General control line discussion > AS TIME GOES BYE
MEMORIES OF YOUR FIRST HOBBY SHOP that led to your ADDICTION?
Bill Heher:
The 1st place I remember was a SS Kresge's in Beloit WI, the box display of 5, 10, 15, and 25 cent gliders and rubber powered planes, kites and plastic kits.
Then a few shops in the Wilmington NC area my dad took me to but they were too far to ride my bike, so mostly it was plastic kits from the 7-11 ( imagine a 7-11 with models!).
My first Hobby Store hangout was a little place on Main St in Roswell NM. I went there 3-5 time a week to thumb the magazines, drool over the kits and wait until I had a $1.95 for a Sterling 1/2 A profile warbird.
Finally- Benners Bike and Hobby, downtown Grand Forks ND. They had it all, bikes, model kits of all types, science stuff, a huge slot car track and rental cars, plus a whole annex just for balsa kits FF / CL / RC, engines of all types, Aero - Gloss Dope, Ambroid, Sig-ment, Silk-Span you name it. The guys working the annex would let me open kits and look at the plans, put props on engines and flip them over, read the magazines, pretty much anything to keep me from asking them another 20 questions. It was a sad day when I saw the Gong out of Business Sale sign.
Good times back then- but good times are still around , just gotta look a bit harder.
john e. holliday:
The White Church Hardware Store was where I would go to get my Scientific kits. My Guillows Rat Racer and 35 size engine that I have been told didn't exist at that time came from Charley's Hobby Shop down at 18th and Chelsea in KCK. That is where I learned about the flying circle at City Park. Mr Brooks is the one who put the initial flights on the plane and told me about the Flying Eagle Model Airplane Club. Even after I moved to southern Missouri it was Charley's Shop when I needed something. When he didn't have it was Americas Hobby Center in New York. When I moved back to KC it was to Charley's to let him know I was back in town. A young man with a shotgun put him out of business for ever. We have not had a decent shop since. Hobby Haven in Overland Park was close. Now I am afraid to go to new shops I hear about as they don't stay in business very long. Oh, I almost forgot Jim's Key & Hobby on Central Avenue in KCK. Still Having fun, DOC Holliday
Michael Brooks:
Ah yes, Charley's. I remember his shop well. Not been in one I liked half as much since I moved from KCK to Arkansas. Hey, Doc. Do you remember Mr. Brooks's first name? I wondered if might have been my dad?
Mike
Bootlegger:
H^^ Ulmer's hobby shop in Baton Rouge, La. it was just about 4-5 block's from my Aunt's home, and I would walk when we visited her, the time was about 1955-56 and he had several Barnstormer's with Fox 29's and 35's. Man, I would sit and "daydream" about flying one of these model's !!
All the "older" guy's flew the Barnstormer, so I had top have one also, never got to fly it though as a girl cousin of mine managed to get it off the freezer.... it never was the same after that.
Shoultzie, you sure do have a nack for trips "down memory lane". Thanks, y1
Steve Helmick:
Hmmmm. I was thoroughly addicted to model airplanes long before I ever saw a real hobby shop. Many hobby visits were to the base PX, wherever we were. Many others to the hobby department of some local store, the last of those I recall being "The Empire Dept. Store" in Pullman, WA. Didn't have much except the basics, but they were pretty good about getting what you wanted. Can't say that for our LHS, these days. Last week, I was in the LHS, and the guy (that flat lied to me before) was busy flying an electric toy helicopter up & down the aisles. I was looking for all the hardware twirly display thingys, and they're gone. But I digress.
The first really astounding hobby shop I encountered was Barney Snyder's Model Craft, somewhere in LA. We got by there once every month or two, while we lived at Edwards AFB. There were some good ones in the Seattle area, but none of them lasted all that long. Easy to understand why, if you have any business schoolin' at all. Too much inventory, expensive to display twiddly stuff that sells for pennies, persnickety customers, high rent, inventory taxes... R%%%% Steve
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