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My question is what has happened to cause the demise of the local hobby shop? In recent years there seems to have been a massive closing of retail hobby stores all over the country and if you do find one they are sparsely stocked.
Is the younger generation so involved in computer games that they have no interest. Even in the RC club that I belong to I would say the average age is over 60. Whatever the reason, I think it is sad.
Mike
Mike, you are stating the facts of time. I find parking space for my Dodge Ram 2500 Diesel or my wife's mini-van Chrysler Town and Country but I cannot locate a "Hitching Rail" even on any of my own properties either TX or Michigan.
I disliked ARFs but now I don't. I love building and being retired for 17 years, I can not find time to really build. Maintenance of old machines keeps me busy, plus boat, plus maintaining other investments and this
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frapping computer.
When I left USAF for United Airlines, Mar. 1968, I went to ORD. 2 years later, it looked like I was going to get furloughed. I needed something to sustain family so I and a neighbor that liked boats opened Aero Sports & Crafts in Mt. Prospect, IL right on NW Highway.
Need a BOOK here! Highlights are his Boat folks flocked, my CL folks came, and my FF buddies came and then I learned that if I wanted to succeed then I better learn to fly RC and fast. I did, but flew some CL and FF until mid '70s.
Some College kids down in Champaign IL were able to start a mail-order with kits and engines and stuff they were getting direct from mfgers. This supplier became known as TOWER Hobbies. Later as they were hurting, and about to go out, the giant hobby supplier B. Paul in Philadelphia came to their rescue, via a manager and everything needed to get a real business going. I knew some stuff because B. Paul was so big and when I had lay-overs in Phil. I did do business there. With a giant and real management soon there came a wholesell department known as "Great Planes". While the word
was that the two main persons at GP/Tower had a falling out, I never believed such. They just wanted more thus Horrizon Hobby was born.
With the big run into RC during the '70s, CL and FF was a failure as far as the Local H/S was concerned. Hey I almost got into real trouble as I was importing a Japanese Radio called "Hinode" without FCC approval. I paid $100 for the unit and sold them for $150. I couldn't get enough. I learned to fly RC with one. FCC finally said NO MORE.
I said OK, Thank You SIR!
All the government's new operations that were surfacing at the time created unneeded expenses plus the fact that RCers new to the model hobby were NOT like the OLD GUARDs (CL, FF, and older RC MODELERS) as the new crowds were not adverse to shoplifting, bad checks, and such. Some part time hired help were caught with their sticky fingers in the till. For you youngsters there were no computer registers back then for small stores.
Of course partnerships have their problems and when I had an opportunity I closed Aero Sports as I felt that any future furlough would not get to me so I preferred the time off to play with RC and some CL.
Great "PAINS" and Horizon started a buy out of all the kit mfgers. in the US. Soon they controlled the industry throughout. Now as things have progressed they are getting a taste of their own medicine. I don't cry for them.
Now look at a CL profile "Kit" price. 30-40 times of the $2.95 Ringmaster kit in the store when I was a CL person. I cannot even conceive of buying one. CL Stunt kits at $150 - $195. I can sit down draw up some lines and cut some balsa and for less than $20 have an airplane ready to fly. One is now on the bench waiting for finishing and it will sport an Evolution .60.
Tie all this into the fact that most kids don't have a place where to build. Moms and pops (I have 11 grandkids and 1 great grandson) keep them so smothered with activities I wonder how they survive at all. They also smother them with individual computer war games so M & P don't have to mind them when not in school or some dumb activity such as dance, football, cell phones, baseball and all that malarkey. Heck I had enough without such stuff. Growing up in the country on 40 acres and being close to open forests with fish laden creeks, I liked fishing, hunting, modeling, picking cotton (age 7-11) cutting timber 12 to 14, then spending summers on contract jobs TX, AK, LA, NJ, and British Columbia, then USAF Aviation Cadets at 19. Where has it all gone to?
So folks when you wonder about Hobby Shops, they are a dying breed because outside cars and trains, there is no money in it outside the big suppliers dealing directly with the (deleted) people. You might notice that even these folks are in a world of hurt these days. They too shall pass away.
Topic: Local Hobby Shops (Read 5406 times)