hello my LHS closed in the past two weeks hudson toy train it was about 10 min from home now my drive is about 30 min -1 hour for a good shop out of 3 shops and i think one of those is for sale
frank
0-6-0 wrote:hello my LHS closed in the past two weeks hudson toy train it was about 10 min from home now my drive is about 30 min -1 hour for a good shop out of 3 shops and i think one of those is for sale frank
Frank,
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
GearDrivenSteam wrote:Yeah, I think they all probably will because of the net.
Me thinks they won't close because of the 'net.......but mainly because folks don't walk the talk when it comes to supporting their LHS. Any LHS is well-advised to have a 'net presence 'cuz there is little loyalty from customers. Too many folks confuse saving 5 bucks with Christian principles or something.
Cheers,
Mike
Sorry to hear they closed. It's always a sad day when a good hobby shop closes.
One of the two LHSs I live close to closed recently, most likely because they recently got a building in the middle of no-where. At least there's still one left, and it's more dedicated to trains than the other one, so it'll still be fine around here.
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Customers will pay a bit more for goods if they get exceptional service. I try and support my LHS but service is "ZERO". The shop is stocked with high priced items the guy won't sell in a 100 years. Topeka KS is big ATSF and UP country for modelers, so you think that he would have more ot these items; NOT!
JIM
Jim, Modeling the Kansas City Southern Lines in HO scale.
Sorry to here. My LHs is 2 miles down the road. The owner is nice and gives me deals. He carries a lot of New England stuff so Its perfect for me.! I think me and my freind make up 90% of his N scale sales though. lol Tim
0-6-0 wrote:yes thats the one . i also go trains ect in guy falls or hobby ect in parma i think is for sale? ,trains-n-toys in north canton. and a rc shop insouthgate has some old stuff sometimes. but the train shows are starting up i will be at some looking for deals frank
I live in Mishawaka, IN and we also have a Hobbyland up here. I have been going to them for over 30 years and they have always been great to work with. In fact I just bought 100 pieces of Atlas Code 83 flex track from them. They have been very helpful over the years and I hope to keep goiing there for many more. They do have an internet site and very helpful employees.
John
A sad follow up to this older thread. Hobbyland in Fort Wayne, Indiana, is closing as we speak. The store in Mishawaka, Indiana, will remain open.
This store will be missed. Good selection, reasonable prices, and GREAT atmosphere.
trainfreek92 wrote: Sorry to here. My LHs is 2 miles down the road. The owner is nice and gives me deals. He carries a lot of New England stuff so Its perfect for me.! I think me and my freind make up 90% of his N scale sales though. lol Tim
Which shop do you go to? I feel the same about mine, Maine Trains in Chelmsford, MA. Great service, significant discounts and good stock of both HO and N. He'll order anything, too, and give me the Walthers sale prices when they have them.
This summer, he had a modeller from the Pepperel Siding club come in and give free weekly "weathering clinics" each Thursday. We had a regular crowd of 8-10 people, and most of us ended buying weathering supplies. I learned a lot about using weathering powders, too.
His shop does have an internet presence, too. He's not trying to compete with the big boys on price, but instead on specialty items like New England railroads.
And there are always customers in the shop, even in this slow summer season.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
MisterBeasley wrote: trainfreek92 wrote: Sorry to here. My LHs is 2 miles down the road. The owner is nice and gives me deals. He carries a lot of New England stuff so Its perfect for me.! I think me and my freind make up 90% of his N scale sales though. lol TimWhich shop do you go to? I feel the same about mine, Maine Trains in Chelmsford, MA. Great service, significant discounts and good stock of both HO and N. He'll order anything, too, and give me the Walthers sale prices when they have them.This summer, he had a modeller from the Pepperel Siding club come in and give free weekly "weathering clinics" each Thursday. We had a regular crowd of 8-10 people, and most of us ended buying weathering supplies. I learned a lot about using weathering powders, too.His shop does have an internet presence, too. He's not trying to compete with the big boys on price, but instead on specialty items like New England railroads.And there are always customers in the shop, even in this slow summer season.
It's always a sad day when a LHS (local homefulloftrains...err shop) closes. Unfortunately, I must honestly admit that I'm part of the problem. It's hard to pass up a $100 savings. As Mister Beasly said, Maine Trains has figured out the balance in how to compete with the online big box (the box you receive in the mail) stores. He provides excellent service, a strong selection, and the ability to order anything. And yes, there are many items that are worth it to have the LHS order and get it down the road instead of buying from an e-tailer and getting it down the road.
Darn. I saw the clinic listed on the site, but didn't go. Shoot. I was particularly interested in diesel locomotive weathering.
I believe trainfreak92 is referring to Shepaug, over in Leominster.
Ive seen MANY Hobby Shops close in my lifetime. I cannot offer you anything to ease the loss but I can tell you that one door closes, another opens.
There has been a few hobby shops that to me was the end all and too big to fail; having every little thing you could want in the hobby and then some. But when the doors close and the lights' go out for good Life has a way of moving on.
I guess I have traveled a thousand miles away from all of those closed stores and found two good ones nearby. When and if they close in the future, there will be other stores. As long as someone likes to run a train there will be a store somewhere.
I use the net to communicate with the shops and get the necessary orders in. If I had to do it the old school way by reading MR magazine and walthers catalog for the new announcements, everything would be out of production for months or years. Life has speeded up greatly because of the internet, and that is not always a good thing.
If someone in the sky pulled the big plug on the entire internet and make it all go buh-bye... we would not know what to do with ourselves would we?
Dont worry, there is a good store somewhere out there.
We have another LHS that just announced they are going out of business. We still have our share of shops, but things don't look good for a few years from now.
Four shops are strictly trains, mostly Lionel and other large gauges. One sells most stuff as estate auctions, he has a good supply of N and HO, but rarely below MSRP. Another has little for HO or N, most people who have been their commented about the owner's crabby personality. The other two are well stocked for most scales, one carries DCC equipment. Both of the latter owners are going to retire soon and are trying to find buyers for their businesses. Only one of these shops is in a rented space, the other three own the shop outright, which is probably why they are still open.
There are four other hobby shops within an hours drive that sell model RR stuff, but very limited selection. The bottom line for hobby shops is that RC planes and cars are more profitable for them, so they will get more attention than trains. When you have a shop in a mall or shopping center, you need to focus your resources on what sells in order to pay the rent. I for one wouldn't want to have to order on-line for a few packs of Kadee's or some jars of paint, but a hobby shop can't stay solvent selling just nickel and dime stuff.
If everybody is thinking alike, then nobody is really thinking.
http://photobucket.com/tandarailroad/
You haven't been to Trains Etc. in a while. Chuck went out of business a while ago leaving only the Whistle Stop in Cuy Falls. There is a new shop further west of Portage Trail but they are more RC than MR. If you're going to North Canton go a little further east out of town to Nick's Sales and Service. You won't be disappointed.
jktrains