Any good Hobby Shops in Tampa FL?

[Bart1701]

I'll be down in the Tampa-St. Pete area next week. Any good hobby shops in the area that I might want to visit?

Thanks,
Bart

[Philip H]

not many left.

H&R in Clearwater is a mostly HO and G gauge full retail shop.  Its fairly big and fairly easy to get to.  Gulf Coast - down in Sarasota - is more N focused and full of scratchbuilding and detailing supplies. Most of the good Tampa ones are long gone.

[Pomperaugrr]

I agree with thr recommendation for Gulf Coast.  It is worth the drive down there.  Easy to find and not far from Tampa.

I plan to stop there when I am in FL later this month too.

Eric

[Upstate Gator]

Gulf Coast is good. Colonial Photo and Hobby in Orlando if you make it there.

Agreed, most of the decent Tampa shops are long gone. Some have NO N scale at all.
Ben

[w neal]

Wait what?!? You're going to that area and put train stores on your list? Damn dude.  As the country song says "B**bs, boats, & beer." Thats the land of non-train stores. Save that for the northern latitudes.

Ah well. To each their own.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Heh, every time someone asks this question (it's come up a number of times before), I feel required to pour one out for Chester Holly's.

Read the review: http://www.yelp.com/biz/chester-holley-model-railroad-specialists-tampa

And some info about the closing: http://www.sptimes.com/2004/12/24/Citytimes/Holleys__train_shop_c.shtml

[w neal]

Wow! It seems I missed a good one. Its so hard to imagine something like that there today. My ignorance shines yet again. Thanks for the education Ed.

[Philip H]

Yeah, Chester's really was Da Bomb!  made navigating Tampa traffic worth it every time.

Honestly Gulf Cosat is a fabulous store, and used to stock a really good selection of N scale parts and details.  And the run down to sarasota is not hard or long.