I truly think that Tower Hobbies did like most com[anise that are down sizing now. I think they supplied Americas Hobby Center in the early days, but then they started cutting their own throat by going direct sales to customers. An individual would come in the store and look at a kit or engine and discover they could get it cheaper from Tower directly.
Of course, that's the mechanism that destroyed local hobby shops, and is now destroying nearly all brick-and-mortar stores. And I would add, the stores aren't really doing themselves any favors, either. I would prefer to go to hobby shops, or other real-life stores, over on-line ordering, as long as they don't require a long side trip.
But as an example, I tried most of the week to buy a replacement for my 30+ year old cordless drill (can't get batteries any more and it's very tired). Swell, I check the Lowe's website, there are 5 of the one I want at the store that I drive by on the way home from work every day. Dandy, I go over there, look around, lots of other DeWalt drills, but not that one. Ask someone, they grunt "I dunno" and wander off. OK, swell, I can get them to bring it to the front desk if I do "deliver to store" on the website. I go over, sure enough, still 5 of them listed in stock, order, "deliver to store, available in 2 hours". Get an email saying "it's available now". 4 hours later, I go over, kid says, OK, I will have to go get it out of the back room, wanders off. Even the other counter rats see me waiting for 45 minutes and call him, no answer.
Eventually, he wanders back, sorry, I guess we don't have that, if you want to go to the Pleasanton store, they show they have it. This is 8:30 at night, Pleasanton is 40 miles away through impassible traffic. Of course, there is no reason to believe that Pleasanton's inventory or service is any better. I have no idea whether they have 5 of those drills in this store, probably they do, but no one can find them, why will it be different elsewhere?
My solution - go to Amazon, hit the "buy it now button", drill shows up on my doorstep 10:30 the next morning, $30 off and free delivery.
Hobby shops are getting undercut and they have no recourse. If I go to J&M Hobbies in San Carlos (one of the last classic shops) they go get what I need immediately. Other stores are doing it to themselves, and I have no symapthy for them.
Brett