Another store is closing - Pioneer Valley Hobbies

I saw the notice last night. It's a shame but  hopefully the owners can have a great retirement. Perhaps I'll stop in and pick up a few things for my layout. 

I noticed they were absent from the West Springfield show this year.

Perhaps there's a Ph.D. dissertation in marketing in the train hobby -- to be earned by someone who would research current acceptance of the practice of "window shopping" for trains at a local train hobby store, then walking away to place an order at eBay or Amazon to "save a buck or two," and then returning  to the hobby store for repairs to items purchased in the digital marketplace that don't work.  IMHO, hobby stores would be justified in posting this notice at the front door:
                        
                            REPAIR PRICING POLICY
1)  If you bought it here, $12/hour plus parts at list price. FREE diagnosis.
2)  If your bought it elsewhere, $24/hour plus 100% mark-up on parts. $40 diagnosis charge.
3)  If you bought it on e-Bay or Amazon or other online site, $36/hour plus 150% mark-up on parts. $60 diagnosis charge.
4)  Otherwise, seek repairs via e-Bay or Amazon.  Good luck ...

Mike M.

Funny that I have been going to Springfield for 5 years and only now herd of this store.

Good Luck Dennis......Enjoy your retirement....We are looking for new members for the Pioneer Valley Model RR Club, We would love to have you.

Mike H Mottler posted:

Perhaps there's a Ph.D. dissertation in marketing in the train hobby -- to be earned by someone who would research current acceptance of the practice of "window shopping" for trains at a local train hobby store, then walking away to place an order at eBay or Amazon to "save a buck or two," and then returning  to the hobby store for repairs to items purchased in the digital marketplace that don't work.  IMHO, hobby stores would be justified in posting this notice at the front door:
                        
                            REPAIR PRICING POLICY
1)  If you bought it here, $12/hour plus parts at list price. FREE diagnosis.
2)  If your bought it elsewhere, $24/hour plus 100% mark-up on parts. $40 diagnosis charge.
3)  If you bought it on e-Bay or Amazon or other online site, $36/hour plus 150% mark-up on parts. $60 diagnosis charge.
4)  Otherwise, seek repairs via e-Bay or Amazon.  Good luck ...

Mike M.

 

 

 

I don't think that will work..   Years ago I worked at a speed shop in the Detroit MI area.  The speed shop I ran was 1 of 3 in a small chain of stores. Jegs and Summit racing were taking a lot of our sales.  The other two shops adopted the thinking similar to yours.   Punish the people that shop elsewhere.  While I instead decided I would try to work with people and at the very least get close to price matching  parts.  Sales at my store skyrocketed.  Sales at the other two went down.   To the point the sales at my location were supporting all 3 stores.  

And as others say folks use  online source to save a couple dollars.    I was looking a an MTH boxcar at a local hobby shop.   69.99..   Checked online later and it was 39.99 to 42.99 at a number of sites.  Folks are stuck between a rock and a hard place.   Most of us have hundreds of cars (rolling stock) and some even that many engines.    Unless you have unlimited funding, its hard not to justify looking online.

Jim  

carsntrains posted:

Mike H Mottler posted:

Perhaps there's a Ph.D. dissertation in marketing in the train hobby -- to be earned by someone who would research current acceptance of the practice of "window shopping" for trains at a local train hobby store, then walking away to place an order at eBay or Amazon to "save a buck or two," and then returning  to the hobby store for repairs to items purchased in the digital marketplace that don't work.  IMHO, hobby stores would be justified in posting this notice at the front door:
                        
                            REPAIR PRICING POLICY
1)  If you bought it here, $12/hour plus parts at list price. FREE diagnosis.
2)  If your bought it elsewhere, $24/hour plus 100% mark-up on parts. $40 diagnosis charge.
3)  If you bought it on e-Bay or Amazon or other online site, $36/hour plus 150% mark-up on parts. $60 diagnosis charge.
4)  Otherwise, seek repairs via e-Bay or Amazon.  Good luck ...

Mike M.

 

 

 

I don't think that will work..   Years ago I worked at a speed shop in the Detroit MI area.  The speed shop I ran was 1 of 3 in a small chain of stores. Jegs and Summit racing were taking a lot of our sales.  The other two shops adopted the thinking similar to yours.   Punish the people that shop elsewhere.  While I instead decided I would try to work with people and at the very least get close to price matching  parts.  Sales at my store skyrocketed.  Sales at the other two went down.   To the point the sales at my location were supporting all 3 stores.  

And as others say folks use  online source to save a couple dollars.    I was looking a an MTH boxcar at a local hobby shop.   69.99..   Checked online later and it was 39.99 to 42.99 at a number of sites.  Folks are stuck between a rock and a hard place.   Most of us have hundreds of cars (rolling stock) and some even that many engines.    Unless you have unlimited funding, its hard not to justify looking online.

Jim  

I don't know the economics of the bobby and model railroad industry, so apologies in advance if my speculating is out of line. I cannot imagine the difficulties in running a small, independent retail store these days.

The often-cited troubles of the hobby and model railroad industry aren't unique. Big box stores and Amazon/online e-tailers have hurt other industries, as well. Small hardware shops are another example. 1-800 Flowers put a dent in local florist business. 

One of my favorite bicycle stores went out of business due to big box stores and consumers who'd pick the proprietors brain, leave, and order online. I find that despicable, but I know people do it. In response, though, the proprietor closed his store and now offers fee-based consulting to bicycle purchasers and a mobile bicycle repair shop. He's never without work and doesn't have to manage bicycle inventory or pay rent. In one case, he dropped shipped the parts I needed to my house and came to my house to do the repair. 

My guess, however, is that the knowledgeable repair guys on this forum are never without work, especially as the products have become more sophisticated and finicky.  

I enjoy shopping online -- but when it comes to trains, at least for me, nothing beats going to my local train shop, sitting down with coffee and going through a catalog to order from or simply buying what they have in stock. The experience and customer care is great. I guess it depends how the store is run, my local store does offer decent discounts on engines and sure I could probably save a little more online but their discount is good enough for me to keep shopping there. Also, some stores have a strong online presence as well and that helps them to stay afloat. 

Was there today.  25% off everything.  Some cars left, some fast track.  Picked up the last of their Kadees, smoke fluid and scenic express stuff.  They were busy.  They still have a good amount of HO, rockets, plastic models.  Odds n ends 

I think Imperial trains near Pittsburgh shut down cause the owner want or needed to retire.  I thought business was good for them, but maybe retirement looked better.

Quoting from the newspaper article referenced in the initial post:

"There is his age, along with the couple’s desire to spend more time with their grandchildren. And Gamelli wants to spend time on his own hobbies. That includes creating an outdoor model railway — a “garden” layout, in the hobby’s parlance, that he’s started working on at his home."

My comments:

He's pretty darn lucky to be able to retire at 65, although I wouldn't have done it at that age even if I could have afforded it. I know (or knew) far too many people who retired fairly early and then came to regret it (or worse).

I can well understand wanting to spend as much time as possible with the grandchildren. I now have two grandson's, for the first time in my life and at my "senior" age, and they are at the top of the priority list for my remaining years. Lucas, who will be three in October, is playing with Brio-style Thomas trains now, and he will be advancing to his own Lionel Thomas stuff after his birthday this year (I have a full still-in-box assortment including Thomas, James, Percy, and others, so all that's needed is setting up a FasTrack layout on the train room floor).

Like Dennis, I would dearly love to have an outdoor garden railroad for all my Large Scale trains, but that has eluded me to this point. I have not given up hope though, 'cause all I need is something modest that will afford me the opportunity to run some trains or trolleys and make use of some of the still-to-be-built structure kits that I have.

Anyhow, I can relate to your thinking, Dennis, and just want to thank you for your contributions to the hobby. Here's wishing you all the very best in your retirement!

Dennis used to have a live steamers track around his house, which he had to give up. Being at the store is almost a seven day a week job with only a few days off a year.  To run a small business is very demanding.

The main issue is that small specialty stores struggle with adapting simple technology to supplement their business.  

Mike H Mottler posted:

Perhaps there's a Ph.D. dissertation in marketing in the train hobby -- to be earned by someone who would research current acceptance of the practice of "window shopping" for trains at a local train hobby store, then walking away to place an order at eBay or Amazon to "save a buck or two," and then returning  to the hobby store for repairs to items purchased in the digital marketplace that don't work.  IMHO, hobby stores would be justified in posting this notice at the front door:
                        
                            REPAIR PRICING POLICY
1)  If you bought it here, $12/hour plus parts at list price. FREE diagnosis.
2)  If your bought it elsewhere, $24/hour plus 100% mark-up on parts. $40 diagnosis charge.
3)  If you bought it on e-Bay or Amazon or other online site, $36/hour plus 150% mark-up on parts. $60 diagnosis charge.
4)  Otherwise, seek repairs via e-Bay or Amazon.  Good luck ...

Mike M.

 

 

 

While I understand the sentiment behind this, getting mad at the customer (the one spending the money that makes a business possible) and trying to punish them won't build any business.  The likely outcome is that the customer will buy from another shop that doesn't want to punish them, or maybe they'll just find another hobby.  In any case, they will avoid the bitter sourpuss.

There is a middle way.  Have a low-overhead location (people will go out of their way for a specialty item like trains), and offer discounts of 10-20%.  In most cases, that will narrow the gap between buying from the dealer vs. buying online and paying for shipping.  Some people will still buy online to save a buck, but you can't convince everyone. 

Another thing that needs to be resolved is to level the playing field where sales tax is concerned - it's not fair when some sellers have a built-in price advantage of 5-8%.  IMO, the recent changes to this are confusing and half-hearted.

One thing that turns me off about a retailer is when they don't have parts and accessories IN STOCK.  If I want a common part or accessory and they say "we can order it", my reaction is that I might as well just buy the whole thing online.

Lad Nagurney posted:

I enjoyed owner Dennis Gamelli's quote in the article that the store was "Amazon's Showroom!"

 

As I build my fastrack empire I've looked on Amazon and I have never found the prices to be that great of a bargain. Most prices are list or better.

I get better deals from some of our forum sponsors.

Best of luck to Dennis Garnelli in his retirement. The demographics of the model train audience and those that own many of the train stores has been changing, especially so in the last ten years. Online buying has also altered peoples buying patterns and has greatly affected the train show calendar. As the years progress, as with all else in life, continued change lies ahead .  There are still 1.2 million model train enthusiasts in the USA (all gauges) , and the train market is several hundred million dollars.  I believe its safe to say that this hobby will continue to evolve and go on for many years to come. Don't worry you will still be able to buy your trains!

MCKCONRR posted:

The main issue is that small specialty stores struggle with adapting simple technology to supplement their business.  

Agreed,  Dennis never had a online presence, No website, no online sales, nothing.  You don't adapt with the times you are not going to survive.

John,

Not the same Pioneer Valley

Stopped in the store today picked up a few things it was great to stop in on my day off.

How about an update on Pioneer Valley Hobbies?

If memory serves me well, the late Chester "The Most" Holley never put his train store in Tampa, Florida, online either.  Despite this handicap, he was well known worldwide and had many return customers, including many flyboys from nearby MacDill AFB.  After his passing, daughter Diane, continued to operate the business until she shut it down to devote time to her family.  Sadly, Diane passed away not long ago, however, the name Chester Holley is not forgotten by any means.  You can still meet Chester and visit his shop in OGR issues # 119, 120, 121, to get an idea just how special it was to spend some time chating with him or just brousing.  He stocked a lot of merchandise, trains from Z to G, model vehicles, books, a wide assortment of all the current magazines, plus he ran a dealer ad in OGR as well!

Sadly, there isn't a train shop today anywhere in this part of Florida that comes close to Chester Holley Model Railroad. 

Another question: Has there ever been anything on the OGR site about the Pioneer Valley Two Rail O scale layout?  It was featured in Model Railroader when it was under construction and was rerun in whole later in a Kalmbach MR layout book. 

Been closed for over a month now. 

Very sad to lose a MP in one's life. Hobby shops are like that: Mile Posts.

I have two major hobby shop "Mile Posts" in my life that are long gone: Spotlight Model Railroad in Kansas City, MO. (Great memories from that place early in my "scale" model railroad life's journey) and the "Golden Spike" hobby shop of Fort Smith, AR.

The chaps at Spotlight Model RR were responsible for getting me started as a "serious" HO scale model railroader in the mid-late 60s by teaching this kid (verbally at the counter) how to paint and decal my models along with fixing me up with the needed tools/supplies. Great guys. (I should have kept one of the resulting Mop Jenks Blue painted engines I painted during that time for a keep-sake.)

As for the Golden Spike, I have a friendship with the proprietor of the Golden Spike that (to this day) has lasted over 50 years. Shop owners David, and his late wife Shirley, became far more than hobby shop "owner" friends. They became life-long friends that are like family to us. They have been to our home, and vice versa, ate out together, etc, innumerable times. Even the daughters and a railroading grand son (trains run in his blood, courtesy of his grand dad David) are like family.

I FULLY "get it" when one of you guys bemoan the loss of a treasured hobby shop.

Andre

The face of retailing has changed across the board in recent years. It's not just "Train Stores" that are feeling the effects of E-commerce. This is not a new phenomena. I worked in hobby stores while in college in the early 80s and mail order outfits selling Radio Control were putting the screws to brick and mortar retailers way back then. People would come into the store and ask you tons of questions, examine the kits and then not buy anything. The same customer would show up a week later asking for help with the same product. When asked where they purchased the kit the answer was usually a mail order outfit. It took a lot of restraint not to tell them to go call the mail order outfit with their questions! A store that basically puts products on the shelf and expects to survive by just pushing said product out the door will never survive in the current business environment. These days we can order an item and many times have it the next day. What the internet cannot provide is an "experience".  A savvy business person knows that the only way to get folks to come through their doors is to provide things that cannot be experienced online. In store events, seminars, demonstrations, special events, etc. are the things the current customer will react to and come to the store to participate in. This is a tough situation due to current social circumstances but today's consumer is a very different creature. We all bemoan the loss of our local hobby shop but everyone with few exceptions shops online and looks for the best deal. I've been in the hobby game for a long time and know this to be true. 

I guess my point is that life is change and the face of retail has changed drastically. I miss the good old days when my father took me to the hobby shop and we spent time together perusing the shelves and making that special purchase. Unfortunately that scenario is turning into nostalgia unless retailers get creative and make more efforts to provide more than just a place to move products. 

Just my 2 cents....