Coming clean...would this be welcome here?

[MisterBeasley]

I think there are already a few forum members who own, run or at least work in the hobby business. I'm happy to see that kind of participation. Owners who are active participants in the hobby, including discussion groups like this one, are going to be more in tune with us and that will help the hobby overall.

So, welcome. (I didn't know Plasticville USA had a hobby shop!)

[Anonymous]

With the new forum coming soon, I thought this would be a good time to ask a few questions. I've been reading the forums with interest for a couple of months and have learned a lot from everyone both on positive and negative subjects. I finally signed up to the forums a few days ago, hoping to give helpful information where I can. When the new forum arrives, I may begin with a fresh start with a more appropriate user name or this could be my first and last post.

Here's the deal: I own a LHS. One reason I wanted to join the forum is I sometimes see misinformation posted here concerning hobbyshops, distributors and manufacturers. A lot of folks read the forums, and although I realize not everyone believes everything they read, I've been concerned about the level of wrong information or misunderstanding at times. Thought I could post in relative obscurity and make comments or answer questions as needed.

Turns out that's hard to do, so I'm blowing my thin cover and seeing what you think of the idea. Are there LHS owners on the forum already? Would my comments and explanations be welcomed?

And maybe Bergie can answer this: I do not want to walk the fine line between being a shopowner on the forum and doing anything that would appear to promote my shop. This forum, as I understand it, is certainly not for advertising and I would not want any of my posts to have that appearance.
Even by accident. I would somehow like to post without folks knowing which LHS this is, to avoid the promotion thing altogether. Not sure that can be done however. I don't want to do anything on here to help or hurt my store.

Been a model railroader and railfan long before I got this LHS, and I would like to participate on the forum if I can be of help at times. Any thoughts?