Where did all the hobby stores go?

N801BH said:
They have no time to actually build something.:no:..

Some of my favorite days being a kid was browsing the aisles of the Heathkit and Olson Electronics places....
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There is a whole sub-culture out there of people building things like robots, ham radios, supper dupper gaming computers, etc...... we affectingly call them Geeks or Nerds...

We have a remote control model airplane/car park not far from CMA. Some of the folks showing up there build some pretty amazing stuff. My son has interest in learning how to do this... and has already mastered controlling a helicopter..

As for kids building things... We have two tubs of legos.. it is amazing to watch what a few 7 year old come up with in a few hours..

But I agree, with soccer, swimming, and all the other activities there is much more competition for time these days...
 
I've been trying to figure out what to do with dad's large but non-spectacular HO scale train collection. It looks more and more like it'll be headed to the dump... Which is sad.
 
denverpilot said:
I've been trying to figure out what to do with dad's large but non-spectacular HO scale train collection. It looks more and more like it'll be headed to the dump... Which is sad.
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Try Ebay or Craigslist. Either way, it might find a new home.
 
denverpilot said:
I've been trying to figure out what to do with dad's large but non-spectacular HO scale train collection. It looks more and more like it'll be headed to the dump... Which is sad.
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Try various places to sell it / donate it.......:yes:

Your dad spent alot of time gathering it all up and you owe it to him to find a good home for all the pieces... IMHO...
 
denverpilot said:
I've been trying to figure out what to do with dad's large but non-spectacular HO scale train collection. It looks more and more like it'll be headed to the dump... Which is sad.
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Not my bag but I could find it a home. One of my relatives in Lima OH loves that stuff.
 
iflyforfun said:
I still remember buying my first P-38 model in 4th grade. I'd played around with some snap together planes and some ships before, but this as a high level, really detailed model. I got all my supplies together, cleaned out my 4' X 5' closet, set up a small work bench, arranged everything, walked in, set down, closed the door and started to work.

Lucky I didn't kill myself. I was "self-trained" as a modeler and no one ever told me about the fumes thing. I got good and high, then sick as a dog, but I still remember sitting at that little black desk and working away at the turbo-super charger on the top of one of the fuselages.
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Deja Vu. :D

Except today the .50 cal Brownings in the nose of the Lightning would be painted bright orange so as not to be confused with a real gun. :rolleyes:
 
I'm guessing the answer to your title thread is related to the question "where have all the customers gone?"

I've been going to my local hobbytownusa store to buy parts (for the RC Heli that I keep crashing) and there is hardly anyone there at what would be peak hours.

It'd be sad if the store closes; i like walking in with my kids - and I never leave empty handed.
 
Ghery said:
I built a few Heathkits back in the day. Up to and including a 21 inch TV set. That was an expensive TV - between the electronics and cabinet (nice furniture) I had about $800 tied up in it. In 1975! I was making about $1000/month at the time. IMHO, what hastened the demise of Heathkit was surface mount technology. I can handle through hole parts at home, but SMT? No way. Sure wish I had purchased the HW-9 and associated accessories when they had their going out of business sales.
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I built a Heathkit AM radio when I was 9 or 10. My dad teaching me about the parts and how to solder. I came across that thing when I was visiting my parents a few weeks ago. Fresh 9v and it still works.....30 years later!

remember this.....

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Heathkit-ET...624?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4d0bdb2f28
 
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us AAirways said:
I built a Heathkit AM radio when I was 9 or 10. My dad teaching me about the parts and how to solder. I came across that thing when I was visiting my parents a few weeks ago. Fresh 9v and it still works.....30 years later!
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My audiophile dad got me started on Heathkits in the very early 1960s. Around that time, though, he had became more fond of the rival Dynakit products for his sound system.

In 1963 I was one of five students in my junior high school working on a team project to build a ... computer!!!

:eek:

It was a Heathkit EC-1. One of the others of our group went on to be a bigwig at Texas Instruments with an armload of patents to his credit. I can truthfully say I helped him build his first computer.
 
I grew up with the Milton Bradley store in the local shopping center.
They had everything you could ever want or need.
Walk in and the smell of balsa wood, and glow fuel, along with a tinge of dope, and tissue paper, (long before that newfangled shrinkwrap stuff), was what told you that you were in the right place.
 
There were three around me and two of them closed. They just cannot compete with the prices and the variety of online.
 
Great one here in Eldersburg, MD. Run by an older retired gent, kind funny hours, but a real old-timey shop. Great selection of real balsa and fabric aircraft models, rocketry and all manner of styrene cars, boats and planes. Not the best selection of butyrate dope in stock, but can get most anything for you. Even had 1/4" .020 brass shimstock for a project I was working on, in stock!

http://www.procustomhobbies.com/
 
bluerooster said:
I grew up with the Milton Bradley store in the local shopping center.
They had everything you could ever want or need.
Walk in and the smell of balsa wood, and glow fuel, along with a tinge of dope, and tissue paper, (long before that newfangled shrinkwrap stuff), was what told you that you were in the right place.
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Cobb Center?

Milton Bradley was the bee's knees...
 
dell30rb said:
Not my bag but I could find it a home. One of my relatives in Lima OH loves that stuff.
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I may be in touch. Karen packed up stuff today and commented on how some of the pieces weren't just "plastic"... I suspect he had some nicer engines and things.

And agreed, he'd want them to go to someone who'd appreciate them.

Just need to get the giant table taken down to make room for other furniture that's moving around. Getting close to having it cleared...
 
For inexpensive models, consider paper models on card stock printed by a computer on a home printer and put together with Elmer's glue.

A lot of the paper models are free. Do a Internet search.

Things change. Not for the worse or for the better. Sideways.
 
Hobby shop where I worked still exists, but towerhobbies makes it really hard on small shops
 
kyleb said:
Mostly, hobby stores went under because kids can't afford the products anymore. Most models are $15+, then you get the glue (not the good stuff either) and all the paints and you're easily in for $25-$30 for a 1/48 scale Mustang kit. 8 year old kids can't afford that, so they never grow up to be the 14 year old who builds the 1/72 scale B-17, B-36, or whatever.

Building plastic models is *expensive* these days...

Besides, today's kids aren't as interested in cars, tanks, ships,and planes anyway and they prefer Xbox to the hobbies many of us grew up with.
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I agree with most of this statement except for the bolded part. As a father of two kids, I can can say that kids are interested in whatever is provided to them. Take the games away or limit their times on the gaming systems and you'll be surprised at what they'll pick up instead. My kids even approached me to build models with them/help in the shop/help out around the house once I shut off the TV and computer.

:yikes:
 
seattlepilot said:
I agree with most of this statement except for the bolded part. As a father of two kids, I can can say that kids are interested in whatever is provided to them. Take the games away or limit their times on the gaming systems and you'll be surprised at what they'll pick up instead. My kids even approached me to build models with them/help in the shop/help out around the house once I shut off the TV and computer.
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+1. My boys are 4 and 6, and the only video games they get time with are maybe a few minutes a day of Angry Birds on the phone or Kindle. If you don't plug them in regularly, they won't feel they need to be plugged in. They have all kinds of other traditional toys and games to play with, and they complain if they don't get enough play time with those if they spend too much time on with the video games (so we've cut back on the video game time). I'm not raising hermits, they'll likely get a Wii in the next year, but with very strict time limits. If you want creative kids, you have to give them time to be creative.
 
denverpilot said:
I've been trying to figure out what to do with dad's large but non-spectacular HO scale train collection. It looks more and more like it'll be headed to the dump... Which is sad.
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You might want to try the model railroad club (or clubs?) that are in the basement of Union Station downtown -- they might have a use for it.

I'm not sure if they're still there with the construction.
 
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