Your Ideal Train Store

I expect a large (ish) supply of O gauge. I would expect used items as well as new. And I would expect it to have nice workers. Just my 2 cents,

Nickstrains.

This is what I/we lost in the Richmond metro area when Chesterfield Hobbies closed in 2013. Boy.....would I love to have it again!

 

1. a short distance away (it was less than a 10 minute drive)

2. knowledgeable and friendly staff 

3. great costumer service

4. a small discount (I would trade a steep discount for a small one in return for service, any day)

5. a great atmosphere where people congregate on Fridays after work and Saturdays...you always see people you know and they know you (I call this the Cheers effect)

6. a skilled repair department

7. a decent selection of trains with the ability to order what you want/need

8. a good selection of paint, modeling and scratch-building supplies

 

Am I missing anything fellow Richmonders?  I fear that Central Virginia will never see a store like this again......

 

Peter

 

Across the street from me....with "a skilled repair department."

"I Deal Trains"... great name for a store!

Open any time 24/7 when I need to buy something, always have exactly what I want and sell everything at cost + $1.  

 

Really though, friendly service, competitive prices, a willingness to get the items I'm looking for that aren't in stock and will go out of their way to help me get parts or service.

 

A hobby shop relocated here about a year ago and the owner has been very willing to help me out. I needed some landing gear for a Gemini 200 757, he called Gemini right then and had them shipped that day. You can't ask for more than that when it comes to service. They are always very friendly when I come to the store and we've had some good conversations. They are one of the best I've ever dealt with.

Evening hours.

Due to work hours mirroring most hobby shops, I used to be lucky to shop twice a year.

 In thirty years, I've never even been into some of the more well known train shops around here. And I know exactly how long it takes to cannonball it there

 

.....unsuccessfully! 

 

 

 

 

That is a great name!

This Reply is gonna be a rant.

Living in San Diego County there is only 2 hobby shops both are non-Forum sponsors. One has older stuff primarily all 3 rail. The other has everything, but the stuff that I am looking for is not their when I am looking for it! Well that figures.... But the prices are what I could get three of that car at a train show for the price of 1. Oh yeah, both are 30 minutes from where I live(with traffic).

Favorite hobby shop: Legacy Station and Dynamic Hobbies in Hemet, because the train layout they have is amazing.

There probably are some ideal trains stores, some mentioned on here, many congregated in the northeast, but they can only sell what is manufactured, and therein

lies the problem.

One that isn't a 2 hour drive each way.  Had one that was 20 minutes away,  until the owner retired.  Now the internet is my closest train store.

A time warp that takes me back to the 1950s!

 

I guess the largest hobby shop I was ever in was Polk's Hobby Craft in New York on 5th Avenue around 34th-35th Streets.  There were five floors including one for trains.

 

I've been in a lot of hobby shops and I can't really think of any that were truly remarkable.  I guess perfect would be a place with the things you want, at a price you can afford, at a time when you can spend and get what you want.  It wouldn't matter how good the shop was if the prices were too high and you had no money.

 

Today for most of us the internet is our hobby shop.

To me, Mercer Junction is the perfect store! I wish it was a little bit closer to me but that might be a good thing! 

Customer service is a must, poor customer service will eventually result in no repeat customer.Be willing to answer more than three questions without getting irritated at the customer.See if an item might be repairable at the shop before being sent to MTH which has been wrote about countless times about there customer service. I think this would make a great shop.

Charles Ro Supply Co. The best.

I have my ideal train store...I just need to talk Lou Palumbo into moving closer to me, but my Wife wouldn't be on board with that at all....

I'm in Maine... Caboose Hobbies in Denver is the model, hands down!

Hennings Trains and the ole Jim Sutter's  shop.

-Greg

I'm about to step up on a soapbox for a moment.  Friendly owners/staff!  If you're not interactive and willing to speak to your customers, why are you in this business?  I cannot stand when people sit behind their store counters (or tables at train shows) and ignore customers.  I’m stepping down now.  Sorry, just a pet peeve. 

 

Customer service is a must. You must like people and train people and really want to be there to assist them. Be happy to sell them anything large or small and be willing and happy to perform service. Add in a small discount and then make it fun. I have encountered too many shops where all the business owners did was complain how awful business was, how they made no money, and they were passionately grumpy about it. I truly believe they would have made more hold a cardboard sign by the freeway off ramp.

 

Really. 

 

Well, now those folks are no longer in business. Either you want to do this because you love to do it or make a quick easy dollar.....and those choosing the quick and easy dollar find out the hard way it just is not there.

 

Living in Clarksville, Tennessee, I have to really give a Big Pat on the Back to 4 Great Model Train Stores in my Driving Area, Phillips Toy Mart, Nashville, Tn., Roundhouse Hobby Shop, Louisville, Ky., ABC Hobbycraft, EVANSVILLE, In., and Dixie Union Station, Mason, Oh.  All of these stores are Fantastic Places to Shop....They all have one Conmon Bond, Friendly, Competitive, Honest, and Always Positive about Our Hobby!!! 

They are fun places to go, and each store has a demo layout!!!! Great Thread...

TW,

   About the best Train/Hobby shop I ever knew, was The Iron Horse Hobby Shop just outside of Pittsburgh, Pa, I was friends with the owner and a long time member of his Iron Horse Train Club, it had everything including a large section of Tin Plate Trains in all the different kinds and gauges.   The knowledge and service was 2nd to none in our hobby.  I miss both Frank and his incredible Iron Horse Hobby Shop badly.  I am sure Frank runs God's Hobby Shop, no doubt it's name is the Iron Horse.

 

PCRR/Dave

 

Wild Bill's Trains / Just North of Detroit

    See Bert or Elmer.

Gary 

• Cheers from The

Caboose Stop Hobbies in Cedar Falls, IA Merlyn and Carol always willing to help.

 

Dick

 

Berwyn's Toy Trains and Models in Berwyn Illinois is the closest to an ideal hobby shop I have ever been to.It has an old time hobby store vibe and is loaded with new and old O scale trains at good prices.They also sell lots of other hobby items and supplies.  

My ideal store was Catoctin Mountain Trains in Thurmont Maryland, but he retired early this year and closed.  A somewhat small shop in downtown Thurmont, but with wall to wall trains. Mostly new, but some older stuff too. Made sure to stock up on all the local favorite road names. Great service, great prices. Paul went, and still does go out of his way to get things done right for the customer.  I pre-ordered a certain item just before he closed at a price I have yet to seen beat. An MTH Premier set that was even cheaper than just the engine alone. Currently still searching for a shop that compares.  I don't care for the shop that's closest to me, even If it only takes 5 minutes to get to.

good post, and i agree with what has been stated

 

i was thinking about proximity as an attribute, and why it is so hard to find local [forget ideal] retail operations these days

 

it would be fantastic if we could take a short ride and drop in a local store to see the products and so forth / unfortunately, for most of us, that is almost impossible

 

i have the following comments about that difficulty

 

to be that "ideal hobby store" they need to make a decent return on their investment

 

manufactures who sell directly to a small number of mega dealers at one price, and also through distributors, who then resell to the rest of the dealer base, have set up an unbalanced playing field / not new news, but the result goes to your question

 

many of us can recall "ideal" [or slightly less] shops who have given up and gone away

 

i live in a relatively large metro area [richmond, va], currently with little, or no local retail hobby train presence 

 

several years ago the owner of our local hobby shop [a very good one] could not find a buyer when he decided to retire / to my mind it had all the attributes many of you have mentioned, BUT he closed it down when he could not sell it as an on going business

 

i am positive that the underlying reason was lack of profitability, and this was not for lack of trying or good business practices / paying more and selling it for less simply does not work

 

unless the playing field is leveled, local goes away for all but a few areas, and volume becomes the means to success in the business / that is a tenuous and risky proposition for just about anyone considering running a business, and it skews the playing field to those established dealers who are getting inside pricing

 

close proximity for a hobby shop [as noted by several posts] is no longer a norm and will continue to diminish / that  train has left the station

 

j

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As a fellow Richmonder, I agree with the following amendments:

 

1.  A 60-90 minute drive would be acceptable, though not as preferable as a 10-minute drive.  And one on both sides of the James would be awesome!

...

5.  Must make sure we "congregants" don't get in the way of those just there for shopping or seeking assistance/service.

 

I like train shops that have a large selection of trains and great customer service. I like going to Nicholas Smith Trains and Just Trains in Newark Delaware because of that. Philadelphia region has great selection of train shops.

I think Nassau Hobby is as close to the ideal shop that I have been to. Lots and lots of O gauge, bright, clean, nice tiled floor, friendly service and fair pricing.

 

Go there during the yearly clearance sale and it's even better!

 

Only sells things I like, has tons of inventory and no other people around

I had the best in my area at one time, the largest walk in/ internet/ mail order large scale store in the country if not the world. I used to help out at times during Christmas season or if containers full of track needed to be emptied. Once a year pig roast/ open house and large indoor/ outdoor layout I could use anytime. Was just picking up doing the MTH repairs when the owner died. Few years later the kids ****ed it all away, now the buildings are empty.

 

Charles Ro is the best all around place!! 

"I'm buyin' the boys a round of tracks." -Joe McDoakes

Sorry, I know many people rave about them, but I've had many bad experiences there.

 

My ideal store would have, barring a timewarp back to the fifties as mentioned above, good customer service and used trains with prices that aren't insane.

I remember as a kid back in the 80's, yeah Im still just a young buck, going to Woolworth's and they had quite a train aisle. Mostly Bachmann sets in the plain brown box and lost of accessories but it was till there.

Nicholas Smith Trains in Bromall, PA is close to ideal...and for me, only a 15 minute drive. Since I'm mainly into scenics, their large selection of Arttista figures is appreciated.

Would that store have been in Indiana by any chance?

 

We miss you!  The perfect train store!

 Thanks David!

A lot of great stores! Please support them all!