Just wanted to let the forum members know I appreciated the response to the thread I posted about how you found your model train shop(s). Thought it would be interesting to read the replies, but I also did it out of somewhat selfish reasons to find out where to spend advertising money effectively.
The thread has been deleted because I changed screen names, but around 40 of you replied, and the responses were indeed helpful and somewhat scary! By far the #1 answers were either "I was just driving by and saw it" or "word of mouth"....neither of which would be affected by ads! Incidentally, my store was started by another individual...and how did I find out about it??? I saw it driving by...
Another popular answer was the Yellow Pages, which I was tempted to cut down my spending on the YP this year until I saw all those answers, so I appreciate the help. Also people mentioned the Model Railroader directory listings which has proven to be a great help to my store over the years.
No one mentioned newspaper, radio or TV.
But thanks again for the replies, I am paying attention and learning a lot off of this forum. Maybe other shop owners out there are learning from your responses too.
Ahhh....I thought maybe you were "the guy" (G.O.S.)!
I'm glad I could help, the hobby definitely needs guys [& gals] who do what you do...
-Ken in Maryland (B&O modeler, former CSX modeler)
Yep I am the former Grandson of Sam, the anonymous LHS owner. Came out in the open because it's just too hard to hide and I'm not that clever.
Saw a post where someone attacked Con-Cor and Mr. Jim came back with a response along the lines of "how can you take the word of a faceless poster" or something to that effect, you know, someone hiding in anonymity...why take their word for something. So I took the advice of fellow forum members and quit worrying about whether or not I would be promoting my business and just came out in the open.
One Track, I did not get the chance to see the original post but have to agree with the idea that word of mouth and "drive by" gets the most customers, the yellow pages are good too. I had a small retail business and found that direct mail worked very well too. Newspaper was virtually a waste of time unless you have can afford a large ad. We did radio one year during Christmas and it was successful, but very targeted, we were a sports store and advertised on the sports radio station (it was the cheapest too). I guess the only suggestion I can make is take advantage that most folks really think about trains during the holidays and do your additional advertising at that time. Good luck.
Rick
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
MisterBeasley wrote:I heard a radio spot for an LHS just a few weeks ago. I was kind of shocked, actually. I think the shop name had "Train" in it somewhere, but the ad seemed to be directed more at the RC crowd. The shop and the radio station are both in Manchester, New Hampshire. I'm in the fringe reception area for that station, so it's not likely that I'll ever visit the shop.
That was probably Arlington Station, a nice shop located on Elm Street (I think). They usually exhibit at Springfield, and they sometimes carry my kits. Say hello to Rene if you drop in.
Being new to the forum, I missed the original post but here are my two bits: The nearest LHS is about 90 km (55 miles for the uninitiated ), so when I travel I will use the internet to find shops. Then when I am in the city, I check the yellow pages. Does not seem that many of the Canadian shops use the MR listings but not sure. The drive by thing has never happened to me, but maybe they did not have big enough signs
One Track Mind wrote: No one mentioned newspaper, radio or TV.
My guess is that this is due to the fact that hobby shops don't advertise in these. I am sure that I would at least check out an LHS if I saw an add in the paper or on TV, but I never have in any of the three metro areas where I have lived. I would say try it--it just might work.
Ron
Owner and superintendant of the N scale Texas Colorado & Western Railway, a protolanced representaion of the BNSF from Fort Worth, TX through Wichita Falls TX and into Colorado.
Check out the TC&WRy on at https://www.facebook.com/TCWRy
Check out my MRR How-To YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/c/RonsTrainsNThings
Actually I have tried newspaper, radio & TV advertising with varying degrees of success, along with all the other forms mentioned. And my website for several years. My dad has been a newspaper reporter for as long as I've been around, so I always feel a little pull toward the local paper, but what little has been done in the paper didn't really work. I was in the radio business for 10 years, so I tried that...knowing the drawbacks...and it wasn't much of an effort to begin with so didn't meet with much success.
Thanks again for the replies, grayfox1119's list actually gave me food for thought for another post perhaps, later.
I think the reason I never saw my LHS was because the sign is really small. It is about a foot tall and about 12 feet long. Seems good sized when your under it but from the road which is about 200' It just blends in. I think the owner would do alot more business or have more interest if he put a sign out at the street big enough to see from down the block. The yellow pages are very little help around here Omaha but what about getting onto Qwestdex or something like that. I am not sure how they are tied into the phone book side of things but I search alot for trains online and look for phone numbers using the online phonebooks alot....
My 2 cents
Hi
10 years ago, when I was 30, I decided to re-live my youth through my then 3 yr old son. I found a hobby store via the yellow page directory as I couldn't remember ever seeing a place. It was almost a whim that I re-entered the hobby.
That being said, when I became very involved with the hobby and wanted to branch out to find stores in other cities, I again used the directory. Once did I "just happen to be driving by" and found a store that had been is business just a short time, but I had never seen any of their advertisments. They took my email address for a monthly newsletter, but none ever came, they always had excuses (ie: not enough time) for not sending them out. Interesting that they were only in business about 18 months. I hate to cause spectulation to why.
Now that I have internet access, I find suppliers that way. I been in busiess before and the advise I had received was to do as much advertizing as much as you could afford. Believe me, advertizing is expensive and it hurt to shell out that much cash and never be certain which worked and which didnt.
I believe in the brick and mortor store and my local one gets 95% of my business. Hope this helps.
Cheers