Hobby Shops long gone from Mpls and St. Paul MN

[unclescott58]

I've seen topics here dealing with old hobby stores long gone in different cities. Well living all my life in the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul I have fuzzy memories of old hobby shops long gone.

The first place I need to mention is Jerry's Toys and Hobbys in St. Anthony. Jerry was one of the great guys to do business with when I was a kid. I remember a couple of times a buddy or I being a little short on money to buy something we wanted. We'd be close. Maybe off by 25 cents (a big amount back then). Jerry would still sell us the kit or slot car, telling us to pay him what we owed him next time. He never took our name or wrote down what we owed. He just trusted us. And you know, my one buddy and I always paid him back.

The other hobby store we most frequented was Jolly's in Apache Plaza. A fairly easy bicycle ride from our homes in Fridley. I know there were several Jolly's Hobby Stores. But, Apache is the only one I remember being in.

Gagers (been so long, I'm not sure on the spelling of this one) was another local hobby chain I remember. There use to be one in both the Brookdale Mall and another in the Rosedale Mall. And I'm pretty sure there were more. There was also a hobby store like Gagers in Northtown Mall. But, I don't think it was a Gagers.

A hole in the wall place I remember was small hobby store just east of Bloomington Avenue, on Lake Street in South Minneapolis. I found it in the mid to late 70's. It was run by some old guy and he still had several kits from the late 60's and early 70's at the time. It was like finding hidden treasure going into that place. His prices were good. Original prices or lower, I believe. I bought to few kits. But, didn't have the money to buy as much as I wanted. He was gone by 1980.

Other places? I remember a short lived slot car place in Fridley, in the mid 60's. I became close friends with the owner 25 years later. But, I did not know him then.

Another great place on Lake Street was Woodcrafter's. I think they also ran a store in Har Mar Mall at one time. And sponsored a hobby show on TV.

And then there was Pete's store on University Avenue, about a mile south of Northtown Mall. Really miss Pete and his shop. He closed sometime in the early 2000's. He was very supportive of our local model car club. (The MCCM, the Model Car Club of Minnesota. Which is still going strong.) And it was just fun to hang out with him or his assistant Rick from time to time. Despite the humorous put downs, one always felt welcome and had fun at Pete's.

I'd like to hear the memories of others out there. And does anybody out there remember the name of the hobby store on Lake Street I was talking about? Plus, people keep telling me I'm wrong on this. But wasn't Carrs Hobby Store in Duluth, MN, at one time on the other side of the street from where it is now? And maybe down a block or two?

Scott Aho

Edited May 11, 2014 by unclescott58

[disabled modeler]

Scott... we use to have real hobby shops here in Quincy,IL. Quincy pet and hobby,K Mart,etc. I can still remember buying kits at them and some I bought there....

IMC-Touch Tone Terror

Monogram-(Un-Real Roller)etc.

MPC- early to mid 70s Dodge van kits

Johan-Heavenly Hearse,Haulin Hearse,60 Plymouth wagon,62 Chrysler 300 which I still have.

MPC-late 60s to mid 70s Pontiacs.

AMT-Modified Ford pickup race team,Aqua rod Chevy van race team,etc.

Man those were the days...now all we have is a hobby lobby that is pretty much a dump site for the chain...

[MsDano85gt]

I primarily Remeber there being a Hobbytown usa locally in the T.cities area somewhere as a kid but the place i remeber most as a kid was on lyndale ave. in Richfield (subsidary of minneapolis)?? Hub hobby i want to say it was called, was rathe r close to my grandmothers place off niccolet ave so i went almost every weekend to spend my grandma allowance

[unclescott58]

Hub Hobby is still around. And they are still in Richfield on 64th and Penn Ave. But, it seems to me that they were originally at a different location in Richfield. In some shopping center just off of Lyndale Ave. I don't believe they were ever part of the Hobbytown USA chain. I'm sure they are not now. Hub is still doing well. Besides the store on 64th and Penn, they have a branch in the St. Paul suburb of Little Canada. Just off of Rice Lake Rd and highway 36. Still a fun place for one to spend their money. Whether on models, trains, toys, crafts, whatever. Hub still has just about everything.

Speaking of Hobbytown USA. We still have those around too. No where near the selection of Hub. But, one is fairly close to where I live. Just up the road a few miles in Brooklyn Park. So I spend my money there too, from time to time.

I work as a sub in schools during the regular school year. Starting this summer, for the summer I'll be workering for an outfit called Computer Explorers. A computer summer day camp that meets in different schools around the area. The only problem with this is their offices are in the same building as the Little Canada Hub Hobby store. If I have to go into their office much, I may be broke by the end of summer!

Scott Aho

[Jordan 191]

I grew up in IL but my folks are from up here, so every time we visited I made them stop at a place called Motorsports Miniatures (I think that was the name?) in south Minneapolis. It may have even been in a house? This was late '80s maybe early '90s.

[Guest]

I really miss University Hobbies(Pete's store). There was a hobby shop over by Moore Lake in Fridley that closed just before University hobbies, but I forget the name. Not as nice a place as Pete had. I wonder how he is doing?

[Harry P.]

There used to be a blacksmith's shop in every town, too... and a wheelwright's shop, and a candlemaker's shop...

Times change.

[MsDano85gt]

my bad yes Hub hobby was off Penn avenue i have not been hom e in some time...... I didn't even know they attached a hotel to the mall of america!! apparently starting another.....

[Jordan 191]

There used to be a blacksmith's shop in every town, too... and a wheelwright's shop, and a candlemaker's shop...

Times change.

This thread is about the old shops themselves, so give it a rest please.

[unclescott58]

The hobby store by Moore Lake in Fridley was call National Hobby. As far as Motorsports Miniatures, I believe that's the place my friend Kevin use to work at in the 80's. If it's the place I'm thinking of, it moved at least once. It was last at Lyndale and Diamond Lake Rd. I'll talk to Kevin in the next few days and see what he can tell me.

Scott Aho

[Jordan 191]

Yes it did move to Lyndale before it closed. When I was a kid I built almost every Hasegawa Group C racecar kit they sold, and that store had a great selection of racecar stuff. I've wanted to go see its old location, but I don't have an address.

Edited May 12, 2014 by Jordan 191

[Guest]

The hobby store by Moore Lake in Fridley was call National Hobby. As far as Motorsports Miniatures, I believe that's the place my friend Kevin use to work at in the 80's. If it's the place I'm thinking of, it moved at least once. It was last at Lyndale and Diamond Lake Rd. I'll talk to Kevin in the next few days and see what he can tell me.

Scott Aho

Motorsports Miniatures used to have a contest every year in the 90's.

[Guest]

This thread is about the old shops themselves, so give it a rest please.

Yes, and what is wrong with reminiscing Harry? That is all we are doing. We realize times change.

Edited May 12, 2014 by midnightprowler

[Modelmartin]

The original Hub Hobbies was in the HUB shopping center at 66th and Nicollet. At one point they had a store open in Robbinsdale too.

There were about 5 or 6 Jollys stores including ones in Southtown shopping center, Sun Ray, Highland and on South Robert in West St. Paul.

Then there was Van's Hobbies in Midway shopping center which closed in the 70s. They had a huge 1/24th scale banked slot car track which is now in use at Scale Model Supplies only about a mile away from its original location.

One should not forget Custom Model at 44th and Minnehaha in south Minneapolis. That was a go to spot for serious model builders in the late 70s and early 80s. There was also Ring's hobbies on Cedar Ave. s.

Gager's was in a lot of the malls including Southdale, Northtown, and Rosedale and they folded in the early 80s. Pete who started University Hobbies was the manager of the Northtown Gagers.

For a few years we also had Hobby Depot on 66th between cedar and bloomington aves. It was run by some former Hub managers. They carried a lot of cool stuff but alas are also gone.

Sorry, Harry. I don't remember the blacksmiths, the wheelwrights, or the candle makers. I do remember the milkman at my grandparents house, though!

Edited May 12, 2014 by Modelmartin

[Lunajammer]

There used to be a blacksmith's shop in every town, too... and a wheelwright's shop, and a candlemaker's shop...

Times change.

Maybe a little more unsympathetic than when you acknowledged the loss of Al's Hobby in your town, but it's just looking back on fond memories.

I've seen topics here dealing with old hobby stores long gone in different cities. Well living all my life in the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul I have fuzzy memories of old hobby shops long gone....

...Gagers (been so long, I'm not sure on the spelling of this one) was another local hobby chain I remember.

Gagers used to be in Fargo too. The bad news is it closed long ago. The good news is that one of the co-owners went on to open his own hobby shop and it's still around, still giving personal, first-name-basis service and hobby support.

[unclescott58]

Mike, what's the hobby store in Fargo? And where is it? I get up there once in while. It might be fun to check it out.

Andy, I thought Pete was the manager of the Gager's in Brookdale? I know for sure there was a Gage's in Brookdale. And I thought the hobby store in Northtown was called something else? But, I may be wrong on that. And I may be wrong about Pete running the Brookdale Gager's. We're talking 30 years now!

Scott

[Lunajammer]

Mike, what's the hobby store in Fargo? And where is it? I get up there once in while. It might be fun to check it out.

Scott

It's actually across over in Moorhead, Hobby Hut in the Easten Mall (Hwy 10 between Moorhead and Dilworth). Mark's shop has shrunk a bit but he's got the major stuff, he's always a vendor at the local toy show, can special order anything and he hosts the IPMS model club in his store every month. The last owner/operator hobby store in the area.

[lordairgtar]

There used to be a blacksmith's shop in every town, too... and a wheelwright's shop, and a candlemaker's shop...

Times change.

Still working for that curmudgeon license, eh Harry....

[Modelmartin]

Andy, I thought Pete was the manager of the Gager's in Brookdale? I know for sure there was a Gage's in Brookdale. And I thought the hobby store in Northtown was called something else? But, I may be wrong on that. And I may be wrong about Pete running the Brookdale Gager's. We're talking 30 years now!

Scott

You are right. Pete was at Brookdale. I am an east Metro guy! Brookdale and Northtown were practically in the Dakotas to me!

I also remember a small hobby shop just off White Bear ave in St. Paul south of Hillcrest shopping center. That one probably was gone by 1970! It was across the street from the library.

You mentioned the hobby shop on Lake street. I was selling a car a few years ago and the son of the guy who ran that shop came and looked at it. I asked him if there was any stash left. He thought so but I never heard back from him.

[THarrison351]

I always enjoy reading comments about everyone's home town hobby shops. When I was a kid in 70's and 80's my models where purchased at Air Force BXs and department stores. When I visited my grandparents in eastern NC there was a drugstore that had all these old models. When I visited my other grandparents in Hickory NC there was an ancient toy store downtown with old models. When I joined the Air Force in '82, my first base had a hobby store was that was centered around NASCAR. Unfortunately that guy only lasted a few years and closed shop. There was another couple of shops in Greenville, SC that I would patronize when my tanker was at Donaldson Center for inspection and maintenance. They went under also. Here in Wichita I have a great hobby shop I can go to plus Hobby Lobby, Michael's, and Hobbytown USA. When I was up in Quebec I found a great store called Udisco in Montreal. If you are in Montreal, you have to go there. They have everything and large quantities.

Having this Forum has opened up possibilities to find other hobby shops when I travel. There seems to always be someone on here that knows a shop near by. Thanks to all.

[teardrop96]

Didn't have as many hobby shops in Austin, Texas in the 60's. One place can't remember, it was a locally owned place, and it was about the size of an average bedroom. But we would head down there on Saturdays. He didn't have much selection-I recall my older brother buying a 64 Lincoln model there! The other place was near the campus of Texas University. It was called Toy City, it had all kinds of toys in addition to model kits. I recall being sent by my brother to get him a 66 Galaxie kit. The thing I remember about that is that Charles Whitman was in the tower that same day I was at the store. They are long long gone, but I still remember. Thanks for a memory walk.

[porkchopwi]

Looks I get to resurrect this long lost thread.

Great reading the memories here. I recall Jerry's very fondly and have vivid memories of many of the kits I purchased there (i.e. Monogram Helldiver and the huge -- at the time -- 1/72 Monogram B-1A on display behind the counter). I'm pretty sure, I too, came up short on purchases a couple time and paid later (with no interest!). And WCCO was always on in this place. Seems like this is probably where I was exposed to the Cannon Mess.

Scale Motorsports was a store I had completely forgotten about. Went there once (I seem to recall it was in a very residential area) to get some 1/20 F1 car in the late 80s or early 1990s.

The thread also jogged my memory on Hobby Depot in Richfield. Just off the runways at the airport and a pretty comprehensive stock of all things styrene and resin.

While Hobby Dept and  Hub were my go-to stores, in retrospect I sure loved those family owned operations with stock that had sat there for decades (many with unchanged prices). I really didn't appreciate those kinds of places at the time, but I do now -- years after being in any that have hidden gems of decades past.

Any recollections on the Bloomington hobby shop at off Old Shakopee Road? I frequented that place in my NASCAR and Indy building days of the late '80s and REAL early '90.

 

Edited August 25, 2016 by porkchopwi

[Jordan White]

There were three hobby shops that I used to frequent when I was younger.

There was one off University/47 in Fridley just south of Northtown Mall (can't remember the name) that I would always try to go to after my brother had a hockey game at the Colombia Arena.

Then there were 2 HobbyTown USA locations that had great selections. One was also in Fridley near the Ax-Man Surplus store (great store by the way!), the other was in Brooklyn Park on Brooklyn Blvd just east of 81. The latter I believe moved further east down Brooklyn Blvd, however the kit selection has been greatly reduced.

Nowadays, I stick to Hub Hobby or Scale Model Supplies for when I don't buy online.

[unclescott58]

There were three hobby shops that I used to frequent when I was younger.

There was one off University/47 in Fridley just south of Northtown Mall (can't remember the name) that I would always try to go to after my brother had a hockey game at the Colombia Arena.

Then there were 2 HobbyTown USA locations that had great selections. One was also in Fridley near the Ax-Man Surplus store (great store by the way!), the other was in Brooklyn Park on Brooklyn Blvd just east of 81. The latter I believe moved further east down Brooklyn Blvd, however the kit selection has been greatly reduced.

Nowadays, I stick to Hub Hobby or Scale Model Supplies for when I don't buy online.

The hobby store just south of Northtown, on University Ave/Highway 47, was University Hobbies. Run by a well liked guy by the name of Pete (I can never remember Pete's last name). And that was actually in Spring Lake Park. Not Fridley. The only hobby store that was ever near Ax-Man's in Fridley was Nationl Hobbys. They were in the strip mall across the street. Unless you go back to the 1960's when my buddy Fred run a slot car track in the same mall as Ax-Man, there was no hobby shop in that location. And when Fred had his shop there, there was no Ax-Mans in that building.

You are right about the HobbyTown in Brooklyn Park. Sad to say, they closed down a year or two ago now.

[Jordan White]

I thought it was a Hobbytown USA, but you may be correct (it was several years ago). The location is correct though (strip mall across the street).