Another LHS closing - Chicago NW suburbs

[martinfan5]

NE Corner of Scottsdale Road and Thomas Road. They are very supportive of the local clubs, Desert Scale Classic, and they host a monthly build session. Their pricing is below the HTU normal.

The "other one" is in Gilbert.

I knew where abouts for the one in snobsdale, it is the one Gilbert I can never seem to remember , which is fine by me, I dont plan on taking a trip to it

Edited July 31, 2013 by martinfan5

[Austin T]

If you want Japanese kits it almost forces you to shop online. I've only seen a few basic Tamiya,Aoshima, and rarely Fujimi in hobby shops.

[High octane]

I will miss Venture Hobbies! I started buying models at Venture Hobbies back in the seventies, back then they were located on Dundee east of Rt. 83.

Don is one of the nicest people I know. He would always give you a deal, and help with any questions you had.

After he sold the shop he came in 3 or 4 days a month to help out. I spoke with him about 4 months ago at the shop, he told me he misses the people

and the conversations, but not the hours.

I don't buy kits any more, just supplies. It was a great Hobby Shop for a long time. All good things come to an end.

I started buying at Venture Hobbies back in the mid-70's as well and Don would always support the model clubs too. Of course, so did Al at Al's Hobby Shop in Elmhurst, which I started going to in the early 60's before I started driving.

[lanesteele240]

I mostly put the Japanese kits together. I always wait to ebay them. Why. My lhs normally wont carry them. When he does, the price is msrp. Tamiya are very proud and the kits tend to be expensive. So when they have something i want, it cost to much. So, i have a plan to keep me and the lhs happy.

I buy all my paint, glue,mags ,and other supplies from the lhs. If he has a kit in the ball park of the online price, its a sale. If not he just gets 100 bucks a month in supplies.

[bill w]

I stopped at Venture Hobbies on my way home from work today, they where closed. The sign on the door read closed Wednesday and Thursday

store hours will resume Friday and Tuesday. Not sure what that means, I looked through the window, only the back lights where on, the wall that had

plastic kits was empty. I will stop on Friday on my way home.

Edited July 31, 2013 by bill w

[Modelbuilder Mark]

Yes I do, and of course I use the 40% coupon , for both kits and paints, but the problem with Hobby Lobby, is I have moved on from using Testor's/Model Master paints for the most part, and thats all they sell, it would be nice if they would stock the Metalizer paints from Model Master

When the Hobby Lobby's in my area of the valley were clearing out the spray cans of metalizer, I bought all I could get my hands on between two locations for like $1.25 a can. I think all they have now is either Aluminum plate or Steel, but that is it.

and that's the problem in a nutshell. A hobby shop cannot survive on 2% of your business, on the low profit margin on paint.

I could be wrong, but I did not read that only 2% of his "other" business went to the LHS, but rather 98% did, and only 2% of what he spends on supplies paints etc goes online. That being said, I am also a good example of this. I buy very few kits from the LHS because of the prices, plain and simple, BUT, virtually everything else I need as far as plastruct, glue, paints, etc etc come from the LHS. Let me tell, that adds up. (easy to keep track, they have a stamp card you fill it up by spending $100, you get $10 off next purchase plus it gets tossed in a bowl for a gift card drawing twice throughout the year) I have talked to the owners of the LHS I deal with, and I know that there is a fair amount of volume that moves through in other products, and they still sale a lot of automotive kits, just not the the "online" guys.

Keep in mind, that by the very nature of you and I being on this forum, we are more "online accepting" than others and more apt to shop online, bank online etc. There are plenty of folks in this hobby that have little or nothing to do with online and I am sure they still enjoy the hobby. Even tho I have been an online user for MANY many years, I still hesitate buying model stuff online tho, because honestly it just irks me to pay so much for shipping, and I have the wait. If I need glue, or paint now, I just swing by the shop while I am in town and pick it up. As for kits, I do buy a few online, some at the LHS, some at Hobby Lobby with coupons (but they have not had any new inventory in what feels like AGEs despite new stuff coming out recently) but for me, the bulk of my buying takes place at a model show or swap, when I can get a good deal, find stuff I do not see much in the shops, or gets some of the newer stuff that seems to pass through the shops too quickly. I just like the hands on I guess.

The best thing of all, is that no one way is THE way. What works for you, works for you.

[Modelbuilder Mark]

The first time I ran into his shop, was the first time I went to a Desert Scale Classic. Since it was just up the street, when I grabbed lunch I stopped by. When I went in I was shocked when I mentioned the contest, and he was just so "non-involved" with it. No booth at the swap, no flyers in the store, no sponsoring or support. I just could not wrap my mind around how you could be so close the biggest contest in the area, with a subject matter that SPECIFICALLY relates to your business, and NOT be involved. I must admit, it soured me and I don't go there at all either. I wonder how many customers he may have lost due to similar feelings.

He does not support either local club, either of the Good Guys Model Car Contests, or the Desert Scale Classic. I do not support him.

[clovis]

This is an interesting thread and conversation.

We don't have a locally owned LHS. The closest thing is HTU, and I've received mixed results from shopping there. One guy that works there is NOT friendly, especially after he learned that I wasn't buying a $1,000 RC kit. He has NEVER been friendly, and acts as if my $20 paint and supply purchases are a real bother to him.

So, I switched to Hobby Lobby, and use the 40% off coupon...and get $20 worth of paint for just $12.

I wanted a few colors that HL didn't have, so I went back to HTU, and a new employee bent over backwards helping me find a color match on a single bottle of Testors MM paint. That was a very positive experience!!!

Why can't they treat all of their customers with the same level helpfulness? I would have never walked into another store, like HL, had the guy at HTU not been so outwardly rude.

I try to support locally owned businesses, but when I've had such horrid experiences at one of those places, I tend not to go back.

Edited August 1, 2013 by clovis

[Sixx]

Ok, is it just my computer or does anyone else see a stoopid ad for "swim ways" pool stuff under my post at top of this page???? What kind of ###### is that?? I sure didn't put that there!!! ALLRIGHT, now it's scrolling through other ads! Is this something I missed? I mean is this the ad stuff to help pay for the forum? If so, whew, coz I just tripped out on it! sorry

Edited August 1, 2013 by Sixx

[drball]

Yeah, I am getting the same BLAH_BLAH_BLAH_BLAH myself. I am glad I do not surf the darkside of the net, God only knows what type of adds would

be popping up.

[Tom Geiger]

We don't have a locally owned LHS. The closest thing is HTU, and I've received mixed results from shopping there. One guy that works there is NOT friendly, especially after he learned that I wasn't buying a $1,000 RC kit. He has NEVER been friendly, and acts as if my $20 paint and supply purchases are a real bother to him.

Why can't they treat all of their customers with the same level helpfulness? I would have never walked into another store, like HL, had the guy at HTU not been so outwardly rude.

I try to support locally owned businesses, but when I've had such horrid experiences at one of those places, I tend not to go back.

That's part of the quandary of the local hobby shop / survival equation. Some of them are their own worst enemy, both from the owners and the people they employ. Most of them don't do anything to promote their business and the hobbies they represent. And some have some really weird business ideas... and completely ignore the very basics of customer service.

For instance there is a certain shop that doesn't stock any magazines because they have ads in them that compete with his business. He doesn't realize that stocking them would have people coming in on a schedule to buy them, and another $50-100 once there.

The guys who don't know anything at all about the hobbies and employ young girls as staff. I once was in a shop standing at their ever shrinking model car area and a lady asked if they had a Porsche model. the young girl glanced at the shelves and announced, "no, they didn't have any." I immediately jumped in since a Tamiya 911 was right on the shelf in front of her. The lady was appreciative and asked me what else she needed to give this as a gift. I loaded her up with paints and glue. She had no problem spending $100. The young girl went and got the manager, telling him I was bothering the customers!

The shops that don't keep their racks full, whether it's paint, plastic, wood etc. I know a local shop that keeps two of each Evergreen number and immediately reorders to that quantity when they sell one. Other shops wait until the racks are near empty and lose a lot of business. It's not just the $5 pack of Evergreen, it's that the customer won't come back after constantly being disappointed. They'll go elsewhere and the shop loses ALL of their business.

A local shop here in PA doesn't have any Tamiya paints. So I asked the owner. He said a lot of people were asking for those and just shrugged. Um, isn't that a friggin hint? Again, the next time I went to his competitor who stocks Tamiya. He lost all my business.

And as mentioned, I've been in several shops where when I walked up to the counter with $50 worth of supplies, I encounter a friendly guy who asks what I'm working on. When I reply, the face falls and they moan, "oh, cars." and they're no longer interested. Heck, the guy at Home Depot couldn't have been interested in the box of screws I bought the other day but he remained friendly!

Edited August 1, 2013 by Tom Geiger

[Modelbuilder Mark]

Oh I so agree. That LHS that I frequent the owners do know a lot, but also have no problem asking one of their "regulers" to help answer questions they may not know the answer to.

That is the bain of not just LHS tho, ANY business, you have tobe careful who you hire. We now live in a world where we have been conditioned to accept medicoracy, and neglectful treatment from staff. It is now the norm.

That's part of the quandary of the local hobby shop / survival equation. Some of them are their own worst enemy, both from the owners and the people they employ. Most of them don't do anything to promote their business and the hobbies they represent. And some have some really weird business ideas... and completely ignore the very basics of customer service.

For instance there is a certain shop that doesn't stock any magazines because they have ads in them that compete with his business. He doesn't realize that stocking them would have people coming in on a schedule to buy them, and another $50-100 once there.

The guys who don't know anything at all about the hobbies and employ young girls as staff. I once was in a shop standing at their ever shrinking model car area and a lady asked if they had a Porsche model. the young girl glanced at the shelves and announced, "no, they didn't have any." I immediately jumped in since a Tamiya 911 was right on the shelf in front of her. The lady was appreciative and asked me what else she needed to give this as a gift. I loaded her up with paints and glue. She had no problem spending $100. The young girl went and got the manager, telling him I was bothering the customers!

The shops that don't keep their racks full, whether it's paint, plastic, wood etc. I know a local shop that keeps two of each Evergreen number and immediately reorders to that quantity when they sell one. Other shops wait until the racks are near empty and lose a lot of business. It's not just the $5 pack of Evergreen, it's that the customer won't come back after constantly being disappointed. They'll go elsewhere and the shop loses ALL of their business.

A local shop here in PA doesn't have any Tamiya paints. So I asked the owner. He said a lot of people were asking for those and just shrugged. Um, isn't that a friggin hint? Again, the next time I went to his competitor who stocks Tamiya. He lost all my business.

And as mentioned, I've been in several shops where when I walked up to the counter with $50 worth of supplies, I encounter a friendly guy who asks what I'm working on. When I reply, the face falls and they moan, "oh, cars." and they're no longer interested. Heck, the guy at Home Depot couldn't have been interested in the box of screws I bought the other day but he remained friendly!

[mariojr]

Wow that sucks....I was jus at venture hobbies today n noticed a lot of shelves missing. I told myself either they're moving or going out of business. I'm sad to see em go. I've been going there for about 10 years now.

[mikemodeler]

Wow that sucks....I was jus at venture hobbies today n noticed a lot of shelves missing. I told myself either they're moving or going out of business. I'm sad to see em go. I've been going there for about 10 years now.

Then you remember when they had one of the largest selections and it was a place to get lost in? Not many hobby shops left around the area, have you been to Kenosha to Don's Hobbies? It is on 63rd & 22nd Ave, a neat old place that used to be stacked with a ton of kits.

[mariojr]

No buy I've heard of it....I'm from lake bluff all that's left around here is hobby lobby hobby town n Rons hobbies but yea they had the biggest selection out of all of them

[Sixx]

Yeah, I am getting the same ###### myself. I am glad I do not surf the darkside of the net, God only knows what type of adds would

be popping up.

Doh!!! Where you been surfing Mr. Man?? LOL!!!!!!! Wait a minute, better not say! HA HA HA HA!!!!

[ChrisBcritter]

Was there today - next weekend will be the last.

[Luc Janssens]

Another one to strike off the list, when I'm in the area.

Not that they had much in stock the last time I was there in '10, remember getting a couple of kits from Al's in Elmhurst, where my profile pic was taken.

[Don Sikora II]

Then you remember when they had one of the largest selections and it was a place to get lost in? Not many hobby shops left around the area, have you been to Kenosha to Don's Hobbies? It is on 63rd & 22nd Ave, a neat old place that used to be stacked with a ton of kits.

I've been going to Don's in Kenosha since I was a little kid in the mid-1970s. He's been winding down and selling off his inventory for probably a couple years and is only open three days a week now. He doesn't get any new items, but he rents space to another local guy who does get some new stuff. Gary's in Racine is gone now too. There's a new hobby shop in downtown Kenosha called Friend's that I think is operated by a guy who used to have a store in Waukegan, IL.

Too bad about Venture. I started going there in the late 1980s, but it has been on a downhill trajectory for sometime. If you're in that area, the Hobbytown USA on Waukegan Road by the Edens Spur is really a pretty good shop that's worth checking out. Think it's in Northbrook, but it might be Deerfield.

Edited August 19, 2013 by Don Sikora II