So after we started discussing our local hobby shops, this ad came up on my Facebook feed.
This is the place where I go when I need paint. They have a great selection.
This confirms it … “they’re” tracking us. 
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“Big Brother” and AI are keeping tabs on our hobby purchases.
Try Sheldon’s Hobbies in Willow Glen or the ACE Hardware store in downtown Berkeley. They both have an OK selection of kits, not a good selection of paints, though.
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Hayes Hobby House, Fayetteville NC. Great family owned store I have used for over 50 years. Very well stocked with RC, Trains, Models and all, the associated products. I often have them order items if they dont have them in stock as opposed to online ordering so when I need a bottle of paint or glue or some rc item I didnt think about they will be there . Please support you local shop. Many have come and gone around here, but the Hayes’ just keep going.
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@Papaof2 I like your screen name.
Agreed that we need to support the local stores. Both of mine have been around for a while and seems to have other niche areas where they excel. The one I linked above does a good deal of RC business. The other one sells a large selection of die cast planes.
@Aggieman and @MR_TOM_SCHRY I gave up on real privacy long ago. I hope they enjoy my boring life. Lol
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Went to Hobby Lobby this morning to pick up a frame. Took some photos of the kits and supplies in the model section. I’ve visited the store quite a bit in the past. Their selection is definitely decreasing. The supplies were OK. The paint section didn’t have a lot to choose from.
I never did consider Hobby Lobby as a place for kits,of course 99% of the time I never go to any LHS without a kit in mind,if they have it for a good price great,if not well I don’t do much impulse buying.
At Hobby Lobby I got a Meng Toon Tiger when they carried them,otherwise its Tamiya Extra Thin,which they dont have anymore,X-Acto blades an optivisor,but that’s pretty much it.
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Papaof2, “Hayes’ Hobby House” sounds like a great shop. I love these little family owned shops that always go out of their way to help their customers. You’re very lucky.
I’ve been to Hangar 18 Hobbies in Cary, NC, a bunch. It’s a really nice store. Also I’ve been once to Wings, Wheels, and Waves in Sanford, NC - a pretty good store, but not as handy.
@Cbowling - Yeah, sadly Hobby Lobby doesn’t have a very good selection of kits - especially tanks.
I wish I could. When I moved to Colorado Springs 25 years ago, there were 5 Hobby Stores in town. We used to hang out at Compleat Games and Hobbies on Saturdays to Build and BS. Lots of fun activities such as 6-hour builds, model contests, etc. Sadly, the owner sold the store to two guys who promptly ran it into the ground within a year. Eventually, we were down to just two Hobby Town’s. The store on the north end of town closed in 2023 when the owners retired and now the south store is closing (long story). Our gang now meets at Gamers Haven and the gaming community has welcomed us with open arms. If I need any model-related supplies I have to order them online or drive an hour up to Denver to Colpar’s or other Hobby Town stores.
Rob
Iwata Padawan
Ah yes! I remember hobby stores. Used to be one here in town, but it closed down years ago. Then I had to frequent the stores ‘over the hill’ in the San Jose area, San Antonio Hobbies and D&J Hobby. They’ve both been gone now for quite a few years. Then there were several small shops in miscellaneous strip malls, but they have all closed and gone.
I think there are a couple of stores that specialize in trains and RC stuff but they aren’t in my area of interest.
I just can’t see driving into SF or Oakland as most of the time my needs are a bottle of paint or something small like that.
I fondly remember perusing the aisles in San Antonio Hobbies for hours, in awe of all the cool stuff they had in stock. Heck, you could spend at least an hour sorting through the decal section.
I didn’t mind the snotty kid behind the check out at D&J because the selection of kits was so vast.
I miss those days and now it’s hours in front of the computer screen attempting to find the right stuff I need for a diorama idea, and then figuring out the heart stopping shipping fees… can’t just buy one item and justify that shipping!
I’m very jealous seeing the photos of all the huge looking hobby stores in this thread. You all are very lucky.
Oh well, seems to be the end of my “old man” rant.
Back to the bench.
C.
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Thanks everyone, for sharing about your stores, or lack thereof. For those who no longer have access to hobby stores, I feel your pain, and I hope that changes someday soon. It seems that the hobby is growing, and with it will come the mom and pop hobby stores first in large cities like Houston and San Jose, and later in smaller cities.
I think the rest of us need to take the lesson here and spend more of our hobby budget in our local stores so they don’t go away.
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Wow,I saw NC and got excited,but they are both almost 4 hours away !! But I am visiting friends in Greensboro the end of the month,that puts them more in range.
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x2 to Scale Reproductions. My “go to” hobby store since I started getting back into plastic modeling around 2000. Great selection and helpful staff. Wandering around the aisles and checking out all the stuff always makes me feel like I’m 10 years old again!
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Dadoffour, I agree with you 100% about giving these brick & mortar shops as much business as we can.
We have several choices in the Minneapolis / St Paul, Minnesota metropolitan area.
We have two Hub Hobby locations. Hub Hobby is a great resource for nearly every hobby. They have arts and crafts, tools, rail road stuff, slot car stuff, tons of scale model stuff, Gundam, and a pretty big RC car section as well.
I would say Hub is my main go to for local hobby supplies. Their stuff is more expensive than online, of course, but they are great stores to support.
In addition to those two hobby shops, we have Scale Model Supplies. They also have a lot of subject manner covered. They have a ton of scale models, including gundam. They have tools paints, other raw materials, and model railroad stuff.
We call Scale Model Supplies “The Dungeon” because because it is in the basement of a building that has day care and an asian grocery store. And it is dark and moldy.
We also have 6 Hobby Lobby’s in the metropolitain area. As most of you know, the selection is not the greatest there, but they have the 40% off sale every other week. They have some tools and airbrushes. And they have supplies and paints. Plus other raw materials in other departments.
And a runner up. We have RC Car Kings. As the name suggests, this shop specializes in radio control cars. I don’t think they have anything other that RC cars and the supplies needed for that hobby.
I saw some discussion about shops in Milwaukee.
I didn’t see anyone mention Happy Hobby or Mantiques.
Happy Hobby has two locations, if I recall correctly. Those shops are sh** holes. The buildings are in horrible shape. They are in disrepair. And they are full of mold and water damage. HOWEVER they have a great selection of kits.
Their prices are not that great, but they are ok. The main reason I go there when I am in Milwaukee is because they have out of production kits nobody else has.
Mantiques is an antique store geared towards guys. They have a small scale model area and their prices are actually pretty good. So I always stop there when I am in town.
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The reasons you don’t see anybody talking about Happy Hobby are pretty much all the reasons you just gave. I don’t talk about them or go there and pretty much most of my local model club doesn’t either. That shop is like “persona non grata” so to speak.
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The description you just gave is similar to a hobby/game place down in Kenosha, Wisconsin called Friend’s Hobbies. It’s in the lower level/basement area of a small mall. I’ve only ever been there once. They’ve got tons of model stuff as well as gaming stuff, but searching for something can be a pain. For anybody going there, you may want to take a small flashlight with you as the lighting in the store is not the greatest. And Yes, the only time I was there, it was very dusty and moldy.
