Great news on New LHS

[StarCruiser]

Yep - need to be open long enough for the people WITH MONEY to come in and buy something...

10AM is a typical open time for many shops but, 4-5PM to close?!? That just says "I don't want any business!"

[MK]

My LHS has hours of 12 noon to 7 pm Monday through Saturday.  On Sunday he's open 12 noon to 3 pm.

Unfortunately he's only R/C.  He is a Horizon Hobby dealer so techie can probably get Athearn stuff.

[C855B]

Hard to believe that was (is still?) even a thing, given the climate now. We had two stores like that in CA that I would sort of nervously go to, but their stock and selection was good. One in the south SF Bay Area and my first time there could be compared to the Soup Nazi episode from Seinfeld. My second and only other visit there was a little better, but there was still a weird vibe (maybe only in my mind from the first visit). ...

J&M Hobbies on Laurel St. in San Carlos? One of my favorites when my m-i-l was still alive and we'd hazard the occasional visit to her place in Belmont. If this is what you're talking about, I always found the store well-stocked and friendly, and did my best - even when funds were tight - to buy a loco or two there when we were in town. As far as "vibe", it had - and I think still has - that over-cluttered, stuff everywhere thing going for it. I'd always leave with my head spinning 'cause there was so much stuff to pore over.

Big plus is their classic art deco building: https://goo.gl/maps/irQWEFNh9QegfBRo7

[tehachapifan]

No and I'm not going to name names. Wasn't the purpose of my comment.

[cjm413]

Yep - need to be open long enough for the people WITH MONEY to come in and buy something...

10AM is a typical open time for many shops but, 4-5PM to close?!? That just says "I don't want any business!"

10 AM is OK for a place that is close enough to stop by during lunch for a few minutes to buy something specific, e.g. a package of parts, bottle of paint, etc. before heading back to work.

Places that are open later than 4-5 could get the same business from someone stopping by on the way home from work plus a few impulse purchases from someone that is left with more time to browse around the store.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Places that are open later than 4-5 could get the same business from someone stopping by on the way home from work plus a few impulse purchases from someone that is left with more time to browse around the store.

Or people coming by after work and dinner.

Look at any other retailer. Look at their hours. I'm not saying I expect a hobby shop to be 24/7, but 8pm shouldn't be out of the realm of reality.

If you're not open when customers can come, you're not going to have many customers.

[cjm413]

J&M Hobbies on Laurel St. in San Carlos? One of my favorites when my m-i-l was still alive and we'd hazard the occasional visit to her place in Belmont. If this is what you're talking about, I always found the store well-stocked and friendly, and did my best - even when funds were tight - to buy a loco or two there when we were in town. As far as "vibe", it had - and I think still has - that over-cluttered, stuff everywhere thing going for it. I'd always leave with my head spinning 'cause there was so much stuff to pore over.

Big plus is their classic art deco building: https://goo.gl/maps/irQWEFNh9QegfBRo7

https://www.graylandstation.com/

[cjm413]

Or people coming by after work and dinner.

Look at any other retailer. Look at their hours. I'm not saying I expect a hobby shop to be 24/7, but 8pm shouldn't be out of the realm of reality.

If you're not open when customers can come, you're not going to have many customers.

Exactly.   The brick and mortar store closest to work is open 12-8 and gives me both options.  Unfortunately for them, I also have the option of stopping by Lombard Hobbies on the way home from work...

[CSXBaltimore]

Exactly.   The brick and mortar store closest to work is open 12-8 and gives me both options.  Unfortunately for them, I also have the option of stopping by Lombard Hobbies on the way home from work...

Now there is a store Id love to visit.

J

[TLOC]

Both Lombard about 120 miles and Hiawatha Hobbies 70 miles away are great. A real joy to be in either store and both have an excellent online presence. Never felt like an alien in either place. My local shop is in Madison Wi and is a good shop and makes a great attempt at ordering anything I might want. Because he had curbside delivery he’s had a great year. But he has no online presence which IMO limits his growth. He opens at 10 closes at 8. Madison Hobby Stop.

Anybody in the hobby business needs to be open after 5PM. I always stopped after work when I lived in the Chicago suburbs when I wanted to buy. If a LHS closed at 5 I would have had to find someone who cared and back then there were other places.

The biggest thing to me as it was my job my last 21 years working was/is customer service. That’s one of the things that makes Scaletrains.com so good plus great product. There is a shop in the Wi. city of a NFL football team that is an excellently stocked shop. I would stop in when I was seeing clients during the day and with money in my pocket. Not one word was ever said to me, even when I purchased. After this happening 5 or 6 times I woke up. Hopefully they are different now but I will never buy in person or online from them.

Tom

[Lemosteam]

I am so lucky. I still have three shops with within 20 miles of my home. All have full paint displays, air brushing and Dremel tools, used resale stuff, multiple scales and two of them have all scales, along with die cast models, RC, model kits and books.

Add to that a full service RC shop with tracks within 5 miles.

Sooo. Lucky. Seriously.

[CodyO]

I do really missing having a LHS.

Being in Southern Maryland there isn't anything.

But back in PA where my family is and this guy just opened a shop there is at least 4 in driving distance plus a few RC/Airplane places.

They all mainly stock HO though.

[muktown128]

I've frequented Hiawatha in the past, not as much lately though.  They are the closest shop to me.  Big selection and friendly staff.  A couple other shops close to where I worked or on my way home have closed.   Cudahy News / Greenfield News and Wisconsin N Scale.  WI N scale was all N scale and tremendous selection.  Cudahy/Greenfield News had all kinds of stuff - RC, trains, plastic kits, art stuff, magazines and decent hours.  Cudahy store was pretty cramped, but Greenfield store was newer building with more room.  Not sure what happened and why they closed shop.  I'll also stop by Sommerfeld's in Butler for the annual sale and to get discounted Trainfest tickets.  No Trainfest this year, but did get some new MT passenger cars at a nice discounted price.  There are a few other shops in the Milwaukee area, but don't seem to have much N scale stuff.