Favorite hobby shops

[Rene Schweitzer]

In this day and age of Internet usage, how many of you still visit a hobby shop?

[Anonymous]

Yes regularly vist my local dealer even though he's 25 miles way across town [8)]
I also go to a couple other shops that are closer, but only when I run out of something or need something in a hurry that my dealer doesn't carry [;)][:)]

[Anonymous]

Rene
i don't get to hobby shops as offten since the stroke. but for mobilty reasons i do a lot of internet shopping from bed.

[reynolds]

rene, we still need hobby shops for basic, small items like drill bits, styrene, and many other bits required in model railroading. unfortunately for those of us in the rural southeast, decent hobby shops are few and far between. the closest to me is 2.5 hours away, so my list gets real long when i go that way. dale

[cacole]

The nearest one to me that even knows what G scale is, is an Ace Hardware in Tucson, Arizona, 70 miles away. The next nearest thing to them is 150 miles away, so I don't get there very often.

[kstrong]

Close... Too close. As in "I pass it every day on my way into work" close. Fortunately, I've been able to develop the ability to *GASP* go in and not buy anything. In truth, I rarely buy anything more than detail parts or scratchbuilding supplies anyway, but I can at least look at what are the latest and greatest things.

Later,

K

[Anonymous]

I am VERY new to this hobby (does buying one magazine mean I’m in?!?), not counting the HO set I had 30+ years ago. I perused the internet for some time but felt I had to get out there and see these big trains in person. I visited three train-only shops, one being G-gauge exclusive.

One thing I found interesting is that while they all claimed to carry the major brands of rolling stock in their print ads, once in the stores it was nearly all LGB from floor to ceiling. I’m wondering if LGB (or the local distributor) is more generous at floating inventory than the other manufactures? Larger margins? Customer demand?

[Anonymous]

I have a local model shop that I use for scratchbuild stuff.The nearest shop that supplies G scale is about 2 hours away.In England the stock they hold is pretty dismal.It's not their fault.Who wants a shop full of stuff that costs a fortune and may not sell.Internet for me!
Troy

[Anonymous]

My "local"...an I use the term loosley...is nearly 80 miles from my home and is heavily into N and HO. Many time they want to know if I want to special order something? Duh, I can do that from my own hom for a half to a quarter the cost.

Any of you blokes shop owners? Go any deals for me?

[Anonymous]

1st, there are no hobby shops within 50 miles of me and 2nd, I have to drive at least 500 miles to get the best deals on Large Scale Merchandise, I railroad on a budget and cannot affort do shop at a local hobby shop unless I'm making a small purchase.

[Anonymous]

I have to drive an hour one way to one. There are several in columbus but I mainly look for detail parts, trucks, wheels, for scratch builds which none of them have. So it's either drive after calling first or mail order.

I've actually toyed around with the idea of opening one for large scale only, with it being located within an existing nursery[;)] wouldn't it be great to back your pickup upand have it loaded with crusher fines next to the mulch pile[:D]

[Gary Crawley]

Rene
My local hobby shop has a fantastic range of HO but a very small range of G, it is also expensive.
We do have specilist G retailers within a few hours but they are also very expensive. (overpriced)
I now buy all my requirements from the US from a couple of mail-order places and have found them to be very good and reliable and I can bring most items into the country at half the price.
Gary

[Anonymous]

I have a hobby shop just 5 min from home....no large scale.
Another shop 15 min away has lots of HO/N & some large scale (mostly over priced LGB)
A third shop is about 40 min away, mostly HO.
And a fourth shop also about 40 min away has HO, N, Tin-plate & over priced large scale.

So mail order is the way I buy, never on-line.

OLD DAD

[Anonymous]

I dislike my store but a new pond store opened up with LGB trains for your garden.
Very nice man at the new store http://texaslillies.com
One in town, I stil don't know about...........

[pbjwilson]

Wow what dismal responses. I guess I live in the mecca of model railroading and hobby shops dedicated to it. In the Chicago area we have dozens of hobby shops, most with long histories and ownership. Within a 1/2 hours drive I can get to at least a half dozen stores dealing mainly in trains. A couple of those have large invwentories of G scale trains. Although I must admit my larger purchases are from e-bay and internet shopping. This topic has motivated me to take a jaunt to the LHS. Take a visit to Chicago and tour the hobby shops!

[Anonymous]

One thing about Large Scale is that for scratch building supplies you have less of a reliance on Hobby Shops. A lot of the stuff is big enough that you can get it from a hardware store. This makes a big difference on cost when you are half way round the world from the USA.

For example if I go down to the local hobby shop and want some flat styrene to build a wagon, I can pay $10 and get a piece thats not even big enough for one side. If I go to the plastic wholesaler they moan that I only want a small amount, but for $10 I get so much that I have trouble fitting it in the car to take home!

It is very sad for the local hobby shop, but without access to the large disounter mail order shops & ebay via the internet, I could not afford to be in G scale at all.

Glen.

[Anonymous]

Were not back on to this bloody subject again surely, hobby shops are not for true garden railway people; more hardware shops and garden landscape joints, end of subject.

Rgds Ian

[gmstm]

There are several hobby shops in my area but only two stock large scale trains. One owner seems interested in custom building layouts and the store seems a sideline. The other store stocks quite a bit of LGB but prices are high. I have to limit my purchases there to his rare sale days. Since my interest is in LGB's european models, I generally buy from two mail order houses or the occasional eBay auction.

[Anonymous]

I live in south of France and I look, select, and buy all par internet. It's very easy and no problem. I'm so glad because the $ is very low. Products of Ozark Miniatures are particularly excellents for logging in my garden.

[bman36]

Hi Rene,
We have one here in town that is very well stocked. As for Large Scale they have a bit but it is very expensive. So.....there's the internet. Still like to shop! Later eh...Brian.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by philvar

I live in south of France and I look, select, and buy all par internet. It's very easy and no problem. I'm so glad because the $ is very low. Products of Ozark Miniatures are particularly excellents for logging in my garden.

What part of France are you from, near what city? It is certainly nice to near a perspective from Continental Europe.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by philvar

I live in south of France and I look, select, and buy all par internet. It's very easy and no problem. I'm so glad because the $ is very low. Products of Ozark Miniatures are particularly excellents for logging in my garden.

[#welcome]

[AtlasGP9]

Two points:
1 local hobby shop which I've dealt with for 20 some odd years in HO, but his limited stock of large scale is too pricey even for emergencies. ( and nothing's an emergency in the garden!)
However, a two hour ferry ride (each way) plus half an hour of driving gets me to Art Knapp's Plantland in Surrey-- good stock, an actual layout, and thousands of plants. Perfect place for a GR store.
I find I spend a lot of time looking through the internet stores, and am tempted, but have heard that brokerage fees for items coming from the states can be really high, and wipe out the cost savings. Anyone have any experience with that?

[Anonymous]

Hi Atlas,
Sent a message to a guy I buy from in Scotland re KD's, he doesn't stock them but a friend of his buys direct from KD in the states and he says the savings are well worth it, plus full access to the full range. I have a couple of questions to ask on the forum before I order, but assuming the replies I get are posotive I will be buying direct.
Cheers,
Kim
[tup]
I take it you're on the Isle of White??

[AtlasGP9]

Actually, Kimbrit, I'm on Vancouver Island. The Surrey I refer to is Surrey, British Columbia. But for access to Large Scale, I might as well be on the Isle of Wight

[Anonymous]

Ah! That Surrey, the one off 56th Avenue just off the Vancouver-Blaine Highway, I did wonder about the 2 hour ferry time but having never been to our Isle of Wight!! I'm nowt but a [%-)][D)]
Cheers,
Kim
[tup]