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 Posted - February 13 2012 : 12:25:16 PM
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Lancaster, Ohio. The Smoke Stack Hobby Shop, a long time favorite of mine has "store closing" signs on their windows and doors. This was likely the nicest most well stocked hobby shop I have ever been in...
Hate to see them go....
Walt
Luck, usually comes dressed in work clothes...
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Posted - February 13 2012 : 12:40:29 PM
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Sad news Walt.
I trust you've bought every HO scale truck they have!? 
-Gareth
"A is A"
-Aristotle
Law of Identification
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Posted - February 13 2012 : 1:01:28 PM
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it's a sign of the times for many retail businesses and organizations
The model trains and gas model airplanes of my teen years have been replaced by electronic games
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Posted - February 13 2012 : 1:35:44 PM
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aww shame & I just Google Earthed it too Looks like a nice place too
Did they ever sell used trains?
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Posted - February 13 2012 : 3:16:45 PM
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They got any sells or a website?
" Heck with counting 'em rivets, TRAINS ARE FOR FUN! Not called the Mad Scientist for nothing either!"
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Posted - February 13 2012 : 4:22:00 PM
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Well, Gareth, I didn't buy "every" truck they had...I did pass on a Tyco Santa Fe flat 
Derfb, Their story was the same as I have heard from others, online sales like Ebay has killed the local hobby shops...
MicroBen, Yes, they always had a fair amount of used trains, buildings etc...
Justin, not sure of a website or not. Might search for "Smoke Stack Hobby" to find one...
Walt
Luck, usually comes dressed in work clothes...
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Posted - February 13 2012 : 5:06:00 PM
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Stores I've seen that are doing well seem to have branched out into online retailing. Like all stores, you need to go where the customer is. Sad to see a local shop closing though in an odd way, some of the online shopping is helping to keep small stores open in other cities (assuming you buy from them and not Amazon.) Interesting to see you mention hobbies changing to things like video games. I'm surprised more hobby shops don't change with the times and sell items that appeal to younger audience's hobbies.
Imagine if the stores had refused to stock diesel engines because, after all they'd always done just fine selling steam engines. If hobbies are shifting to electronic games then why not sell those things. They could help support the more traditional hobbies and getting people in the door is often the first step to getting them interested in other hobbies. Do any of your local hobby shops sell electronic games? Seems like a win-win to me. Kids come in to buy a game and see an RC helicopter flying around the store, next thing you know they're building models and getting into RC stuff. I know many of the hobby shops I go to have a wide variety of hobby interests in them and I'm always getting interested in other hobbies. I've also seen that the general hobby shops that can diversify into new hobbies tend to be the one still around while the single hobby shops are having the most trouble.
~CamdenLine
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Posted - February 14 2012 : 07:01:18 AM
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That is sad news. I knew they had been struggling for awhile. I grew up about 15 minutes from there, and was always a favorite place to stop when visiting family. They would get in some used trains, and it was a neat place to dig through boxes looking for treasures. In the past I have found Tyco cars, Mantua parts, and Athearn diesels, among others. A great selection of trains in HO and O, but also plastic models. It will be sadly missed. They did supplement their retail shop with ebay sales, but there just isn't much margin selling online.
As for what is killing local hobby shops, I believe Walt is correct, in that it is online sites. I know that in mine, we must keep prices on all large items, such as RC trucks, within a few dollars of internet pricing. We don't make much, but we are more competitive on smaller items, such as paint and parts, where shipping costs come into play. However, the RC car/truck business is half of our total, so we must fully support it, with parts inventory, repair services, and sponsored events and racing. This lets us also carry the other items, such as trains, models, slot cars, etc.
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Posted - February 19 2012 : 02:11:24 AM
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My nephew come to town today & we stopped at the Smoke Stack Hobby Shop. Still have a lot of inventory and several boxes of the used train cars, and related.
I seen a couple of pieces I thought about buying but didn't. Jared picked up a nice Tyco Gulf 3 dome tanker for $4.
They had about 7 or 8 Tyco piggyback trailers on display in SF and UP colors, along with a Sante Fe flat car.
The owner told us that they do ebay sales under the username Smokestack4, if I remember correctly...
Walt
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Posted - February 19 2012 : 1:46:32 PM
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quote:it's a sign of the times for many retail businesses and organizations
The model trains and gas model airplanes of my teen years have been replaced by electronic games
Originally posted by derfberger - February 13 2012 : 1:01:28 PM
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I was thinking the same thing.
Yeah, there will be a GameStop or something in its place. How sad and depressing.
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Posted - February 21 2012 : 11:47:08 PM
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I hate hearing that a hobby shop closed regardless of where it is. Just today I got excellent service form my local train store. Although you can find better deals on the net, it doesn't give me the feel of walking into a store full of trains.
Kids nowadays only want to play video games, watch tv and have zero imagination. sad really.
If you are not having fun, you are not doing it right.
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Posted - February 22 2012 : 8:04:53 PM
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kids don't build lay outs any more or fly gas models.
I grew up with Tinker Toys, Lincoln Logs and Erector Sets that took imagination and creativity
Sit on their butts and play video games and get fat
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Posted - February 22 2012 : 9:29:10 PM
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It sure is easy to criticize the younger generation. People have been doing it since the time of Socrates and Plato. Here's what Plato recorded Socrates saying about youth.
"The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for
authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place
of exercise. Children are now tyrants, not the servants of their
households. They no longer rise when elders enter the room. They
contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up dainties
at the table, cross their legs, and tyrannize their teachers."
Every generation seems to think the kids that came after them were somehow inferior, lacked imagination, are disrespectful, etc. The truth is that hobbies come and go. The next generation is often interested in things that are different than their elders. I'm sure when electric model trains came out people were lamenting that it took no imagination anymore because the cars go around the track by themselves.
Heck, when brands like TYCO came out people criticized them as being Ready to Run, i.e. they take no imagination. You don't even have to build them!
Before you criticize the current kids too much remember your parents generation was just as critical of your generation just as their parents were critical of them.
"The kids these days.." is probably one of the oldest phrases in the English language.
Everyone used to criticize generation X for being lazy and unimaginative but turns out they created google, amazon, and most of the technology you are reading this with. Give the kids time, they always come around.
Some day they too will lament the closing of video game stores and lament that the kids these days are lazy and have no imagination.
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Posted - February 23 2012 : 7:53:38 PM
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Good points Camden. i agree with you on what you said. i think what most of us are worried about is the hobby dying out. I hope the Thomas the train line changes that a bit. I grew up the video game generation and to be honest, I much preferred to play with my trains.I have a Xbox360 which my nephews get the most use out of when they come over. The 4 year old is the one that cares most about trains. Maybe that is the ticket. spend time teaching kids the hobby so that they love it from a young age.
If you are not having fun, you are not doing it right.
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Posted - February 23 2012 : 8:23:08 PM
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I think you're right on. It is up to us to get new people into the hobby. I know I'm raising my son to like model trains. Will he be into it later? No way to tell. He started out with Thomas and has now moved on to Chuggington. He builds layouts on the floor with my old Brio track plus his Thomas engines and Chuggington buildings while I work on my layout. I'm sure if he has his own layout it will be all DCC and computer controlled and different than what I grew up with in many ways.
~CamdenLine
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Posted - February 27 2012 : 06:54:49 AM
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I stopped in yesterday after taking my parents to lunch, and his business is still brisk. A lot of inventory still on hand, and he has most marked down 20%. Still a lot of different types of rolling stock in all scales, a huge selection of N Micro Trains, Lionel, Athearn Blue Box Locomotives, etc. Great selection of plastic models as well. I dug through some old equipment, and came away with some treasures. Still plenty more, too. I was able to get an AHM UP GP18, Tyco C630 D&H, Tyco NYC Autoloader, Mantua F9 B&O A/B set, Athearn SoPac GP9 with rubber band drive, a Rivarossi CRR of NJ 0-4-0, a Rivarossi B&O 0-4-0 Switcher, and the old AHM B&O Diesel Switcher. No boxes, but all run, and only need some TLC.
George, the owner, was in and I spoke to him at some length. Super nice guy, and he mentioned that his business has been great, but he is getting out to retire. Surprising, as he is an extremely young 68. (The older I get, the younger that seems) He didn't mention a 'hard' closing date, but he is trying to work down the inventory. Uncertain where the remaining will go, but he does believe he may continue his ebay selling. Walt is correct; his seller name is Smokestack4.
He has had 1-2 folks talk to him about buying his remaining inventory, but those are just conversations for now. The unfortunate spot is that the store will be gone.
Something else that is pretty rare these days is to see his little room for Lionel repairs, including a wheel press. The drawers full of parts certainly contain some real treasures, as those just aren't found anymore.
But yes, if you get in the area, stop by. Plenty of finds in there still, and the shop is run by a great enthusiast for the hobby.
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Posted - February 27 2012 : 10:42:03 AM
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I thought about buying that Tyco D&H 630, but didn't... Being a bit dirtier than I wanted and minus the handrails... I'm sure it would have been worth buying but I really don't have a lot of time to work on them..
Walt
Luck, usually comes dressed in work clothes...
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Posted - February 27 2012 : 7:58:08 PM
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| Yes, the 630 isn't great, but it will be a good project. I have had some extra 630 handrails, and some sheets of PRR decals, and I have been halfheartedly looking for a good donor. This one fits the bill nicely
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