https://www.modeltrainstuff.com/retail-store/
Bummer for those of us who live close.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
Rats, doon't know if I will be up for the trip down to Timonium, I have to go to Vegas the week before for work and get home Friday night.
They do say they are considering an option for local pickup for those who live close, so you could place an order on the web site, then drive over and pick it up, which will be nice.
Note that rather than scoff at or wring their hands at this new "internet" thing, they were early adopters, and it paid off well for them. They still have a superior ordering and inventory system compared to most other online retailers, which continues to amaze me.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
rrinkerNote that rather than scoff at or wring their hands at this new "internet" thing, they were early adopters, and it paid off well for them.
So true. I think about the best model railroad shop in my area that was stocked to the ceiling with everything imaginable for decades. A great old time hobby shop. They didn't embrace anything new and are now gone while MB Klein is thriving.
Jim
I am not any longer able to offer any positive comments about MB Klein's mail order packaging or customer service, so I'll stop right there.
I now shop elsewhere.
Going there would be hours for me. Mostly, I can live with what I have, I guess.
It's a shame to see brick and mortar go, but, like my chosen era, I prefer to live in the past, decades ago.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Sign of the times. Why flog a dead horse? With modern delivery methods even those who live locally would be wasting their time to pick something up.
I use Amazon a lot. Their return policies take all the risk out of buying unseen. I'm sure M.B. Klein will do the same.
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
While I lament the passing of many fine local hobby and train shops, I will admit that MB Klein has been my favorite online source for quite some time. Unfortunately it is the time we live in. I continue to miss the ability to examine something in my own hands, try it on a test layout in the store and then decide to order it. Those times have passed.
The advantage of a bricks and mortar store is that you see things that you didn't know were on the market or things you didn't know you needed.
they closed your hobby shop and put in a warehouse parking lot
MisterBeasley Going there would be hours for me.
Going there would be hours for me.
Well, it hasn't been THAT way for quite some time. They reduced the "store" to basically a kiosk with little to actually see.
I live too far away to visit anyway and have been doing mail order for many years with them. Unfortunately in the last year or so the mail order service hasn't been their normal efficient way of working. I've had orders that took up to a week to even fill and then add 4-6 days for shipping. Do I need most things TODAY? No, but it's reflective of their business in a big change mode. Hopefully the service will improve. I'd like to see them improve. They have some of the best prices anywhere. I like their live website for quantities. It's nice knowing you won't place an order and wind up with nothing but backorders.
oldline1
BigDaddyThe advantage of a bricks and mortar store is that you see things that you didn't know were on the market or things you didn't know you needed.
Hi Henry,
That's what I used to use the Walthers catalogue for! Talk about finding stuff that I didn't know I needed!!!
Seriously, the loss of the brick and mortar stores is tragic. There is one potential positive from my club's perspective. We pay our bills by running a big train show each year. At least you can still get your hands on stuff there. Hopefully the loss of the stores will drive some business in our direction, not that that comes without a price to the hobby.
The problem is with Athearn, if you don't have a brick and mortar store, you can't sell their products.
azrailThe problem is with Athearn, if you don't have a brick and mortar store, you can't sell their products.
I wasn't aware of that. I buy many of my Athearn products from a mail order business in Muncie, Indiana, and I'm pretty certain they do not have a B&M presence.
I could be wrong?
Cheers, Ed
While I do buy train stuff on-line, now that most of the local-ish hobby shops around here are gone, I also try to drop-by English' Model Railroad Supply at least once or twice a year when I also visit a friend in Ohio....250 miles to see him, another 250-or-so to Montoursville, and about the same to get home again. Always well-worth the drive.
Wayne
BigDaddy The advantage of a bricks and mortar store is that you see things that you didn't know were on the market or things you didn't know you needed.
Michael
CEO- Mile-HI-RailroadPrototype: D&RGW Moffat Line 1989
Henry,That applies to very few hobby shops these days. If you have such a shop to go to then you are truly blessed.
Last shop I was in still had a lot of dusty NOS with today's price sticker over the old original price sticker. In order to save my trip I bought MR,Trains and Railfan and departed..
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
Most of my shopping has been mail/internet order for years now. Train shows are mostly my "LHS" as there are no train stores near where I live.
I miss the old well stocked hobby shops, but retailing has changed and the stores that don't change disappear.
One thing that's different for me is that I now "stock" all the little miscellaneous stuff like strip wood, paint, etc. With no LHS and shipping costs for one item too high, I have to be my own LHS.
Paul
eBay is kind of like that too. Surfing it has spent more money in than otherwise!
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
Like Paul, I've done most of my shopping on line for years now. This is clearly where the vast majority of MBKs business is from and the walk-in is probably now a negative to their bottom line.
Since MBK cut the walk-in shop to about 1/3rd it's former size, going there on Timoniom show days is unpleasant and waits for service are long. My wife anymore refuses to even go in since the shrink in size, she waits in the car. It may be quite crowded on the late Oct T show Saturday. Only reason to put yourself through the punishment is to get the show day discount on a higher priced item like an engine. The engine I needed I already bought and is sold out so I'm not so inKleined to drop in even for the bit of nostalgia.
MotleyAlso I HATE waiting for packages to arrive. I like the instant gratifacation of walkign out of the store with all kinds of goodies.
For most of the hobby shops I've visited the full MSRP prices quickly cured that urge for instant gratification. I don't mind waiting when I can save 20 or 25%. With ever increasing prices getting good dicounts help keep the hobby more affordable
azrail The problem is with Athearn, if you don't have a brick and mortar store, you can't sell their products.
If I may speculate, Horizon did that because they are a distributor. MB Klein also acts as a distributor, so perhaps the rules are different when a distributor is making the purchase order rather than the end seller.
Frankly, even when the store was the previous incarnation with more showroom, you still didn't get much of a see before you buy experience. I'd wager virtually every purchase I made that wasn't scenery material was an in store pull request.
hon30critterI'm sure M.B. Klein will do the same.
Russell
Most online merchants have a "what's new" section to highlight new arrivals and such.
Walthers ALSO had a policy of having an actual store presence to sell their stuff, to cut out the weekend train show dealers. If Horizon wants to shoot themselves in the foot by requiring a B&M store to be a dealer, I won't be shedding any tears. Frankly, the last thing they put out that I bought was LESS reliable than an ancient Blue Box loco, until I fixed it. I know that one of my go-tos at train shows, right before he retired and transferred his train show business to his helper, was down to selling a few used brass items and Atlas and Broadway, because Atlas and Brooadway were the only ones who would sell to the small independents. No Athearn locos, no Walthers locos.
rrinkerIf Horizon wants to shoot themselves in the foot by requiring a B&M store to be a dealer, I won't be shedding any tears.
Unless something has changed, it's been my understanding Horizon required b&m quite a few years now. But I haven't kept up with that.
The trend to online only like MBK may mean eventually Horizen will have fewer and fewer retail outlets and will need to stop that "no online only vendor" policy. My understanding is H aimed to remove the "garage" operators.
If I might, I would like to say 2 things.
First of all, I applaud MBK. I think they are understanding the shift in buyer mentality and making sure they don't get squashed. I look foward to shopping on their website more in the future (when I can actually get hobby ).
Secondly, I think my LHS has come up with two creative ways to keep his B&M shop making money. One, the owner has a huge ebay presence and he has his shop advertised on craigslist. Two, he sells airsoft and scale model kits of all kinds in addition to model trains, and often models of all kinds can be had for killer prices. I think he is ingenious. He will take people's train junk and re sell it. I'd say one third to one half of all his scale model inventory is used. I don't see him going anywhere bad anytime soon.
I'm beginning to realize that Windows 10 and sound decoders have a lot in common. There are so many things you have to change in order to get them to work the way you want.
As I recall, Horizon also had either an annual sales threshold or a minimum stock threshold that was pretty hefty beyond what a garage or show vendor could likely handle. I think it was to steer stores towards stocking other parts of the business rather than just RC planes or just trains.
I don't think Horizon still requires an actual storefront any more. They do however have minimum order sizes and minimum annual volumes that basicly preclude "part time basement dealers".
Then, to get the best price, you need to be Kleins or Trainworld.......
But it is also my understanding, at least at one point, the difference between the "regular" dealer discount, and that lower price higher volume discount, was a smaller gap than companies like Bachmann, or possibly even Walthers, and thereby actually hepled protect small legit dealers.
Not sure if those price levels have changed.
The change at Kleins means nothing at this point, the showroom was useless.
I like the old fashioned hobby shop as much as anyone, heck I grew up working in them from age 13 up.
But the first time I placed an order with Trainworld, and two big boxes showed up in two days, I was hooked.
I go to the various shops in my region when I can, but all are too far to simply pop in for a few items.
But the mailman comes every day.....
Sheldon
Does anyone ever buy off Amazon? I have not but it is worth a look as there are some really good deals as well as totally outrages prices. Scenery stuff seems like the best deals.
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
Brent,The only thing I buy off Amazon is my Western novels which I download to my Kindel e-Reader.
My hobby needs comes from MBK and e-Bay.
I buy off Amazon on a regular basis. I get good prices and they ship fast. I have had good service frrom them.