Requiem for a Local Hobby Shoppe

[Garth]

One of DC's last ma/pop hobby shops has closed its doors. Grandad's ... we hardly knew ye.

 

Jason, you may recall that Grandad's was one of the shops I put you onto during your stay at Walter Reed. You even mentioned my name when you visited, for which they sent me a 10% off coupon (which I never used ... it still hangs on my corkboard)

 

That leaves only one or two "true" hobby shops in the DC area: Piper Hobby in Chantilly VA (which is fantastic and is much more of a "modellers shop" than a hobby shop) and Dougs in Marborough MD (which I've never been to, but which I've heard good things about).

 

Quite a difference from when I arrived here in DC nearly 17 years ago. Back then, in addition to Piper there was the sole surviving Squadron Shop in Wheaton MD (four hour round trip by bus/metro/bus ... worth every minute), Roy's above the Roslyn Metro, Arlington Hobby Crafters, Leesburg Hobby, Doug's in Sterling (never figured out whether this is any relation to the newer Doug's in MD), AirLandSea in Alexandria (upstairs they had a room FILLED with back issues of almost every Scale Modeller, Air Classics, Wings, Airpower, etc ... plus they had a fair amount of aviation memorabilia, including surplus WWII electrically heated flight suits) and some smaller shop I can't remember the name of which in Gaithersburg, MD. In the interim there was a great little shop called "Nostaligic Plastic" in Silver Spring - owner only had the bricks/mortar for five years and is now all-mail order and a somewhat more generalist/train-oriented shop (again, can't remember the name) in Herndon.

 

To be sure there are other "hobby shops" here in the area. At least three Hobbytowne/HobbyWorks franchises, which are generalist and have shelfspace taken up with fantasy gaming, Legos, jigsaw puzzles etc. There's a nice place in Chantilly called "Hobby Hangar" - but they are 90% RC. Also Ryders in Sterling ... not too many models, lots of Scouting-related stuff. But with Grandad's gone Piper is it (a VERY worthy "it", I might add - I really love the place) when it comes to modelling-focused shops.

 

--Garth

[ShotMagnet]

Sad. There's a LHS here which is almost literally a hole-in-the-wall operation, which I visit over larger shops with better stocks because this place (Viking Hobby) goes out of its way to please customers.

 

Any time I want, without question, they'll open a kit for me and let me have a look around. Tried the same at another place (Riverside Hobby, much larger) and was met with an 'Open it, buy it' spouting of party line. Saints preserve the little places, they give a rat's ass about their customers.

 

 

Shot

[scj1014]

Hi...

I will miss Granddad's...I used to make an annual trip down there every year, it was a great shop.

You never knew what you might find in those cardboard boxes filled with after-market stuff. Once I found a bunch of Collector's Brass small arms...I bought about 10 different ones (BARs, MGs and such), just in case I ever needed one for some project.

 

Last year, I wandered down there with a friend and my son early in the spring. I wasn't looking for anything in particular, it was just a chance to get away and enjoy the weekend. Anyway, I found a Blast Sherman Jumbo conversion sitting all alone there on a shelf. It looked terribly lonely so I bought it. The point is, you never knew what you might find there, always an interesting place to visit.

 

I may have to check out this Piper's in Chantill, Va.

[Garth]

I may have to check out this Piper's in Chantill, Va.

 

If you're going to go to Piper, go on a Sunday afternoon. "Because Sunday is armor day ... at Piper Hobby" (sorry, just had to get their commercial worked in there. Especially since I heard it about a half dozen times when I was there this evening).

 

Seriously - the owner Bill is more of an airplane guy. The armor guys work Sundays and they are really trying to build it up as a weekly armor modelling gathering, especially since with Grandad's gone there's not much left for armor guys on the VA side of the Potomac. Some of the guys who attend have produced really phenominal stuff- scratchbuilt/home cast resin paper panzers, etc. Bill grabbed up a bunch of Grandad's fixtures, including paint racks ... he now stocks Vallejo Paints and is doing what he can to reach out to the local armor modelling community.

 

--Garth

[DougRichards]

Sometimes on-line shops get it wrong....

 

see

 

 

 

http://www.luckymodel.com/scale.aspx?item_no=MINIA-F12001

[scj1014]

If you're going to go to Piper, go on a Sunday afternoon. "Because Sunday is armor day ... at Piper Hobby" (sorry, just had to get their commercial worked in there. Especially since I heard it about a half dozen times when I was there this evening).

 

Seriously - the owner Bill is more of an airplane guy. The armor guys work Sundays and they are really trying to build it up as a weekly armor modelling gathering, especially since with Grandad's gone there's not much left for armor guys on the VA side of the Potomac. Some of the guys who attend have produced really phenominal stuff- scratchbuilt/home cast resin paper panzers, etc. Bill grabbed up a bunch of Grandad's fixtures, including paint racks ... he now stocks Vallejo Paints and is doing what he can to reach out to the local armor modelling community.

 

--Garth

 

Thanks for the heads-up...I'll try to get down there sometime this summer. A shop that sets aside a day for armor modellers must have something "on the ball".

[Jason]

One of DC's last ma/pop hobby shops has closed its doors. Grandad's ... we hardly knew ye.

 

Jason, you may recall that Grandad's was one of the shops I put you onto during your stay at Walter Reed. You even mentioned my name when you visited, for which they sent me a 10% off coupon (which I never used ... it still hangs on my corkboard)

Yes Garth, I visited Grandad's almost weekly during my stay at Walter Reed, sometimes more than once a week. Bought some stuff there that kept me busy during my stay. Matter of fact, when me and one of the other soldiers I was there with visited one day, he gave us free tickets to a Washington Capitols game. Really nice guy. That is too bad you never got to use the coupon. Any idea what happened? Is he already closed or in process?

 

On a similar note, I just visited one of our local ma/pa shops that is having their closing sale. Modelers Junction in Methuen, MA is closing it's doors after many years serving model builders and model railroaders in the area. Wayne (the owner) and I speak quite frequently, and he told me the business just wasn't making money any more. He cited several reasons, aside from lack of profit. We spoke of the online chunk being taken by places like Squadron, the lack of new or fresh blood to the hobby and the fact that in the last six months, TEN of his customers (some big spenders) have passed away. His customer base was getting older and the kids are just not interested in model building when they have Playstations, Wii and all that other elctronic nonsense.

 

His closing leaves the Boston area with three major shops where they keep a good model and supply selection. I work at one of them (Hobby Emporium) part time. There is also the Spare Time Shop in Marlborough, but he tends to mark his kits about 10-15% above MSRP, so I hardly ever shop there. I never go to the three or four Hobbytowns we have in the area, as it is just run of the mill model stuff and they keep only a few on hand.

 

The thing is, I visit a hobby shop at least twice a week usually (aside from working at one). Especially when I travel for work, I'm always checking Finescale to see what shops are in the area. I get enjoyment out of visitng hobby shops. I don't always buy something, but I talk to other people in the hobby, the owners and the employees. I look through books and browse kits. I check out others work. I have been known to spend a couple of hours in a place on a Saturday just talking and browsing. It's something I enjoy. The great thing about Modelers Junction was I could visit on my lunch hour since it was only 7-8 minutes from my office. Nothing can replace a model shop in my opinion, but alas, it's happening before our very eyes as they die off and get replaced by internet/mail order.

 

Much as I hate to say it, places like Squadron and of course eBay are going to be the norm for model kits before long. Shops are going the way of the dinosaurs unfortunately.

[Garth]

Yes Garth, I visited Grandad's almost weekly during my stay at Walter Reed, sometimes more than once a week. Bought some stuff there that kept me busy during my stay. Matter of fact, when me and one of the other soldiers I was there with visited one day, he gave us free tickets to a Washington Capitols game. Really nice guy. That is too bad you never got to use the coupon. Any idea what happened? Is he already closed or in process?

 

I think he's closed, or very close to it ... his paint racks were picked up by Piper and are already in place (Bill offered me one of his old ones. I was *very* tempted to grab it, but then remembered that I have no space to put it).

 

The reason I've heard for him closing is lease/rent/landlord issues. That was one of the big reasons Chris Mikesh gave for shuttering Nostalgic Plastic as a bricks/mortar operation. In both cases it seems like rank stupidity on the landlords' part - there's a LOT of vacant storefrontage in the area and Grandads/NP were completely off the beaten path back in industrial parks. I can't see how the landlords end up making money from a new lease, given the costs of the space sitting empty for a while and the costs of getting new leasees. There was a great little video rental place within walking distance of our house that went out a year ago because the landlord wanted to jack up the lease ... the space is still vacant.

 

Apparently the average lifespan of even a successful a hobby shop is 10 years. That seems about right - someone with a love of the hobby decides to open a place as a second career or a stay-busy-in-retirement thing and then rides it out until they get too tired of it. And given, as you pointed out, the declining numbers of modellers (plus the astronomical increases in the cost of kits!), plus the fact that those entering retirement these days are Boomers who have other plans besides going into an entreprenuerial, low-margin endeavor, it's no surprise that when a hobby shop closes there isn't another one that sprouts up to take its place.

 

Oh, and on the coupon ... I decided not to spend it. I really appreciate when a local shop does something nice like give out coupons for its customers/referrals or for the local IPMS members (hell, Bill at Piper buys pizza and cokes for a group of us who have been gathering there every month recently). But I'd rather pay a premium on my purchase than cut into their reciepts. I actually tried to give it away to a couple of guys I know who I though I could entice into the hobby (or at least help them entice their kids into the hobby)- whcih I thought was a MUCH better use of it, but no luck. On a positive note, a good friend's son - possibly intrigued by my GarthWorld setup in my basement - is now showing an interest. They went over to Piper last weekend and bought an F-14, A6M (I think Bill may have had Final Countdown running on his TV) and P-40 ...

 

--Garth

[Marek Tucan]

Is it possible that the capital of USofA is being left with only two modeller's shops? Hell, even puny little Prague has atleast eight I KNOW OF

[woodstock74]

On a similar note, I just visited one of our local ma/pa shops that is having their closing sale. Modelers Junction in Methuen, MA is closing it's doors after many years serving model builders and model railroaders in the area. Wayne (the owner) and I speak quite frequently, and he told me the business just wasn't making money any more. He cited several reasons, aside from lack of profit. We spoke of the online chunk being taken by places like Squadron, the lack of new or fresh blood to the hobby and the fact that in the last six months, TEN of his customers (some big spenders) have passed away. His customer base was getting older and the kids are just not interested in model building when they have Playstations, Wii and all that other elctronic nonsense.

 

We can only speak from experience. I'm nearly 33, from the Atari generation. I'm married with two young children (girls under the age of 3). I have PS2...it languishes...and this is what I don't understand...while I can see the attraction to the games, it doesn't fill a particular need, that is, to be creative. Modeling does. So I don't understand the monopoly gaming systems have. And whether or not its gaming systems in general that is the draw away from the modeling hobby, facts are somethings pulling the kids away and that's probably a good suspect. As a kid we played army outside, again filling a creative desire...roll playing, that sort of thing. Do kids do that these days? To be creative is part of child hood and I just don't see how that activity can be satisfied by PC/gaming systems.

[Corinthian]

Is it possible that the capital of USofA is being left with only two modeller's shops? Hell, even puny little Prague has atleast eight I KNOW OF

 

EDIT: Where the hell did my post go?!?

 

 

Anyway, was sayin' that in Metro Manila, there are more hobby shops than the fingers in me hands. All are not model-centry-only, i.e. they sell toys, videogames, etc. But models and their related stuff take most of the shelf space.

Edited July 14, 2007 by TomasCTT

[Michael Eastes]

There were two such hobby/model shops in Salem, and the best one went under last year. I got a Dremel tool in their "Every man for himself!" sale, so it wasn't a total loss for me, but I hated to see it go. It was also the only one in our part of town, naturally.

 

Now it's Squadron Shop for me, pretty much.

[Marek Tucan]

I have to admit games did draw me partially from the modelling... But then I don't play them as much as I do modify them, so I'm essentially just doing modelling in electronic form Has a plus side that my clumsy hands aren't getting in the way of modifying armor schemes and weapon properties in the Steel Panthers and so on

[Archie Pellagio]

The demise of plastic models in the last decade is sad.

 

Last week i wanted to build my first model since I was in England, and i couldn't find them anywhere.

When I was a kid (not that bloody long ago!) K-Mart and Big W used to have great model ranges, a whole aisle at least, and good stuff too, now neither of them have any, none, nada, zip.

 

I ended up trooping out to toyworld (I just about need to sell the missus into slavery/prostitution to pay for it).

 

The real pain in the arse, is the clown at the counter, when i asked for the brushes and glue, forgot to put the friggin glue in...

 

So i'm $75 poorer (suddenly computer gaming doesn't seem so expensive) and can't even build the thing!

 

I don't get a day off for another two weeks!

 

RAAARRGGHHH!

 

I hope yee's hobbies is stil open but given its location I doubt it, a real 'old darwin' chinese owned local store, pricey too, but at least friendly and helpful...

 

Its pretty easy to see why its a dying hobby though, its expensive, and not particularly easy to get supplies (the internet just isn't as fun)

 

sigh...

[Archie Pellagio]

I have to admit games did draw me partially from the modelling... But then I don't play them as much as I do modify them, so I'm essentially just doing modelling in electronic form Has a plus side that my clumsy hands aren't getting in the way of modifying armor schemes and weapon properties in the Steel Panthers and so on

 

For me I basically stopped building models when I started flight simming (so I don't do either these days for reasons of cost/moving/lack of time)

 

Mabey they just changed the chemicals in the glue and turps...

[EW]

Just curious Luke, what did you buy?

 

As for the hobby dying, is that really the case? Yes the LHS who stock kits on the shelves seem to get fewer and fewer. On the other hand my impression is that atleast where I live, is that more and more youngsters seem to get attracted into the hobby again mainly due to their parents who are "relapsed criminals". It's also my impression that non-modeling parents are starting to see the benefits with the hobby as well, which IMHO are positive signs for the future. So in the end I think it depends on what one see as "death signs" of the hobby itself.

 

Has any survey been made over how many percent of the total kits sold, that are purchased over the web? That would be some interesting reading.

 

Cheers

EW

[Corinthian]

Over here, the hobby is thriving. There are a few shops, but if their continued existence and increasing membership of IPMS-Philippines BA is of any indication, it's that the hobby is growing here. Local shops now can make online orders for us modellers who do not have a credit card. They'll order the stuff for us, and we end up paying for items that would be more expensive if we ordered them ourselves.

 

A few months ago, a new hobby shop opened in one of our new malls.

 

I hope this year's Nationals will be bigger than last year's. The past three Nationals have been getting smaller, but the quality of the entries keep on improving (except mine hehehe). Alas, I won't make it.

 

I dunno though how many new members of IPMS-Phils BA are "young ones", i.e. those who have just started. I'm trying to expose the son of my coworker to the hobby, and I cannot wait for my two nephews (one is brand new, a few days old, his older brother still under six) to be old enough to handle small plastic parts without adult supervision.

Edited November 18, 2007 by TomasCTT

[Garth]

Just curious Luke, what did you buy?

 

As for the hobby dying, is that really the case? Yes the LHS who stock kits on the shelves seem to get fewer and fewer. On the other hand my impression is that atleast where I live, is that more and more youngsters seem to get attracted into the hobby again mainly due to their parents who are "relapsed criminals". It's also my impression that non-modeling parents are starting to see the benefits with the hobby as well, which IMHO are positive signs for the future. So in the end I think it depends on what one see as "death signs" of the hobby itself.

 

Has any survey been made over how many percent of the total kits sold, that are purchased over the web? That would be some interesting reading.

 

Cheers

EW

 

 

The hobby is definitely aging. During my first spell as an active member of my local club, starting about 10 years ago, I was one of the youngest at the meetings. I pretty much took four years off from attending the meetings (I was still occasionally able to make it to a few here and there) due to the MBA, work and family responsibilities ... when I got my degree and started becoming active again I was still one of the youngest. And there's been no change in the three or four years since.

 

This can also be seen in the current generation of kits that are being produced, and who the target market is. Very high quality, lots of detail ... but produced in fewer numbers resulting in astronomical prices. 30+ years ago Airfix's business model was based on targeting school-aged boys who would buy Airfix kits for pennies (pence?) and build them in an afternoon - and then quickly destroy them by "test flying" them out the window, only to turn around and buy another set of kits the next week. Not exactly something the "average" modeller circa 2007 would do with a $65 Hasegawa Lancaster kit ...

 

There seems to be a lot of potential with some of the new HobbyBoss kits, as well as the ones produced by 21st Century Toys. Cheap, easy to build (if inaccurate) and pretty forgiving for a novice modeller to tackle. But there's a hell of a lot of competition out there when it comes to capturing the time of potential modellers ...

 

--Garth

[Archie Pellagio]

Just curious Luke, what did you buy?

 

As for the hobby dying, is that really the case? Yes the LHS who stock kits on the shelves seem to get fewer and fewer. On the other hand my impression is that atleast where I live, is that more and more youngsters seem to get attracted into the hobby again mainly due to their parents who are "relapsed criminals". It's also my impression that non-modeling parents are starting to see the benefits with the hobby as well, which IMHO are positive signs for the future. So in the end I think it depends on what one see as "death signs" of the hobby itself.

 

Has any survey been made over how many percent of the total kits sold, that are purchased over the web? That would be some interesting reading.

 

Cheers

EW

 

Tamiya 1/48 Spit V (never built a spit in all my friggin life would you believe in the 300+ models i've built over the last 20 years)

Damn thing cost me $50aud (about $45us) but it was only about $10 more than the 1/72 kits.

 

I've got a Tam 1/48 Corsair floating around too i've been meaning to build for the better part of the last decade, bought it in 1999!

 

 

The problem is johnny 11 year old can't afford $40+ for a kit, even 1:72 kits are prohibitively expensive in stores (here at least) hell i almost didn't buy one because of the cost, if kids can't afford it, they're not going to be building as adults...