. And the kicker was that when all their parts would arrive, they'd go back in to the store and ask for guidance on assembly. So he implemented a diagnostic charge. And then of course the RC guys complained and said that wasn;t how you treat customers. His response, "you're not customers."

Finally, he had enough and packed it in. Now if I want to hit up a hobby store, I need to drive across the city in a minimum hour long return trip. There's really only one decent store left here in Edmonton. A city of well over a million peoplke, and only one hobby store. Sad.

[NYLIBUD]

I was friends with a family that ran a hobby shop/slot car track a few years ago.They were doing very good business.Then it hit the fan,and they were forced to close their doors.

[NYLIBUD]

On 1/1/2018 at 6:13 PM, RickRollerLT1 said:

Which LHS was this? Don't tell me it was 3 Guys Hobby in Smithtown? I know that one was run by a widowed old woman as we've gone there on occasion, last we went was back in July IIRC.

I know, its sad all these are starting to fade away. Many factors are ever increasing rates of everything and lack of interest in the general public and most of today's youth (kids today are ether 24/7 PC gamers and/or know how to hack websites and phones, while ppl in my age bracket make shock videos and adult things on the web or scam for drug money, its crazy!)

Actually,I was told by a friend that 3Guys did close.And I remember the owner,Betty.Well my moron friend doesn't now what he's talking about.3Guys is still open,and operating.I'm really happy about that.The store has been open since I was a kid..And Betty is a real nice lady.Anyway,I'am  heading up there right now to buy something.Sorry about the confusion.

[NYLIBUD]

Well we here on LI,still have a few pretty good hobbies shops.Though there are obviously less stores,but some have been able to stick it out for years.Maybe it's all about the location.

[RickRollerLT1]

12 hours ago, NYLIBUD said:

Actually,I was told by a friend that 3Guys did close.And I remember the owner,Betty.Well my moron friend doesn't now what he's talking about.3Guys is still open,and operating.I'm really happy about that.The store has been open since I was a kid..And Betty is a real nice lady.Anyway,I'am  heading up there right now to buy something.Sorry about the confusion.

3 Guys is still open after all? Phewww! Gonna have to drop by there sometime after this snow job we're getting, roads are gonna be a battlezone for the next few days after.

I do know that Elwood Hobby (AKA, Larry's Hobby back before the name change around 2008-ish) at 3006 Jericho Tpke., East Northport, NY isn't around anymore, last we tried to go there was back around 3 years ago we went past and his whole store space was empty with no sign ;(. My dad and I used to go to that place from time to time before we joined LIARS in '09, ahh the memories.

[NYLIBUD]

On 1/3/2018 at 11:51 PM, RickRollerLT1 said:

3 Guys is still open after all? Phewww! Gonna have to drop by there sometime after this snow job we're getting, roads are gonna be a battlezone for the next few days after.

I do know that Elwood Hobby (AKA, Larry's Hobby back before the name change around 2008-ish) at 3006 Jericho Tpke., East Northport, NY isn't around anymore, last we tried to go there was back around 3 years ago we went past and his whole store space was empty with no sign ;(. My dad and I used to go to that place from time to time before we joined LIARS in '09, ahh the memories.

Yup,again,3 Guys in Smithtown is still open.And you were right (Larry's),Elwood Hobbies,have closed their doors for good.Along with Hurricane Hobbies in Selden a few years ago.And Action Hobbies,which was only a few miles down the road from Hurricane hobbies,in Centereach.?..However,Willis,and Bayshore Hobbies are still open.?

 

 

[Mike C]

4 hours ago, NYLIBUD said:

Yup,again,3 Guys in Smithtown is still open.And you were right (Larry's),Elwood Hobbies,have closed their doors for good.Along with Hurricane Hobbies in Selden a few years ago.And Action Hobbies,which was only a few miles down the road from Hurricane hobbies,in Centereach.?..However,Willis,and Bayshore Hobbies are still open.?

I left L.I. in '92. But I sure remember many of the hobby shops that were there. So Larry's is gone. I heard Dave's in Freeport is gone too, but that was because Dave died. I'm glad to hear Bayshore is still going. I used him a lot.