Left Coast Rail #1 on the list is a knowledgable, helpful, courteous staff that can answer or know where to get answers to my questions. #2 would be a place that is organized in a manner that makes sense. #3 would have a good stock of replacement parts and a skilled repair facility. #4 would have a test track with short and log curves. #5 would be a place with a website that keeps an updated inventory online so you'll know that there is a reasonable chance that an item will be in stock before I make the effort to drive there. #6 would have reasonable prices keeping in mind that a brick and mortar operation with real live, knowledgable staff is going to cost a little more than an internet operation. #7 would give a discount to local clubs. #6 would be a place that takes items on consignment. #8 would sponsor hands-on clinics for subjects like air brushing, weathering, scenery, etc. #9 would be a place that handles special orders.
All very good points, especially #6. Toom any times people on this forum have complained about their LHS charging more for something than some internet store. They forget that LHS needs to cover rent, and pay those knowledgable employees. I'm not saying I want to pay MSRP, but I'm willing to pay a little more considering that what I mail order will have postage and handling added in. Plus I have it right away, especially important if I'm in the middle of a project.
Keep stuff in stock! When I come to your store for something, I want to buy it and take it home now.
We are long past the days when "Your dealer can get it from Walthers" was a good slogan--if "it" needs to be ordered, I can do that myself, and can likely find a better price, too.
Speaking from the perspective of someone who has rejoined the hobby after a 3+ decade hiatus, my first request would be for knowledgeable and friendly staff. There have been a lot of changes and it's nice to have someone who can answer questions.
Secondly, I'd like to see a well-stocked store. I'm willing to pay slightly more to get items I want now rather than having to wait for mail-order, pay shipping fees, etc. In addition, if the store staff is knowledgeable and friendly, then I'm also willing to pay slightly more than what you can sometimes get from mail order.
I'd also like to see working examples of various pieces of equipment, be it locomotives, cars, DCC systems, switches, motors, etc.
Of course, a fantastic selection would also be good. If there are items that need to be (special) ordered, then the store needs to provide excellent feedback as to the status of my order.
My own LHS is a pretty good example of a well-run shop that's a pleasure to go to.
He has an in-shop HO scale layout, about 8x8 feet. It's beautifully sceniced and detailed. It also has curves of 18, 22 and 24-inch radius, plus grades. The layout doubles as a test track, and, by the way, when a new engine with sound is running, it gets a lot of attention. The layout was featured in RMC a year or two ago.
The shop carries mostly HO, which I model, and also a reasonable amount of N. There are a few O-gauge things on display, but not much. Inventory is pretty good, and constantly changing.
Still, nothing at the shop is more important than Gerry himself. He knows all his regulars by name, and knows what they're interested in modelling. He freely gives advice on how to install decoders, etc., and also provides the same services. In his younger days, he was a 1:1 railroad man, so there's a wealth of knowledge there that's kind of infectious.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Driline Everything you guys described in the above posts PLUS 20% discount off every single item in the store. Otherwise I'll just buy my stuff from the internet. You have to be competitive or you'll just go out of business like the last shop did in town.
Everything you guys described in the above posts PLUS 20% discount off every single item in the store.
Otherwise I'll just buy my stuff from the internet. You have to be competitive or you'll just go out of business like the last shop did in town.
.. if you want to have an LHS that stocks just about all there is available in the market, you will have to pay for it. You cannot expect total availibility and full service for nothin´.
... and that is why most shops go out of business, because their mainstream business is taken away by internet shops.
Tom
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
What would Ilike to see in a good hobby shop? Easy to answer - just what I would like to obtain at that moment, ´cause I´d like to see and value whatever I buy.
Unfortunately, this is impossible. The vast variety of products makes it impossible to stock everything available in physical terms, let alone in terms of working capital cost! Most LHS I know have only mainstream items on stock and this means part of the Marklin, Roco, Fleischmann, Trix and Piko pudding, added with a little Faller, Vollmer, Noch and Kibri products. I have to order just about everything from mail order businesses, as US prototype stuff is usually not available at all.
regardless of the type of hobby supplies or scale of models, i would like to see a hobby shop that has an inventory with some depth to it. i say this because i seldom buy just one of anything. i don't need one piece of strip wood or one pair of couplers. if i like a particular freight car, i want several of them.
if i lived near a good shop, then i might buy in smaller quantities on a more frequent basis but that is not the case.
example-once when i was installing a yard lead, i needed a dozen caboose industries ground throws. after visiting 3 hobby shops, 120 miles of driving and over half a day of my time, i came home with 5 pieces. yes, i could have called ahead but i thought they would have something that common on hand. after i got home, i called MRPO in New Jersey and had what i needed in less than a week.
i don't want to hear "i can order it for you" i can order it myself and get it cheaper.
bottom line; in order to keep sufficient inventory to satisfy the retail customer's needs, a shop will probably need to have a mail order and/or internet sales business too. of course, the tail may start wagging the dog and the owner will give up on the store front business entirely.
if you ever go to a really good, well stocked, shop you will see what i mean. caboose hobbies in denver and des plaines hobbies in chicago come to mind. of course if i had the capital needed to open stores like those i would not need to work anyway and i could just play with my own trains all the time.
grizlump
ME!
From the far, far reaches of the wild, wild west I am: rtpoteet
A good hobby shop is well stocked including S and also has parts, couplers, track, etc.
I always like looking at displays and a small layout running trains, combining scales is fine.
A good shop is organized, I should be able to find things relatively easily.
Enjoy
Paul
I would like to see a layout of some scale. I would also like to see an example of a locomotive or piece of rolling stock in a display case. That way I can ask to see it and hold it to see if I would buy it. I could check to see if the trucks are okay and the quality is what I'm expecting. It would like walking around a new car to see how the car looks.
Another thing I would like to see is vast assortment of paint and scratch building supplies. That would be helpful for a bunch of people.
A vast assortment of books and magazines would be helpful too for any interested modeler.
These are just a few suggestions.
Will
If you guys could give me your ideas of what you'd like to see in a good hobby shop, I'd appreciate it!
Remember, train people aren't the only ones to be catered to.
Would you prefer to see a nice layout or a layout combing maybe three scales or three separate layouts, say and Ho scale, an S scle and an O scfaleOr would you prefer to look at train equipment in a display case or actually se it in action on a layout?What if a local club was allowed to build and operate a layout and help explain things to the buying public,in exchange for lower prices on train equipment purchases from the hobby shop?
TheK4Kid