I get it. Locals probably hate Happy Hobby.
I’m only in the Milwaukee once or twice per year, so it’s worth it to me to check them out. I can always find something worth buying. Then when I get home I move the purchase to a mold free box. HAHA
Yes, this is what I mean.
A somewhat related question but does anyone know if there has ever been published a directory of hobby shops state by state?
There is usually a small list in the back of FSM magazine, I’d imagine it’s only paid sponsors though.
When I’m visiting family in Kansas City. I go the the Hobby Town near my mom. I have also gone to Sprue Brothers warehouse in Liberty as my mom lives about 10 minutes away. I had a bunch of stuff in my wish list I was going to buy from Sprue Brothers. Google said we could shop there. So I went. I walked in and someone greeted me. I can’t remember her name. She was very nice and told me that they are online only and apologized for the Google issue. They said I could buy it online now and they’d grab the stuff. So, I did. I got on my phone, and bought everything on my wish list. Gave them the order number, they go into the back of house and 10 minutes later they came out with everything. They told me next time, I can order online and come pick it up. Good people there.
Here in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, we used to have some really good hobby shops.
Mid-Cities Hobby, Roy’s Toys for Big Boys, Bob’s Hobby Shop (I think that was the name) they had a ginormous selection. They’re all gone now. Covid got the last two.
Now I’m stuck with Hobby Town and Hobby Lobby. The Hobby Town near me has a good selection. I just don’t like their prices sometimes. I can get it online less, even with shipping. But I am trying to support local shops. Otherwise, we’ll lose them as well.
fxst, I’m in the same situation as you are. I have a Hobby Town, Hobby Lobby, & a Michael’s in my hometown. There is a small brick & mortar store about 20 minutes away and I like to shop there and give them my business but their hours are so erratic.
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I live in the country so everything is at least 20 minutes away so 20 minutes doesn’t seem like a big deal to me. But I agree on the hours. The store closest to me closes at 5 every day so the only day I can go is Saturday. The one by my work has better hours and I go during my lunch hour or right after work.
I also have a Michael’s, but their model selection is like 4 models now, (the generic Revel models) so I don’t count them anymore.
It’s very unfortunate that the brick and mortar hobby stores are going away. Went to Illinois on vacation. Found two in a small town. One was stocked pretty well, the other not so much. They were on opposite sides of town. Pretty sad.
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Passe-temps Ted’s / Ted’s Hobby Shop in Pointe-Claire, Quebec. Lots of airplane, tank and car kits, good selection of scratch building supplies and tools and so forth. They also have a fair chunk of the store dedicated to tabletop gaming and art+crafts supplies, too.
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The local hobby shop really was a phenomenon of a very specific period of history. They grew to serve the demand of modelers in the time after the end of World War II. Some of the people who started shops were folks who had sold kits or supplies, like stick-and-tissue airplanes, or kits consisting of wood blocks to be carved and finished, as mail order businesses in the 30s and 40s.
With the advent of plastic, people opened shops to sell kits and supplies to the Boomers who were the majority of kit builders. Those kids built kits of the machines their fathers used-airplanes, armor, ships.
As those kids grew up, and their tastes evolved, and companies produced nicer, more accurate kits, the local hobby shop thrived.
But we got to a point where the owners of most shops, sole proprietors, aged out of the business. They found that no one in their families wanted to take over the business, and they couldn’t find someone outside the family to buy it. So they folded.
And when we get to the 90s and the advent of the Internet, it became less and less economical to run a bricks-and-mortar store. People can buy things online. I don’t think this was the main reason for the demise of the LHS, just that it makes it hard to open a new one today. Some do, and there are chains like a HobbyTown that run stores, but they work on the franchise model, and volume.
So I don’t really lament the demise of LHS. It’s fun to look back with nostalgia, but generally, modelers today have a wider choice and variety, and availability, than a modeler in say 1960.
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The only thing I miss is being able to walk into a shop and spend lots of time just looking at all the boxes, all the bottles, all the packages. Kits, paints, aftermarket stuff. I can spend hours doing so. I will stop in to shops when I happen to be in the area - there are a couple in Central Texas and at least one in the Dallas area that I will stop into when I’m in those areas, but here in Houston, there’s only the one shop that is probably half an hour away as the crow flies but could be a couple of hours, depending on time of day, when factoring in Houston traffic. Not worth that hassle.
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I feel the same way, but just like with Bookstores, I don’t do that anymore there either. Rarely go actual shopping anymore. Plus, browsing doesn’t pay their bills. It is the sign of the times now.
The plus side is, I didn’t drive 15 minutes to the hobby shop to find that they’re out of the one paint I need to finish my model. 
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I’ve got one “local” store nearby. Although it’s about a 30 minute drive from my area of the city. I do however travel a lot and found some amazing stores in the cities I’ve been to.
Here’s a few pictures from a small store in Tokyo a couple years ago.
Inside they had all manner of current production kits, accessories, tools and finishing supplies. In addition they also had a random assortment of individual spruces from many kits for sale. Things like suspension kits, tools sets, wheels and tires etc. there are many of these Tamiya stores in Japan and in Korea also. If you ever get a chance, make a stop in. You won’t be disappointed.
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Those displays are absolutely beautiful! What district in Tokyo is that? I’m planning on heading back this winter and I really would like to check that place out!
Here’s the one I went to.
There is a whole raft of places right around the Akihabara train station.
Volk’s and Bic Camera are well worth the visit, I can’t remember which floor has the plastic stuff but make sure you check all levels.
Leonardo’s has two stores in the area. Here is one. It’s a local hobby shop, lots of old, randomly placed, minimally organized goodness and treasures to be found. Just don’t expect help to find something or even know if they have it. I’m not sure they even inventory it all.
Have a great trip and good hunting. 
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I was in Japan last year in November, and noticed a lot of hobby shops carry less scale kits. It’s mostly anime kits and blingy merchandise now. In Akihabara, Leonardo LG had the best selection of aircraft and armor kits. Their prices were reasonable too.
In Osaka, my favorite shop is Hobbyland in Honmachi. They are still unchanged, with a great selection of kits, accessories, and tools. But they only carry aircraft, armor, and ships. No cars or Gundams in this store!
Yamashiro-Ya in Ueno, which was once one of my favorite hobby shops in Tokyo, is now just 7 floors of blingy anime merch. Even their anime kits are sparse.
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I just realized that in the past I always wanted to travel the Southwestern portion of this country to soak in the natural beauty such as the Grand Canyon but now my main motivation to visit this region is to stop in at Andy’s Hobby Headquarters. (I have a problem!!!)
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Because of the wildfires at the Grand Canyon and how they ruined the natural beauty?
Officious voice AHEM Nothing to see here! Move along! Here’s a coupon to Andy’s Hobby Headquarters.