How healthy is your local hobby shop?
Thayer Syme
thayer@flying-models.com
Russell Holly wrote a compelling short essay for Geek.com approximately four years ago, which I recently came across. He discusses how important his local hobby shop was (yes, “was”) to his leisure pursuits, and consequently how rattled he was at its unexpected demise. When Russell went looking for another nearby brick-and-mortar shop, he was surprised to find that every other hobby retailer within 50 miles of his house had also closed.
He tracked down the owner of one of the closed stores to find out what had happened, and received an answer that, unfortunately, wasn’t terribly surprising. Quite simply, Internet discounters had siphoned off many of the larger transactions upon which our local stores depended.
You can read Russell’s essay at the link listed in “Sources” the next time you are online. It shouldn’t take you long because it contains only about half as many words as this column. Russell counts RC as just one of his many hobbies, yet I think you will find that his comments still strike home.
Unfortunately, running a small hobby shop today is an extremely challenging proposition. Rising overhead, increased competition, and ever-shrinking margins define your day. Against that background of doom and gloom, I have a couple of stories about two stores here in Connecticut that prove that the sun occasionally does still shine.
First, let me say that I feel blessed that there are several hobby shops relatively close to where I live. The closest is less than 4 miles from my house; the local HobbyTown USA franchise is roughly 12 miles away; and two more independent hobby shops that are 22 and 24 miles away. I try to stop in at all of these local shops as much as I can from time to time, and it appears many others are doing the same, because the stores are all still open for now.
It is the closest store that sparks my first anecdote. Danbury Hobby Center has passed through a few owners during its 70-some years of existence, and I imagine that, much like Russell’s local shop, it has long been a social focal point for its loyal customers.
The combination of an owner approaching retirement and the economic downturn that occurred a few years ago appeared to be its death knell, and it looked as though the end was near. The owner even began a protracted going-out-of-business sale and our local newspaper came out and ran a story about its closure amid changing times.
I happened upon another interesting website in the last few days: the 3/50 Project (see the “Sources” for the website link). The 3/50 Project has germinated from a single blog post to become what is perhaps the most significant organization advocating an intelligent balance for your discretionary spending.
By recognizing how important small, locally based retailers truly are to our lives—and how little it really takes to keep them afloat if we all help out—perhaps we can keep a few more local hobby shops alive and viable, and even help them grow a bit.
Until next time, make a pledge to visit your local hobby shop and see what it might have that you “need.” Who knows, you might even find a new treasure! Even if you only buy a bottle of glue, a few sheets of balsa, or a servo this time, remember that every sale adds up and each is appreciated.
SOURCES:
“The death of the hobby shop?”
by Russell Holly
www.geek.com/games/the-death-of-the-hobby-shop-1397119
The 3/50 Project
www.the350project.net/home.html
