Another LHS LOST...

J&J Hobbies here in Stockton,Ca has gone the way of the Do Do Bird[BH] it was the only place in town to buy Model Masters paints!! It was generally an R/C shop but, they had some models & supplies too. Very helpful people too so thought I’d swing by to check out their shelves & see if they carried any styrene & ask some questions. man, what a BUMMER!! No 1/2 decent shops in my area now. Think a drive to Sacramento or the Bay Area will have to be an option but, I rarely get to go there… what a sad day

It’s always sad to see a brick and mortor store close their doors. Guess it’s GM for you, eh Hippy-Ed? [:-,] [:P]

Sad indeed Ed.
What I find amazing is that hobby shops that do not excell at customer service are still open, while those that really seem to put the customer first are going under.

Don

Watch it Bill…[:(!] your kits might get bashed!!![}:)]

You are correct Don, seems the shops that are “Customer friendly” are being forced out of the world nowa days while the others excell in poor quality of service.[:(!]

I just opened my phone book & there’s 12 shops listed under “Hobby & Model Supplies” but, only 1 (J & J) was in town. There’s a couple others but, they don’t deal in models[:(] 4 in Sac

ROTFLM[censored]O!!! [(-D][(-D][(-D] Its www.greatmodels.com , incase you forgot the address [(-D]

it is a shame because many of us (you too i bet) like to see what your buying rather than just order something blindly[X-)]

but you still have your friends here to answer your questions as well as ask your advice[:D]

That is one reason I try to buy things from my local hobby shop (plus, I admit it, the owner is a real looker). Where else can I line up 10 different shades of Model Master brown to try and pick the correct one for my evil purposes? And she will order just about anything I want. Granted, it may take two weeks to get there, BUT - no outrageous shipping charges!

DURR, I do like to see what I’m buying & and browse the shelves for other items that might be of “interest”. There’s just something about having someone who is helpful when buying or, looking for something else.
I know I can count on y’all here at FSM for advice,etc… especially eizzle[B)] with those superglued fingers[(-D][(-D] Thanks Fellas, keep da razors sharp!![8-]

It’s always nice to have a shop to go to and browse.

I only have one within driving distance and all they carry of interest to me is a large selection of paints. Granted most seem as old as me, but at least I can pick the shade or color that I’m looking for to finish that certain project.

They have some interesting supplies there also, but are rather high priced. The owner will gladly order any model I want from the many catalogs he has, but again the price is almost double what I can get it for at Wal*Mart for the same kit. He doesn’t even stock too many models on his shelf, the ones he has looks as old as me too. Humm, he must have gotten out of the model business 30+ years ago and is waiting to sell off his stock.

I think what keeps his doors open is the model railroading, but mostly the arts and crafts section. If he ever closes his doors, I’d have to bug Testors for a color chart or buy every bottle of paint they have.

[:(]

Jhande, you could go buy a whole rack stocked with paint from Testors [:D] I saw a picture of somebodies work area and they had bought one from a hobby store and stocked it, pretty good way to organize your paints, if you’ve got the room!

I thought of that too eizzle. But then I figured by the time I’m done buying all the Testors and Model Master enamels my paints would end up like those at the hobby shop. Little bottles of 2 and 3 tone globs of goo. [:P]

Actually I have all of the Testors 1/4oz. enamels that Wal*Mart and the LHS carries. Now I have to get the LHS to order the rest of the flat and metlflake colors. I also started buying some of the Model Master colors in the 1/2oz. sizes since we go through some of those little bottles so quick. I bought Testors 1oz gloss black, wish they had more colors that size. I figured it’s best to buy the color paint as we need it. Oh well, maybe it’s time to head to the hardware department or the auto parts store… pint or quart size LOL.

I have a toolbox converted to a hobby box and it’s filled already with paints and modeling tools. I’ve been looking at the kitchen cabinet with the spice rack, but my wife keeps grabbing the rolling pin. [B)]

I used to buy a fair amount of my modelling stuff online, but we have a really nice hobby store in town. Now for the most part, I only buy from them. Sure, I’m paying a little bit more, but I can’t even imagine what it would be like to run out of RLM 74 Gray Green and not being able to make a quick emergency run to go get it! LOL

I’m sure you have seen the round plastic paint organizers that Testors sells for the 1/4 oz bottles, well now they have them for 1/4 and 1/2 oz. They are pretty handy to keep your paint in and keep them organized. I have 1, but I need 2 or 3[:D]

http://www.hobbylinc.com/htm/tes/tes9177.htm that is a link to one of them, of course they come with paint, but hey? They also have acrylic set to, its cheaper, by about $5!

Jim, that’s what I liked about J&J Hobbies. They were the only place in town that carried Model Master paints. A full display stand of them. I just stopped in at Michael’s Arts & Crapstore as they do carry the Testors line of paints & needed a few of them & they didn’t have anything new on the shelves[:(] I’ve talked with the manager about their supplies & lack of kits… LoL… that didn’t go well & they wont even bother trying to order any new kits or any other supplies since they carry the basics (glue, testors paints,etc) and, they have all their other craft stuff as well.
Our Walmart sucks when it comes to their modeling supplies & snap together kits. Their manager doesn’t know anything about models,etc.[xx(]
sheesh…

I know how you feel Ed [B)] Many of the craft stores in my area had a pretty good selection and a real good selection of paints and tools. I went in there the other day and they had two kits sitting on the floor and a few cans of paint with them and a sign that said clearence. My fiance asked if they moved them and the lady told her they sent a lot of stuff back and sold what they could of them. Its a shame I tell ya!

eizzle, I’ve been doing some scrapping near Lodi & I think there’s a hobby shop there which I’ll have to drop by & check out when I have the chance. I’m inneed of some styrene for a project I want to start soon (a PT-109 with removable deck. see the link in ships) plus, there’s other things I’m looking for which I wont know until I actually see it. You know what I mean right? Those little things that catch the eye that ya gotta have…

Yeah, I know what your talking about Ed. My LHS has a wall full of detail parts, decals, and wheels. Its those little things you look at and think “EWWWWW! How did I live without that ___?” I think that is what keeps them in business, people come in to buy a model, they probably already know what they want, but its the little spontanious purchases that make them money… well, maybe not, but you know what I mean. There is another little HS about an hour from me I go to if I am in that neck of the woods, he has a good selection of Tamiya paints and plastic, but the shop is such a mess I can’t stand to be in there long enough to make an impulse buy! Stock in the floors blocking aisles, and blocking paint racks, it seems like he should be giving me the stuff I want for moving all the stock around to get to it [8D]

Ya know eizzle, there’s just something about the LHS that make life a bit easier for us & our hobby eespecially IF its a 1/2 decent shop. Customer service & a good supply of goodies is important.[:D] There are times when I have thought of looking into the possability of opening up a shop myself[:O] but, I don’t know the first thing about opening one up!![B)] Being a novice modeler myself, I have a general idea of what others look for… and yup, it’s those spontanious purchases that are the kicker…

There is just something really cool about going to the Hobby Store, browsing through all the kits looking for something that will inspire you, then walking out with the kit in your hands. Very satisfying feeling. It’s also fun to talk “shop” if the owners are avid modellers.