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Post by Sir James on Oct 19, 2020 18:26:00 GMT
A letter posted on another forum says he is closing. Blames the MTH closing as the reason. A nice guy with a nice store but it is a small town. I always figured he had mail order business.
I don't want to spread a rumor the thread had a posted letter from Mercer.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 19, 2020 18:34:08 GMT
No surprise here. We have a nice shop that is almost exclusively MTH and the owner is 75. He told me he is pissed and thinking about closing. Not yet though.  |
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Post by JDaddy on Oct 19, 2020 19:02:31 GMT
Sent him a note about the store layout that he was doing. Really nice. No reply. That was back in March. Since Covid hit, there maybe other priorities.
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Post by ptc on Oct 19, 2020 20:09:32 GMT
Not the end of the MTH ripple effect.
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Post by JKP on Oct 19, 2020 21:16:09 GMT
Not the end of the MTH ripple effect. I agree, while I don't buy MTH engines I have bought quite a lot of MTH rolling stock and accessories over the past 10 plus years including a Z4000. I am going to miss them and it is going to hurt a lot of businesses. I still don't get why there are no buyers for it ( I know it is above my educational level  )
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Post by MichRR714 on Oct 19, 2020 21:25:12 GMT
Dave is certainly one of the most talented guys you'll find in our hobby. One of the highlights of my York experiences was driving home and deciding to stop at Mercer Junction. Our group found Norm Charbonneau sitting in the store with Dave. Some excellent conversation was had, some purchases were made and Norm joined us for dinner at a nearby establishment. Mercer Junction is a great "Train Shop."
I wish Dave the very best in all his future endeavors.
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Post by Sir James on Oct 19, 2020 22:45:24 GMT
Kinda makes me wonder about other dealers that relied heavily on MTH sales. Rumors abound about MTH revival but no one is coming forward with a real answer.
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Post by dennym57 on Oct 19, 2020 23:07:54 GMT
That includes Mr. Muffin's. He has mostly MTH and his store, layout and restaurant are in a very small town. He takes up an entire block.
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Post by Sir James on Oct 19, 2020 23:38:55 GMT
Yes two big dealers in northern Ohio and Pat's trains in WV. I do think these dealers should make it with their Lionel sales though.
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Post by rockymountaineer on Oct 20, 2020 4:43:38 GMT
That includes Mr. Muffin's. He has mostly MTH and his store, layout and restaurant are in a very small town. He takes up an entire block.
In the past several years though, Steve has done quite a number of Lionel special-runs that sell out -- not to mention he always seems to be doing a healthy business with Lionel pre-orders in general. So I honestly don't expect Steve will be following in Mercer Junction's footsteps anytime soon.
I realize we couldn't get Steve to become a sponsor here on OGF -- but Steve is otherwise a stand-up dealer who will always go the extra mile if you ask him. More than once, he was "sold out" of an item per his original allotment. But when I called him to inquire, he checked around with the importer or his distributors, and he was able to come through for me. Buyers remember that kind of customer service in this day and age.
As for Mercer Junction closing.... I'm sorry to read about that. Western PA is not quite in my area of travel these days, so I never made it out that way to visit the store. But from the photos and Dave's layout-building skills, the store looked like one fine establishment... something that could be an example for other dealers -- especially the way product was merchandised in the store.
At the end of the day, however, putting all of one's eggs in one basket is always risky. 10-20 years ago, nobody thought about train importers closing up shop. But here we are in 2020, and I think MTH's announced closing will have more ripple effects in coming months. There are several big-name "train shops" that were heavy into MTH products -- Stockyard Express (OH), Pat's Trains (WV), Ready-to-Roll (FL), Legacy Station (GA), and Sidetrack Hobbies (MD) come to mind. (And Sidetrack had transitioned their business to heavy Tinplate in recent years. So that's a double-whammy!!!)
Bottom line.... definitely a space worth watching closely.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 20, 2020 15:37:18 GMT
Mr Muffin offers great customer service and a wide variety of trains.
Always worth checking with
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Post by rtraincollector on Oct 20, 2020 15:58:51 GMT
I wouldn't worry about MR. Muffin as I believe he also now owns Korber models. He serves us well. He will survive without MTH, May even do a massive stocking before closing to help him for a while, I would if I was in his shoes and if I could. Especially rolling stock and parts.
I still would like to see someone take over at least the molds for the rolling stock that MTH produced ( passenger cars and freight cars. )
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Post by Deleted on Oct 20, 2020 16:44:09 GMT
Agree with Rocky, MR Muffins doing very well selling Lionel. Most of his special runs have been Lionel. What Mr Muffins and others who are primary O gauage, they need to get into other scales and fast. Get a good online presence, it's the only way these days.
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Post by MichRR714 on Oct 20, 2020 17:01:14 GMT
I think everyone has MTH buried a bit prematurely.
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Post by Sir James on Oct 20, 2020 17:51:44 GMT
Well Charlie if something is going on it's time for them to say something.
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