Your First Hobby Shop

[Dukemaddog]

I saw this Thread started on another Forums and though, what the heck? Let's see what everyone remembers about their first Hobby Shop.

[DPNM]

Interesting topic Mark. Thinking about it I can't recall the name of the place . I think it was the owners last name? I was around 12 or 13 I'd guess. I was big into HO scale slot cars at the time, that's what I would usually buy there. I did get a couple models but model building didn't start for me until I was in my early thirties.

[dogfish7 (R.I.P.)]

Mine was the Thrift Hobby Shop, Area C., at Scott A.F.B, in Illinoise, 1957.

[JCON]

Jun 10, 2021 8:30:00 GMT -6 dogfish7 (R.I.P.) said:

Mine was the Thrift Hobby Shop, Area C., at Scott A.F.B, in Illinoise, 1957.

I was only 1 years old then in NY...

[BUCKY]

Other than Sears and K-Mart and Roses, etc., my first actual hobby shop was a slot car track set up in a mall in Nashville. I don't remember the name of the place, but they sold slot car stuff, as well as the kind of models I always wanted to build. This was in the mid to late sixties.

[JCON]

Mike Snell and I frequented the same hobby shop as kids in Lancaster California not far from his house... I would ride my bike there and also walk from school to race slot cars and buy kits! Had a mini golf place right next door that we would also frequent...

Another friend of mine's father took us to an old hobby shop in Hollywood California where I was introduced to Tamiya kits for the first time! It was a narrow shop with supper tall shelves stacked to the ceiling with every kit you could imagine!!! I thought I died and went to heaven!!! I got my first Tamiya Kubelwagen there...

[tojo72]

That's a long time ago to remember.My first kits as a kid may have come from a Dept Store called Two Guys from Harrison or a Toy Store called Branch Brook in Newark NJ.

When I started up again probably in the mid 80's it was a great place called Dicks Hobbyland in Cranford NJ I couldn't find any online pictures of his shop.

There was also Dana's Hobby Shop in Bloomfield and Highway Hobby in Ramsey

But old Dick Townley has a special place in my memories,what a great guy and a great shop.

Here's his obit

www.newjerseyhills.com/richard-c-townley-80-hobby-shop-owner/article_ae567840-244f-541b-8741-b6e454513757.html

[JED]

Bedworth Model and Art Shop but this has long since gone. It was in a small mining town in Warwickshire UK. The owner was a real nice chap,his whole family was to be honest although I remember his wife not looking so happy when he discounted figures or kits for me! He also started a model/war gaming club which was great for us youngsters.

[Keef]

There were actually two different places that got me into modeling. The first would be Kmart, back when you could buy kits for $3.99-$4.99 each brand new. The other was a small hole in the wall mom and pop place called Red Top Hobby Shop. They had everything from models and supplies to anything you could need for RC planes and boats.

[dazza]

I started off seeing a Matchbox kit in the 70's in our local village shop.

I don't know if anyone can remember the Matchbox kits but they made the parts in different colours, the idea being that you didn't need to paint them 😏.

They didn't stock many kits at the time and I'm pretty sure I'm the only one that bought them. They knew I liked them and kept getting them in for me eventually they got a Airfix kit in which I believe was a Tiger Moth.

Happy care free days sadly missed 🥺.

[RLFoster]

Wow, some interesting stories here. I must have missed this thread when it first went around.

My very first "hobby shop" in the small town of Harrisville, Michigan (pop. 450) was a little place called Pizer's Five & Dime. It was the store in our town where you could get anything, from household goods like towels or sheets, to seasonal items, greeting cards, office supplies, candy, and as chance would have it model kits and supplies - almost exclusively from Testor's. If I remember correctly, they closed down in 1973 or 1974 when I would have been 11 or 12 and the local drug store started stocking modeling supplies.

[patrick]

My 1st Hobby Shop was at a Kmart in Massillon Ohio...they had large selection of models...they had built models in a show case!
Around the same time period a department store in Barberton Ohio...Marshalls...they had a huge toy section and LOTS of models!

[dogfish7 (R.I.P.)]

Hang on to those memories fellas. It's all that's left.

[Dukemaddog]

Excellent stories guys. How awesome to read all these great experiences. Dazza, I do remember the old Matchbox kits; in fact, I have one under construction right now. I remember that I built the entire line of armor and military vehicles they released.

Keep them coming guys! These are a thrill to read!

[dazza]

Dec 1, 2021 14:37:21 GMT -6 Dukemaddog said:

Excellent stories guys. How awesome to read all these great experiences. Dazza, I do remember the old Matchbox kits; in fact, I have one under construction right now. I remember that I built the entire line of armor and military vehicles they released.

Keep them coming guys! These are a thrill to read!

That's great I would like to see it when it's done. I remember back in the day that here in the UK the main kits you got were Matchbox, Revell, Airfix and Tamiya. But I really loved Monogram kits I could only get them from certain shops but I loved the detail on them second only to Tamiya.

My favourite was the MASSIVE B36 Peacemaker that looked great hanging from my bedroom ceiling, I can remember saving up for it for months doing paper rounds and helping my dad for extra pocket money.

[JCON]

I remember building an old Matchbox MGTC kit many moons ago for my dad!

[Dukemaddog]

Thank you Dazza. I've got that Matchbox kit on hold right now; I lost the box with paint scheme and decals so until I find them, I can't move ahead on it. If you want to see the progress to date, I have pics of it on my Maddog Manufacturing thread. I also built the B-36 Peacemaker; it is still hanging on my ceiling, a bit worse for wear after all these years, but still there.

[reserve]

At first it was a local department store chain in upstate New York called Delson's that had a bit of this and that. Long lost to the fog of time. The first dedicated hobby shop I was in was War and Pieces in West Hartford, CT, a place where they had everything one had heard about and plenty that one had not. Gone also now.

I lived about 80 miles from West Hartford and it was an awful drive to get there being mostly at 30 to 45 mph speed limits through every small town there was it seemed. After the last thirty some years of living in the west I don't know how I stood it, guess it was all I knew but it'd be a cold day in a warm place if I ever went back.

I seem to have wanderd off topic some

Regards,
Mark

[Steve Ski]

Jun 10, 2021 8:30:00 GMT -6 dogfish7 (R.I.P.) said:

Mine was the Thrift Hobby Shop, Area C., at Scott A.F.B, in Illinoise, 1957.

I was 5yrs in the offing, HA!  Sorry Bruce, couldn't resist 

Ye 'Ol Hobby Shoppee, Rossmore Calif, just outside Irvine, CA.  Use to ride my skate board down there every Sat AM.  You are correct Bruce, themz wuz the good 'ol dayz.

[dogfish7 (R.I.P.)]

No worries. There's always somebody older. I kind of recall the Japanese Suicide Jet Bomb as being my first model. ( Only $.75 ) Dad would give us 25 cents a month, for our allowance.It was very hard to save up, after discovering Models. I used the translucent rocket flames for exhaust on car models, years later.