As a child in the 70s, going to Bob's Hobby Shop was always a special treat. The front side of the store catered to the RC
aircraft enthusiast, while the back side catered to us. Bob Smith was a typical old school Virginia gentlement with a
encycopedic knowledge of WWII aircraft and central Virginia railroads. Everytime I visited Bob's he would be delivering an
entensive lecture on either subject. The shop sold everything from begineers shake to box kits to craftsman kits. As I
was getting older I was gravitating towards the craftsman kits (i.e. Campbells). Everytime I would purchase a craftsman kit, Bob would give me a 5 minute lecture on what to expect while I am assembling the kit. Customer service like that is unheard of today. It's sad that hobby shops like Bob's are becoming extinct.
I had gone to Bob's since the day they opened on Cary street and before that, to Keel's hobbyshop downtown in the 40's and 50's with my dad. All of the PFM and Westside brass HO that I currently own I bought from Bob's. He had a great lay-away plan so that you could take the loco you wanted off his shelf, for a small sum down, to be held for only you in the back until you made that last payment. Bob was a cool guy and did carry a decent amount of HOn3 stuff. I bought some HOn3 stuff back in the 80s and even the 90's from him in hopes of one day doing a narrow gauge layout and only just began the effort in late 2010 after being in HO only since the late 1950's.
It was sad to see his move to Patterson Avenue and the slow decline of his business. Carytown just got too expensive to stay open there. He got old, too. I can't ever remember seeing the man with a smile on his face. Just the standard, good ole dour expressioned Bob who gave out a lot of info to any who he felt needed it or asked for it.
I have experienced Richmond's current spate of hobby shops and for the MR, I feel Chesterfield Hobbies in Midlothian is as close as we will get. Adrian and Mike are very helpful and will order anything I have ever wanted. They are very experienced,too, but somehow old bald headed Bob, peering over his glasses, riding down on his nose, is a sorely missed icon of the model railroading experience in Richmond.
Richard
If I can't fix it, I can fix it so it can't be fixed