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Post by thebigcrabcake on Oct 18, 2022 11:08:46 GMT
The local hobby shops of America are fewer and fewer each year. I’m lucky to still have one nearby. It’s Star Hobby near Annapolis, MD and it’s less than 10 minutes away.
How far away is your LHS?
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Post by Adam on Oct 18, 2022 11:22:56 GMT
Great topic and good question.
I’ve got about three of the bigger Hobby Lobby and Michaels within 15 miles and I do go to them when I need supplies. But I think you are referring more to the ones that sell O-Gauge products.
Charles Ro is our closest and it is about a 40 minute drive, but I don’t go often because they are a Lionel shop and I prefer MTH.
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Post by josef on Oct 18, 2022 11:33:31 GMT
2 hour drive for closest.
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Post by dennym57 on Oct 18, 2022 14:18:26 GMT
About an hour if I don't make any stops. Even then they don't have the stock like they did when I first went there many years ago. There use to be one seven miles from me, but the owner died and they found black mold in the store.
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Post by Country Joe on Oct 18, 2022 14:19:13 GMT
Great topic Emile!
We have a Micheal's about 15 minutes away. It's not a train store but has some items that can be used on an O gauge layout.
There are 2 hobby stores about a half hour away but they are both mostly R/C cars, boats and airplanes. They have very little train stuff.
I consider Roundhouse South Electric Trains to be my local train store. It a 2 hour drive, 4 hour round trip, but it's worth the effort. It has lots of O gauge trains, mostly MTH which is right up my alley since I'm not a big fan of contemporary Lionel. I make the trip a few times a year.
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Post by atsda on Oct 18, 2022 14:21:27 GMT
‘Traditional’ hobby shops that featured a comprehensive inventory of products like trains, models, kits, tools and supplies, have been disappearing from neighborhoods in my surrounding area for the past 5 to 10 years. So, you can’t go to a store anymore to pick up items like model paint, foam, or exacto knife. The train stores have disappeared too. M. B. Kleine (it was like Madison Hardware) in downtown Baltimore, went into the county and became a web-based operation with a warehouse. There was a large train shop (can’t recall the name) near Falls Rd. and 36th St. which closed about 10 or more years ago. It had a layout, bins of equipment, walls of glass cabinets with real nice locos/engines and rolling stock. You could leave items for repair and buy small parts. J&G Trains and Toy Collectables about a mile from my house closed within the last year. It had been an authorized Lionel repair shop. It was a place that you could browse, talk trains, or buy just about anything you need for your layout. I like the in-store experience and interacting with people – it is a loss that these small stores close. I guess that is the way of things. Alfred
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Post by atsda on Oct 18, 2022 14:57:25 GMT
There are Hobby Lobby stores in the area; however, they are about a 40-minute drive. For on-demand items, I use the home improvement stores. The local electronics shop (for gadgets, bulbs, switches, wire, etc.), closed a few years ago. Radio Shack is long gone. For O gauge items, I have to go online. Alfred
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Post by robert on Oct 18, 2022 17:00:38 GMT
I have two hobby shops near me. One a half hour away and the other is one hour.
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Post by harborbelt70 on Oct 18, 2022 17:50:32 GMT
Clear across the city and through its dire traffic in both cases - although in opposite directions. Both are worth the trip (at least an hour there and back).
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Post by redjimmy1955 on Oct 18, 2022 21:40:59 GMT
I live close to Mt. Airy, Maryland where we have "The Train Depot" which has nuttin but TRAINS...and there is I think the name is "Toys Trains & Hobbies" that has tons of trains! And probably some toys we had in the 1960's....Rock 'em Sock 'em Robots, anybody???
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Post by Country Joe on Oct 18, 2022 22:42:11 GMT
I live close to Mt. Airy, Maryland where we have "The Train Depot" which has nuttin but TRAINS...and there is I think the name is "Toys Trains & Hobbies" that has tons of trains! And probably some toys we had in the 1960's....Rock 'em Sock 'em Robots, anybody???
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Post by harborbelt70 on Oct 18, 2022 22:57:31 GMT
I live close to Mt. Airy, Maryland where we have "The Train Depot" which has nuttin but TRAINS...and there is I think the name is "Toys Trains & Hobbies" that has tons of trains! And probably some toys we had in the 1960's....Rock 'em Sock 'em Robots, anybody???
P.S. Here are the ships I remember - the advertising copy is a period piece almost as old as I am so don't get mad:
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Post by firewood on Oct 19, 2022 3:27:14 GMT
My local shop does HO & N trains and is a good resource for those scales. It also caters to military and aero-modelers. My O Gauge shop was a 3-hour drive, and was a real memorabilia museum you could get lost in - great place. Sadly the place closed, the inventory was auctioned and the owner has since passed. I'm an online O Gauger these days.
Dave
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Post by david1 on Oct 19, 2022 4:47:31 GMT
My hobby shop is about 1+ hour away but I rarely go there, I do most of my shopping online or a few train shows,which are York and Allentown.
Dave
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Post by dennym57 on Oct 19, 2022 14:18:50 GMT
A small memorabilia of Bob's Hobby Shop. The store is still there, but the building is empty. Attachments:
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