Local modelling stores on borrowed time?

[Dpgsbody55]

On 2/12/2024 at 10:23 AM, TankBuster said:

Hi, I lived in Perth for a couple of years in mid seventies and use to visit a shop in the city with a large slot car track upstairs and large planes hanging from the ceiling, was great fun there. I also loved the zoo and could here all the animals from the school I was boarding at. Cheers.

 

If it's the shop I'm thinking of in Piccadilly Arcarde, that was one of the shops that closed.  I bought heaps of stuff there and miss it a lot.  They had plenty of stock that would probably satisfy my my diorama projects right now too.  I think the owners wanted to retire and couldn't get anyone to take over the business.

 

I like the zoo too, but I'm not a regular visitor.  For three years in the late 70's, I used to live across one of the adjoining roads and most Sunday mornings, when the traffic was quiet, I'd get woken up by the lions roaring or monkeys chattering.  A nice way to start the day.

 

Cheers,

Michael

[Pup7309]

On 2/11/2024 at 3:57 PM, Dpgsbody55 said:

We used to have a few really good hobby stores here in Perth, mostly in the city.  In the noughties, you could get most of what you wanted without going on line.  But the GFC seemed to kill off and now there's none in the city.  Two closed and another downsized and moved to the burbs.   These days, I want to embellish my model displays with some scenery, but I'm having no such luck.  I could buy on line but as I'm not familiar with this stuff, I want to see the goods in person.  So that idea hasn't panned out yet as I'd like.

 

You local shops face a tough time these days thanks to the rise of internet shopping causing reduced foot traffic and then they get squeezed by greedy landlords upping the rent.  Here in Australia, this is a massive issue thanks to a very greedy and unregulated real estate industry.  Their latest thinking is that it's better to have a commercial space empty not collecting their idea of market rate rents as this means that the property could be sold for more because of the "possible" rental rate.

 

Nah, I don't get that one either.... 

 

 

Cheers,

Michael

Melbourne seems to be defying the trend with bricks and mortar and online. Apparently people moved up from there to Canberra and that is doing ok modelling wise especially with their yearly ScaleACT. 

Edited February 21 by Pup7309

[Beermonster58]

I must confess I have no problems accessing local shops. I have two good shops in Edinburgh (that's Edinburgh Scotland, NOT Western Australia!). Even better,both are within 5 miles and, are on the same No 16 bus route! Perfect door to door service (almost). Both have an online store and, one of them; Wonderland Models is the largest shop of its kind in Scotland.  There are also decent shops in Glasgow, only 78km and an 80 minute bus journey away..

I do as much of my shopping in person at my local shops. I tend only to order online if a particular item is unavailable. 

Edited February 22 by Beermonster58

[Iain]

You're fortunate to have those excellent shops - Wonderland always a treat when I'm in Edinburgh.

 

Pity that Gallowgate Models in Glasgow closed down a number of years back - that was was a real treasure-trove...

 

Iain

[Rick Griewski]

Shipping is $$$$ out of control so I ask my LHS to order my kits.  They keep their prices online with SB. My F-35 kit was much cheaper due to postage.  

[Juggernut]

41 minutes ago, Rick Griewski said:

Shipping is $$$$ out of control so I ask my LHS to order my kits.  They keep their prices online with SB. My F-35 kit was much cheaper due to postage.  

 

I fully agree.  With shipping being what it is and with out-of-state retailers having to charge sales tax (in many cases), it puts the local shops back in the competition.  I'm of the opinion that if I can walk in and get what I'm looking for at a price that may be only a few dollars more (sorry, no pun to the Clint Eastwood spaghetti western of the same name intended) and not have to wait several days to a week, I'll call it a wash and at the same time, I feel good that I'm able to help a local business out.  Sometimes, not always, I actually get the kit cheaper as Rick said, without having to pay additional shipping.

 

In my case, our local hobby shop is a Hobby Town and caters more toward the RC crowd than plastic modelers but much to my chagrin, they've invested a substantial amount in what may be the up-and-coming genre, Gundam.  They have loads of these kits on the shelves while us military modelers get  precious little shelf space.

Edited February 21 by Juggernut

[Out2gtcha]

11 minutes ago, Juggernut said:

In my case, our local Hobby Town........but much to my chagrin, they've invested a substantial amount in what may be the up-and-coming genre, Gundam.  They have loads of these kits on the shelves while us military modelers get  precious little shelf space.

 

I was just in the larger of the two Hobby Towns we have in town.

I was surprised to see a completely new Gundam section that was huge.

I honestly had to hunt for any aircraft models, and when I did find them I found they had about 1/3 of a shelf in one single isle.

Personally I have absolutely no interest in Gundam models, and since we have no other hobby stores at all in our city, it looks like I'll be ordering any kits I want on-line only from now on.

Sort of sad the young modelers today have apparently zero interest in aircraft modeling any more.

[ChuckD]

1 hour ago, Rick Griewski said:

Shipping is $$$$ out of control so I ask my LHS to order my kits.  They keep their prices online with SB. My F-35 kit was much cheaper due to postage.  

 

I'm not too far from Howell, Rick and I'd support a local shop with SB prices.  If I missed it in this thread, I apologize, but where are you going locally?

[Rick Griewski]

7 hours ago, ChuckD said:

 

I'm not too far from Howell, Rick and I'd support a local shop with SB prices.  If I missed it in this thread, I apologize, but where are you going locally?

Model Cave located in Ypsilanti Michigan. 

[Rick Griewski]

Michael’s near me used to have models for kids.  They switched over to mainly Revell offerings: tools and models.  Turns out they were bought by Hobbyco hence the Revell products.  We were nervous that the store would go down during the Hobbyco bankruptcy.  It is limping along as a craft store.  IMHO.  

[PTR]

Model Cave rocks! Also, Nankin Hobby and Hardware. Nankin carries a lot of Top Studio detail stuff for cars and bikes. 

[BloorwestSiR]

On 2/21/2024 at 12:04 PM, Out2gtcha said:

I was surprised to see a completely new Gundam section that was huge.

 

Gundam kits are one of the biggest things keeping my LHS in business. That and Warhammer 40K miniatures. The owner is so glad that his nephew asked him to bring the stuff in. Not only are customers buying them, they're buying paint, cement, AM too for them. 

 

I have a couple Gundam kits in the stash myself. They're a nice distraction like the Bandai Star Wars kits can be. Plus the engineering on them is pretty impressive. 

This is the most recent one I built. Didn't need any masking to pull off the paint job due to the parts breakdown. 

 

[Out2gtcha]

For me it's just personal preference as it's  something I've never had, or currently have any interest in.

If it keeps the hobby shop open, that's good news indeed. However, the overabundance of Gundam  (that and their miniscule aircraft kit and non-existent AM supply) means I'll be spending less time at my own LHS, and that fact makes me a bit sad.

[DugyB]

On 2/9/2024 at 5:40 PM, gerry1 said:

We now only have 1 real hobby shop here in San Antonio, Dibbles Hobbies.  He caters more to the plastic airplane crowd and the model rail road enthusiast.  Hobbytown closed down a year or 2 ago.  I remember when Dillards, JC Penney, and Sears had a good selection of plastic kits for sale.  Damn the internet!

Did Hill Country Hobbies close down, they use to be out on Highway 16/ Bandera Rd between 410 and 1604.  Was run and operated by a Retired USAF person?  Dibbles is so old their inside ceiling has been collapsing for the last 30 years…. I bought my recent built preowned P-47 from them. 

[DugyB]

On 2/12/2024 at 4:37 PM, KUROK said:

I grew up with King's Hobby in Austin.  When I moved to Atlanta, there was AAA Hobbies.  When they made their last move, the guy said it was getting rough because Hobbytown USA was cutting into business (and of course online sales).  AAA is gone...

So Hobbytown is the only place left in Atlanta for plastic kits/supplies.  Fortunately, the guys that run the store are builders and the keep the model section well stocked.  I asked if they could match internet prices and they said 'no'.  I still buy kits from them because I want to keep them going.  That Hobbytown does well because they don't specialize in just one thing.  They do R/C, puzzles, trains.  That seems to be the business model that works here in Atlanta.

Sadly Kings is gone too, at least from their original location on North Lamar.