Sad News About a Favorite Train Store

The sad story of hobby shops in our country...

 It's not about you and your loss of a bargan. What slipped away was the guys ability to make an honest living and stay in business.That is the tragedy here.Nick

Excellent point Nick!

I think most of us are too caught up in wanting things for the bottom dollar.

It's no wonder these things are made in China to begin with.

Agreed, the sad news I somebody lost their livelihood and had to close to their dream. I wish people could recognize that their amazing deal has to come at somebodies expense

rockstars1989 posted:

It's not about you and your loss of a bargan. What slipped away was the guys ability to make an honest living and stay in business.That is the tragedy here.Nick

you call it what you want  i wasn't tryiing to be selfish and i'm also autistic too and not a fricken soul in this world understands me i am also upset about the owner loss if weren't for the forsaken internet hobby shops wouldn't be disappearing like this

Sorry for the loss of the Hobby shop! 

Let's not be too hard on him. I think it came across differently than he intended.

MattR posted:

Let's not be too hard on him. I think it came across differently than he intended.

Agreed. Though Nick made an excellent point, I don't believe the young man intended to belittle the big picture with his comment.

Paigetrain, I believe there is another thread about the loss of the train stores "around the corner" in our country. Perhaps your post would have been better received in that thread. 

Anywho, when you have the opportunity and can travel, try to visit as many of them as you can. There are still some great stores around the country. We need to support those and their owners as best we can.  Most of that support can come from an in person visit (the best) or online sales (modern times).

Nick's point resonates as we have to remember these are not only wonderful places for our hobby but also meal tickets for the person in charge. 

Dave

paigetrain posted:

... not a fricken soul in this world understands me ...

Don't underestimate us.  Some of us do.

What, me worry?

Spent two years in Washington   NC and a d went to Wilson at least every two weeks and added a lot of trains to my  collection. Was there when a hurricane hit and they were flooded out, but rebuilt. Was sorry to leave NC. Moved to southern  NJ with four train stores, now none.

Oh I understand, it just needs to be put into a more realistic perspective.

Luckily this is the sort of place where we can be kind and gentle with one of our own and try to understand!

 "I don't believe the young man intended to belittle the big picture with his comment".

Sometimes in life a material item is valuable to one person and means nothing to another person. Roo.

It usually does not hurt to be nice.  Each of us can be testy at times, some more than others, but everyone has at least one hot button.  Best thing is to try to avoid the growing practice of being more unpleasant on the internet than in person.  Pretty much everyone on these forums is mature and not inclined to bash others.  Person to person it is a congenial group, as evidenced by Forum meets at York and other places.

Let peace prevail.

paigetrain posted:

rockstars1989 posted:

It's not about you and your loss of a bargan. What slipped away was the guys ability to make an honest living and stay in business.That is the tragedy here.Nick

you call it what you want  i wasn't tryiing to be selfish and i'm also autistic too and not a fricken soul in this world understands me i am also upset about the owner loss if weren't for the forsaken internet hobby shops wouldn't be disappearing like this

I understand you buddy.  No worries.  Do whatever makes you happy and don't worry so much.  The world will continue and things will always change.  Enjoy the moment.  BigRail

Are we talking about The Antique Barn?  If so they have been in business since 1965.  Likely the owners are retiring. 

yes thats the one.

Hey Paigetrain, this post was a bit harsh on you, but don't take it too poorly. All of us who love trains face other people's misunderstanding from time to time. Most people seem to think having a wonderful hobby like trains is unusual, or eclectic. People, I think, would do well to have engaging hobbies that expand their talents and appreciation of others, but it does seem the bulk of the population these days would rather sit in front of a screen or play thumb games on their cellphones.

I have a 15-year-old son who has an intellectual disability that includes having autism. He loves 3-rail, maybe not as much as I do, but he really loves HO, so he and I have a  4.5 x 6-foot layout for him in his room where he can comfortably run 2 trains. I sit with him sometimes as he goes to bed and we run at least one train and I just sit there admiring the nice, slow action. He also occasionally has a hard time expressing himself clearly enough to be as inclusive in his comments as my wife and I would like, so we work with him most of the time to try to help him understand how important it is to take others' thoughts and feelings into account. It is what it is and we love him just the way he is - awesome! I know that he, just like you, has many extremely positive things in his life to share with others! 

Unfortunately, you probably weren't in a position to visit the store on a regular basis, so you missed out.
Missing out on bargains happens to most of us. They made lots, another will come along.

As for the folks at Train Barn, it does sound likely that they decided it was time to retire. Best wishes to them. I hope they enjoy their retirement. I do.

paigetrain posted:

guys some bad news the train store in wilson nc has closed its doors for good

i myself never got to fully explore or buy anything and i only went there once for 10 minutes

 

Cause and effect.

I edited the topic title slightly to make it a bit more appropriate

Look at it this way Paige, every single one of us collectors/operators can recount 'the one that got away'. So consider yourself that you are running with the big dogs now!

PAIGETRAIN,

Please remember - where there is life there is hope. You will find your favorite train some day - whether it's the one you missed or another one yet to be discovered.

MELGAR

Paige, thanks for sharing your feelings. I was surprised by the strong remark that followed your post.  Wow harsh!

It’s nice to hear about how young people like you love trains and hobby stores. 

I have the engine, it's a nice one...But you did have a chance to buy it when he was in business and you passed on it. We have to support the local store's if we want them to stay open.

Interesting post. 

This is why I buy  most of my trains locally at a small train store run by a wonderful 82 year old gentleman here in Rhode Island.

I pay mostly list price and could certainly get better deals online or with various forum sponsors - but there is nothing like walking into a well run train store where they are happy to see you and you can sit and talk about trains for as long as you want. 

I'll pay the extra 10% with a smile on my face to help keep this gentleman in business. 

Paul

rockstars1989 posted:

 It's not about you and your loss of a bargan. What slipped away was the guys ability to make an honest living and stay in business.That is the tragedy here.Nick

rockstars1989 posted:

 It's not about you and your loss of a bargan. What slipped away was the guys ability to make an honest living and stay in business.That is the tragedy here.Nick

Nick don't you think you were a little harsh on Paige without knowing the reason why the train store closed.  Perhaps the owner was ready for retirement or God forbid a death.  

Jim 1939 posted:

I have the engine, it's a nice one...But you did have a chance to buy it when he was in business and you passed on it. We have to support the local store's if we want them to stay open.

i had to pass on it because my god parents don't like the idea of a train of that price point partly because i don't think they realize the effort and cash that goes into making them even though i would have the money my dad would be mad as fire if i was to buy a 650 dollar train set even though i wanted that particular set and fantasized about playing with it since 7th grade and now being a junior in college

i had thoughts of adding military cars and transformers g1 figures like fortruss maximus and metroplex in city mode with optimus prime riding a heavy duty flat car and build giant autobot and decepticon cities and a have a docking area where the train could pull in and set up its warheads for launch against Megatron and his evil minions

 i wanted that particular set and fantasized about playing with it since 7th grade and now being a junior in college

Well when you graduate college, have good paying job and are paying off your student loans . .

.you still wont be able to afford it....!!

AlanRail posted:

 i wanted that particular set and fantasized about playing with it since 7th grade and now being a junior in college

Well when you graduate college, have good paying job and are paying off your student loans . .

.you still wont be able to afford it....!!

 

and you are probably right i just wish that thing wasn't so darn expensive

only the rich kid can afford the thing and its not fair

rockstars1989 posted:

 It's not about you and your loss of a bargan. What slipped away was the guys ability to make an honest living and stay in business.That is the tragedy here.Nick

you are way out of line with your comment!!!

Sadly we will miss the brick and mortar stores. E-commerce is great but the death kneel of MANY businesses and business models. Even in my profession (vet med) practices have lost part of their income in the sale of flea and tick products and medicines. So we charge more for what cannot not be ordered online-our medical and surgical skill. You have to be ready for trade offs in anything, I always tried to but local if at all possible if even cost more knowing it meant keeping a source of info and service open.

This is Why  I live by the axiom " You snooze you Loose."

Ron

Please cut him some slack - he is just a young man! None of us had the maturity at that age!

Hey guys.  

Cody explained in another post where he apologized.     I then remembered that he is on the Autism Spectrum, and words don't come easily to him, especially when he's frustrated.  This is something we discussed a while back.

He started a new topic (please don't jump him for that now) where he apologized and explained his first thought was he did fell badly for the store owner, then him self for delaying buying something from them.

In his mind, he thought he came across that way.  Obviously to many of us, he did not.   He even said in his apology post that "no one ever understands me"

My 16 year old step-son is on the severe end of the Autism spectrum. He's been my stepson for 10 years. It is immensely frustrating for him when the words he finds to express himself do not come out the way he intends.

Reading a lot of Cody's past posts I spot this as well.

I say let's please get over this already, and move on.  There is no need to pile on the kid.

I don't know him personally at all, but from what I have seen, he's a good kid, is into trains, and always looking to learn more about them.   Trains are Cody' way of connecting with the world, and getting away from people who don't understand his unique synapse firings.

David: THANK YOU and WELL STATED! :-)

paigetrain posted:

Jim 1939 posted:

I have the engine, it's a nice one...But you did have a chance to buy it when he was in business and you passed on it. We have to support the local store's if we want them to stay open.

i had to pass on it because my god parents don't like the idea of a train of that price point partly because i don't think they realize the effort and cash that goes into making them even though i would have the money my dad would be mad as fire if i was to buy a 650 dollar train set even though i wanted that particular set and fantasized about playing with it since 7th grade and now being a junior in college

i had thoughts of adding military cars and transformers g1 figures like fortruss maximus and metroplex in city mode with optimus prime riding a heavy duty flat car and build giant autobot and decepticon cities and a have a docking area where the train could pull in and set up its warheads for launch against Megatron and his evil minions

Cody, here’s my opinion: Put that train set in the back of your mind but don’t forget it. Once you graduate school start attending as many train shows as possible but an even better idea would be to join the TCA. If you aren’t too far away start attending York. Sooner or later either through shows or through the TCA I guarantee you will find it again and I bet it will be at a much cheaper price than $650. Remember by and large these trains depreciate in value. There were many trains I couldn’t afford when I was in your shoes and I was able to buy them later on at reduced prices most of the time. 

So sorry to hear about that.  There is only one train shop in the Raleigh area now when there used to be several.  Nick's trains is the only shop in the area now.

Cody: Maybe one of our York attendees can locate that set at a GOOD price and contact you? Just a thought! BTW, my 14 year old grandson came to visit with his dad yesterday, and his name is also CODY!