mikemodeler Posted May 26, 2015 Share Posted May 26, 2015 I was out running errands yesterday and drove past the HTU in Pineville NC and noticed they had gone out of business. I liked to stop in there and pick up supplies and the occasional kit as their prices were not bad. I was last in there about a month ago and noticed that there weren't any new releases, the plastic section had shrunk some more and things looked odd, like they were getting ready to close. Looks like more online buying for me, sad that it has become the way of this hobby as I have always enjoyed walking in to a hobby shop and looking at all the stuff they had and getting the creative juices going. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnbuzzed Posted May 26, 2015 Share Posted May 26, 2015 Bummer. I was in there recently and bought a bunch of paint. Yes, the plastic section had gotten smaller, but they had plenty of paints and styrene stock... Do you know if the HT in Monroe is still open? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikemodeler Posted May 26, 2015 Author Share Posted May 26, 2015 Bummer. I was in there recently and bought a bunch of paint. Yes, the plastic section had gotten smaller, but they had plenty of paints and styrene stock... Do you know if the HT in Monroe is still open? John, I agree, their paints and other items were very decent, I liked being able to pick up Tamiya paint there! The HTU in Monroe closed back late last year. It had a relatively new owner but he must not have been able to make a go of it. Looks like it is off to Rock Hill to Hobby Stop! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnbuzzed Posted May 26, 2015 Share Posted May 26, 2015 Yep, the Hobby Stop will be the place. I'm not complaining. That's life, and it could be worse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fat Brian Posted May 26, 2015 Share Posted May 26, 2015 I noticed that too Mike and I meant to message you about it. I stopped there a lot and spent more than I want my wife to know about. I had talked to David at one point and he said he made most of his money off of rc stuff so I thought they were going to be around for a while. For me it's going to be the Hobbytown in Mooresville, Rock Hill is too far out of the way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikemodeler Posted May 26, 2015 Author Share Posted May 26, 2015 Yeah Brian, I am thinking either their rent was going up or he wanted to retire as the R/C stuff seemed to be steady. Just a shame because they were a friendly bunch, and the store was convenient. The Mooresville store is one of the biggest I have seen, but their prices are close to full retail, and that was the neat thing about Pineville, their prices were reasonable! It seems that hobby stores will continue to die off, so it is best to enjoy them while we can! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robertw Posted May 26, 2015 Share Posted May 26, 2015 I'm sorry for those communities of modellers who see to be more steadily losing their LHS and I cross my fingers that the trend doesn't come to my part of western Canada. For a million people we have two full service hobby shops both of which have recently changed hands but are clearly in the hands of owners who care for the hobby. We also have three other part time hobby shops that carry fairly good stock or are willing to order whatever we want. We have to pay more then what shops in the US charge but I'll just buy a little less for the sake of helping to support a shop that wants to provide athis service. Paint is also difficult to obtain my mail here so having a couple of shops who between them carry at least a half dozen brands of paint is another reason I'm more then willing to pay a little more for the kits. Besides when on a good year I only build a half dozen models spending a little extra is not going to break the bank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fat Brian Posted May 26, 2015 Share Posted May 26, 2015 Mike, I thought the same thing about the store at University. It was huge and did all the gaming stuff and rc stuff but they closed about two years ago. I don't know why Charlotte can't keep a hobby store in business, it doesn't make any sense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karbuildr Posted May 26, 2015 Share Posted May 26, 2015 I used to go to that Hobbytown as well, mostly for the paint, which they always seemed to have a good stock. Otherwise, there wasn't much and like others have said, in the last year the plastic section seemed to get smaller and smaller. When I lived in Rock Hill I used to go to Hobby Stop regularly. However, their prices seem inflated for kits ($30.00 for a snap kit seems a bit high to me) and they don't keep their Tamiya paints as well stocked as Hobbytown used to. I do most of my ordering online now anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Geiger Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 Sad. Bob's Hobbies in Pitman, NJ is also closing. They're having their final fire sale right now. Another 50 year old shop closing because the owner is retiring and nobody was interested in taking it over. Back when I was at a career crossroads a few years ago I thought about opening a hobby shop. I even spoke with Hobby Town franchise unit, and checked out local real estate. And no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't make the numbers look even remotely do-able. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Howard Cohen Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 My friend and I looked at buying a hobby shop in Toronto 15 years ago as the owner was unsure about his health. It had a good location, lots of inventory and fixtures and a good customer base. We did some research and found out the rent, various utilities, stock, and staff would cause a break even if we were lucky. The owner had a full time job to support his hobby and that is what kept the store running. Then the owner changed his mind when he got a clean bill from the doctor. Running a hobby store takes a great deal of money and time and desire and I can't think of too many that stay in the family. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Geiger Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 Running a hobby store takes a great deal of money and time and desire and I can't think of too many that stay in the family. My great grandfather started a jewelry store. My grandfather and his two brothers left school at 16 and learned a trade in the store, as was customary in those days. It was a tough haul, few days off, working 9 til 9 six days a week. All three brothers sent their sons to college so they wouldn't have to work in the store. None did, and the store was sold in 1973 when they retired. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikethepoormodeler Posted May 28, 2015 Share Posted May 28, 2015 Thanks, Mike. You saved me a 160 mile round trip. I was headed up there Saturday, but I guess that's not gonna happen. Oh, well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikemodeler Posted May 28, 2015 Author Share Posted May 28, 2015 Thanks, Mike. You saved me a 160 mile round trip. I was headed up there Saturday, but I guess that's not gonna happen. Oh, well. Not sure where you are headed in from, but there could be some options for other hobby shops. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mademan Posted May 29, 2015 Share Posted May 29, 2015 Robert Wheeler.... Where abouts in Saskatchewan are you ? im IN Prince Albert Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnbuzzed Posted May 29, 2015 Share Posted May 29, 2015 Sad. Bob's Hobbies in Pitman, NJ is also closing. They're having their final fire sale right now. Another 50 year old shop closing because the owner is retiring and nobody was interested in taking it over. Back when I was at a career crossroads a few years ago I thought about opening a hobby shop. I even spoke with Hobby Town franchise unit, and checked out local real estate. And no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't make the numbers look even remotely do-able. For a few days some years ago, I did consider buying a Gold Spike Hobbies back on LI. Thankfully, the "angels" who might have provided the funding didn't. God only knows what my financial situation would be right now. Now, any ideas of a hobby shop are solely contingent on hitting Lotto. Then, I could spend all day building my inventory while hanging out with my fellow scale modelers. Free pizza and cold beer, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnbuzzed Posted May 29, 2015 Share Posted May 29, 2015 I used to go to that Hobbytown as well, mostly for the paint, which they always seemed to have a good stock. Otherwise, there wasn't much and like others have said, in the last year the plastic section seemed to get smaller and smaller. When I lived in Rock Hill I used to go to Hobby Stop regularly. However, their prices seem inflated for kits ($30.00 for a snap kit seems a bit high to me) and they don't keep their Tamiya paints as well stocked as Hobbytown used to. I do most of my ordering online now anyway. The Hobby Stop does have a decent selection of aftermarket stuff, especially decals. Their paint stock is weird- a lot of Tamiya paint, but not a big assortment of colors and not too much Metallizer. But, they do sell that magazine... err... what's it called... oh, yeah- Model Cars Magazine. I can't find it anywhere else around here. And, they do support the hobby by allowing a local model car club to hold their monthly meetings at the store. I hope to get to one soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iBorg Posted May 30, 2015 Share Posted May 30, 2015 Had this same discussion with a shop owner today. She said that when she retired, they'd close the door as no one wants to take over. Not enough money plus most people who get into the hobby business don't know how to run a business. Maybe if they did, they wouldn't go into the hobby business. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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