Dr. Cranky Posted February 27, 2012 Share Posted February 27, 2012 I'm wondering if the last couple of years of new kit re-releases and new tool releases have made an impact on your local hobby shop (if they have survived). I know it's had a very BIG impact on mine, including the GEARZ National Contest. Normally if you go to Michaels or Hobby Lobby they will have a few shelves with models, but they seem to be what is out NOW. Here's a picture I took of the HOBBY TOWN--my LHS--with a healthy mixture of all things styrene: I am happy to report, they're plastic models have doubled since this picture was taken. And of course, this is the other reason I keep going back: Most of the business this particular LHS does focuses on RC Cars and Airplanes . . . but the owner is a huge fan of model cars, so he keeps the shelves well stocked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Agent G Posted February 27, 2012 Share Posted February 27, 2012 We had two Hobby Towns, the one in Henderson closed, the other moved and is doing well. Plenty of stock, and yes the paint racks look similar. All of our LHS have to focus on RC related items as that is huge out here. There is one that is 65% RC, but has a great model aisle. You can imagine the RC flyer or off roader smiling while looking at the vast expanses of ...........................nothing. Now, that said, Henderson Hobbies, in old town Henderson is the bomb. If you can tolerate the cranky old guy who runs the joint! He is a life long car modeler and the shelves reflect that. Armor isn't bad, and airplanes he has a lot of. G Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Cranky Posted February 27, 2012 Author Share Posted February 27, 2012 Wayne, you bring up a good point, and that is that most hobby shops try to follow the trends in terms of what is selling, where they can make the most money, and from what I've seen, they are doing all right with RC. There's another hobby shop I go to that it is all RC stuff with nothing else but a sprinkling of other things, but I still go because sometimes I find old kits on the shelves . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terror Posted February 27, 2012 Share Posted February 27, 2012 So thats what a hobby store looks like?High taxes killed all the small town hobby shops ,here in N.Y.Now we have Kinney Drug store... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
modelbuilder22 Posted February 27, 2012 Share Posted February 27, 2012 My local hs is almost all rc stuff, they had a small half shelf selection of model cars. It's depressing cause I have to get 90 % of my stuff online because my hobby shop is 25 mins away you would think for a city of 40,000 we would have a hobby shop. I have to drive at least 30 mins to get a Michaels or hobby lobby. I really do wish someone would open up a HS in my town, if I had the money I would. Maybe its about time I start saving up and open up a small shop. I wonder how much it would cost to start one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZombieHunter26 Posted February 27, 2012 Share Posted February 27, 2012 If I ever won the lottery, I'd clean out my LHS of all plastic kits and stock styrene... and all their paints But then, I'd be left with barely any room for my family and I in our home LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Cranky Posted February 27, 2012 Author Share Posted February 27, 2012 Rob, don't you worry. After you clock in about 20-30 years your work bench will look like a hobby shop! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMChladek Posted February 27, 2012 Share Posted February 27, 2012 (edited) That is a well stocked model section. I've got two HTs nearby and one is admittedly better stocked with the plastics than the other (they just expanded the model shelf space), but even the second one (which is more an RC shop) has a good selection of the current stuff. The paint racks at both stores are very well stocked also. Edited February 27, 2012 by JMChladek Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZombieHunter26 Posted February 27, 2012 Share Posted February 27, 2012 My LHS almost never has GREEN STUFF, or a good selection of PLastruct/Evergreen. They have a selection, but not as thorough and complete as one would expect. I'd have to travel yet another half hour from THAT LHS to ts sister store a town over to enjoy a better selection. Oh, and I've had to educate the manager on what 'curbside' means, and also explain in great detail why I need G scale railroad figurines when I build model Cars... (although, she doesn't carry G scale in any sort of abundance whatsoever.) One day, I'll open my own Styrene Stockpile store One day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Cranky Posted February 27, 2012 Author Share Posted February 27, 2012 Again, my shop must be doing well because there's now a whole wall of just model cars, and then everything else is on the other side. I've got to swing by and take another picture of the shelves. And it's pretty equally divided between AMT and REVELL with a little TAMIYA and FUJIMI thrown in for a little extra variety. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ffreak Posted February 27, 2012 Share Posted February 27, 2012 UUhh, Dr., there's something wrong with that one picture, there is actually some paint on that Tamiya rack !!! Is that one of your dioramas ??? LOL...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Cranky Posted February 27, 2012 Author Share Posted February 27, 2012 Danny, this picture is not recent, but they've restocked pretty well now. For a while those racks were pretty empty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ffreak Posted February 27, 2012 Share Posted February 27, 2012 My closest HobbyTown has very little of it. They recently started carrying the primer, which I buy about as quick as they stock it. But the color selection is hurting severely. But they are a relatively new store and are gradually building up their supplies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jantrix Posted February 27, 2012 Share Posted February 27, 2012 In my area of Tampa there is one Hobby Town and he is pretty much the only show in town. It's a good sized place and he caters to most hobbies. His cash cow is RC of course. He is one of the places you can sign up for the Gearz contest and orders extras of the kits for the contest. He keeps a very healthy model car area. About 65-85 kits I figure. The prices though are real high, $25+ per. I do get all my materials and supplies there though. He seems to be doing all right. He's got two full time employees. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mercman Posted February 27, 2012 Share Posted February 27, 2012 We used to have a Hobby Town here in Fargo, but it closed. Also had acouple of others, but the one went to Fantasy Gaming. They are history now also. Currently we have 3 shops. The one is RC planes, the other RC planes, and Cars. But the best one is still here. Hobby Hut. The mgr. used to be with another national chain many years ago. He has stock of all sorts for everything. Also the nice thing is if you need something special, and he doesn't have it, order on Mon. and its in Fri. Great service. In fact I was just there 2 hours ago, and picked my order from last week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Daddy Posted February 27, 2012 Share Posted February 27, 2012 I live in a city of 125,000 and not 1 hobby store go figure,well theres micheals but they have nothing, i have to travel 1 hour for the nearest hobby store which is pretty well stocked and she'll get whatever you want if you tell her Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Cranky Posted February 27, 2012 Author Share Posted February 27, 2012 The prices of kits keeps going up and I would be curious to know what kind of a mark up the stores make in order to stay afloat. Those of you who have to travel for so many miles out of your town, aren't you just tempted to order to the stuff on line? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Daddy Posted February 27, 2012 Share Posted February 27, 2012 I do order most kits online because of the wide selection but i still have to make the trip to the store for paints and such, since these can't bemailed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trogdor Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 Sure wish I lived near you Doc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mercman Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 I would be curious to know what kind of a mark up the stores make in order to stay afloat. Doc when I run one back in the 80's it was 60/40. So if you figure a $5.00 kit i had to pay $3.00 to the supplier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Most Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 Meh... don't care much for hobby 'chain stores'. Then again, I'm fortunate enough to live pretty close to what has GOT to be one of the best full-line hobby shops in the country, Hulings Hobby House- And this is a very small selection of his inventory. I'm also not to far from Dean's Hobby Stop... THAT place is a trip. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikemodeler Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 My LHS almost never has GREEN STUFF, or a good selection of PLastruct/Evergreen. They have a selection, but not as thorough and complete as one would expect. I'd have to travel yet another half hour from THAT LHS to ts sister store a town over to enjoy a better selection. Oh, and I've had to educate the manager on what 'curbside' means, and also explain in great detail why I need G scale railroad figurines when I build model Cars... (although, she doesn't carry G scale in any sort of abundance whatsoever.) One day, I'll open my own Styrene Stockpile store One day. Rob, Are you talking about the two Hobbytown USAs in the area (Mt. Pleasant and Charleston)? I haven't made it to Mt. Pleasant but I have been in the one in Charleston and the females that worked there seemed pleasant enough, although I will admit I didn't ask them any questions! Nice selection and seemed to have lots of paints and building supplies, something that is hard to find here in the Charlotte area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fabrux Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 My LHS owner posts here, so I'll wait for him to put up a picture. Aside from him, though, there's only a Michael's in town and they're not very good at all. The only online purchasing I do these days are for OOP kits. And even for those I get them sent to a place across the border to save on the ridiculous shipping to Canada. I usually wait until I have a few parcels waiting before I go down. Most new Revell kits that come out are priced between $20-27 at the shop. By the time I get them online and get them either shipped to my door or across the border and I pick them up, I'm not saving anything. I mentioned to the shop owner the other day that between my stash (350+ kits), his stash (800+ kits) and another member's stash (500+ kits) that we could open a franchise of his shop in my city (he's 1.5 hours away); he argued that none of us would want to sell anything from our stash! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 We have a HobbyTown here but I only go there for glue or paint. I won't buy kits there. I know they have to make thier profit but I'm not going to pay full retail on a kit when I can order it right here, online and have it sitting by my door a few days later. I look at HobbyTown as "just another middleman". I'll give you an example of what I mean. Right now I'm waiting for HobbyLinc to get the HobbyBoss M1070 with M1000 tank transporter kits in because they have them listed at 135.00. I looked at one at a show we had here last weekend from a hobby store that was there. They wanted 204.00 for the exact same kit!!!!!!!! Really!?!? I think I can wait till HobbyLinc gets them in and save 70.00 ON ONE KIT! I don't see why every seller on Ebay, HobbyLinc and Tower Hobbies can sell this kit for less than 150.00 but that hobby shop has to get 204.00? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZombieHunter26 Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 (edited) Rob, Are you talking about the two Hobbytown USAs in the area (Mt. Pleasant and Charleston)? I haven't made it to Mt. Pleasant but I have been in the one in Charleston and the females that worked there seemed pleasant enough, although I will admit I didn't ask them any questions! Nice selection and seemed to have lots of paints and building supplies, something that is hard to find here in the Charlotte area. My LHS is the West Ashley store, and that's 45 minutes away from me. The sister store in in Mt. Pleasant, 30 MORE minutes out But yes, i agree. The lady manager there is pleasant. I just try to remember that not everyone working in a LHS is highly experienced with modelling. I've been trying to get in there for years as an employee! Edit: The store used to be across the street bfore it moved 3 years ago. In the new location, they have started running out of a lot of stuff. Edited February 28, 2012 by ZombieHunter26 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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