Are hobby shops dying?!

[f1m]

Its really not a matter of high prices - there is no way a brick and mortar store can compete with the online shops - including places like Hobbytown USA - because of overhead costs and really narrow margins on kits. Take a look at your average Wal-Mart - most have little to nothing in the way of models - why? Cause they don't sell enough of them to bother even though they can almost always get the best wholesale price on anything.

One hobby store owner complained to me that people would come into his store, shop around for paints and accessories, then go to Wal-Mart to buy the item, then come back and complain that his prices were too high on items, like quality paints, brushes, etc., versus the cheap stuff at Wal-Mart that did not fulfill their needs. Even if they bought what they needed, he probably made little money because of the waste of heat/AC of alll the people coming in and out.

More later....

DrE

[Sbenford]

Hi Guys,
There are still a few Mom & Pa shops out there. To name a few there is Happy Hobby in or around Milwaukee Wi. It's in an old house and it's a complete mess inside with kits all over the place. It's fantastic and I go there when ever I visit my brother.

About an hour north of Toledo Ohio is J-Bar Hobbies in Tecumsee, Michigan. This is a true Mom & Pa store that has everything you can imagine and some very rare kits as well. I give the owner credit because he follows what kits are selling for on ebay and his prices are very close. Plus he will wheel & deal if you are sincere. Tecumsee is a very small town and the store is huge! I would bet in the neiborhood of 3000 square feet.

Instead of everyone being down in the dumps about old Hobby Stores going out of business. How about everyone letting others know about the great ones that are still around?

Stu

[f1m]

Another thing which has been mentioned is that the current generation of kids - the Millenials (born from 1982 to ~2000) - are not into scale modeling. While one can blame video games, one must also look at the other characteristics of that generation.

One prime source being that they are very used to working in teams - unlike Gen X which was very individual oriented. Scale modeling is not really a 'team' activity, so there is an issue.

As stated by others, they are very much used to quick gratification - again scale modeling takes time and patience. These kids live on internet time.. things happen very fast for them.

They also have pretty high expectations of themselves, most would expect to win any model contest with their first effort - and if they did not would be very put off.

And finally, the Millenials tend have a lot on their plate... most have plenty of school, work, and play activities lined up by themselves and their 'helicopter parents'

I think it would take a little effort to get this generation into scale modeling, but it could be done with some careful thought.

DrE

[racmin]

Just to comment on the prices, that often has to do with the local distributors too. Here in Canada the distributor mark up is vey high so the resulting street prices aree high. For example, the wholesale price of the recently rereleased 1/12 Porsche 935 was higher in Canada than the retail price in the US. How can a Canadian hobby shop owner compete when we can just buy the kit over the border, pay for shipping, and still come out cheaper than what the local hobby shop would charge? At least the wholesale prices for the Revell Germany F1 kits are relatively low so we can offer good prices on those. But Tamiya wholesale prices here are generally more than the Japanese street price you pay HLJ. I imagine the situation is the same in some parts of Europe where people comment on the high price of kits. So add the high wholesale prices to the need to cover all the overhead that the brick and mortar stores have and you get the high prices people complain about. Then when you factor in the increased ease of buying on the internet it does make it hard on the local hobby shop.

Personally, I would not be in the hobby business if I had to have a brick and mortar store. As it is, Racing Miniatures is not my main source of income. I couldn't support the family with it alone.

Regards,

Ron
Racing Miniatures

[Paul_Raterink]

Attached is a picture I took of my boys this morning. One option I have choosen to pursue is simply getting them interested in the hobby at a level they can enjoy, accomplish and be happy with the results. I purchased these little diecast kits called "Modifiers", they can change the wheels, hood, seats, springs, intake, exhaust, etc. They can take them apart and put them back together any way they want. They are 6 and 7 years old, there are no paints, glue or knives, just their little hands and tiny screwdrivers and they have a blast. I tried some kits (snap together as well as glue) and it was just too early for their age and development. We have some racing games, a TON of Hot Wheels and some diecast cars to play with as well. I am trying to incorporate as many facets of the love of automobiles as I think they will enjoy and can tolerate. So far everyhting is going well. What I want them to know is that they can play the racing games, watch races, read books on cars, learn about the technology of automobiles from development through to production, and feel that it is perfectly fine to choose to have a quieter day and work on a model as well. I enjoy a great deal about cars and I think they are beginning to see that in me. I work on my own cars, I help my nephews with their Hondas, I play the games and I am always adding to my collection of automotive books. I take time to play Hot Wheels, and with the big 1/18th scale die casts that they have and I help them with the Modifiers and in a few years I hope they will choose to do a model now and then.

I think the manufacturers of kits are missing some of the connections between all of these different aspects. If they started to put it together they just might rebuild the need to make new products. I think Tamiya is in the best position to capitalize on this.

Just my thoughts for what they're worth.

Regards to all,

Paul

[TC]

Instead of everyone being down in the dumps about old Hobby Stores going out of business. How about everyone letting others know about the great ones that are still around?

Stu

Hey, I'm not just whining for the fun of it, but I was really shocked when I noticed that within a few month I am left with no hobby shop left in town - I mean not a single one, except for locomotive etc. stuff I cannot use. I would not say that either Milwaukee or Michigan are quite "around" when you're in .... Europe! It not even is when you're in Califonia or Florida, is it? Man, you're pretty lucky compared to me and a few others with at least two great strores "around", but I didn't mean to complain, I was just curious to see whether things are particularly bad here, or if they are generally bad. You may have a different opinion, but I think they generally are, which simply makes me wonder.

Hey Paul, seems your boys got it!! Nice pic!

[daniel]

I'm in Europe and to be precise in Cologne.

We have a few shops here. One that is specialised in modelcars. They have quiet a few kits and diecasts. I only buy my paint there. They have a good stock, but kits are much to expensive there.
There are two modelshops right next to each other one is only military and trains the other a R/C. The R/C is godd the have a huge stock of metal/plastik tubes rods profiles etc etc...lot of scratchbuilding material.

Then there is a general Toystore with a huge modeling space few car kits there, also too expensive, they also carry paints/tools/evergreen

We have one shop whish is a secret..but I'll tell you It's a architectures store and they carry everything an architect needs to build model houses. Lot's of tubes rods in every size and meterial many different sizes
of metal meshes (and they are cheap ! ! ! )

I think I must be lucky to have alle those shops around

A good hardware store is also a godd place for automotive paints and tools

But for kits I ONLY buy though the internet, old/rare kits on ebay mostly from private people and new kits from our japanese/chinese friends..they are so cheap it's amazing. I bought a prosche gt2, the new f40, modenas
etc for around 1-4 $ each..how can they afford it ?!? shipping is expensive but in total it's only 50% or the price I would pay in one og those "hobby shops"

daniel
-germany-

[Racerray]

HI

The Plastic Automotive Models ,mainly thr race car models are dying or are already dead . The few shops that i go to are still doing pretty good with R/C , Trains . Milatary, and Armor . but who knows how long those are going to last . When i was in the UK last year there were a few hobby shops that i went in and a couple didn`t carry any placyic automotive models at all . The owners said , they don`t sell .

Hobby Shops are no different than any Mom and Pop bussiness today .

Look what HomeDepot and Wal-Mart did to the Mom and Pop stores here in the States .

[Sbenford]

Hey, I'm not just whining for the fun of it, but I was really shocked when I noticed that within a few month I am left with no hobby shop left in town - I mean not a single one, except for locomotive etc. stuff I cannot use. I would not say that either Milwaukee or Michigan are quite "around" when you're in .... Europe! It not even is when you're in Califonia or Florida, is it? Man, you're pretty lucky compared to me and a few others with at least two great strores "around", but I didn't mean to complain, I was just curious to see whether things are particularly bad here, or if they are generally bad. You may have a different opinion, but I think they generally are, which simply makes me wonder.

Hey Paul, seems your boys got it!! Nice pic![/quote]

Hey TC,
I merely wanted to state that not all mom & pop stores are out of business and I didn't mean to downplay your Hobby store situation. I feel bad that you have no local shops in your area. I was hoping that there were still some other good shops out there somewhere.

But the way. Milwaukee is not "around". It's a six hour drive for me. I guess I am lucky that my brother lives there. If he didn't I would not make such a drive.

Stu

[f1m]

Hey Stu, I am getting a number of bounced email for you - I guess when a post is replied to, the email to you about the reply is being bounced back to F1M.com

Eric