I reside in Kent,Ohio,i have a friend in State College,Penna.Seems no matere where you go,the place is better in selection of stores(well 1 store opened another 1 on the other side of town.Nittany Models is a good store,they keep up with the trends,RC,this place has alot of high eng activity toys,something I thought wouldn't be popular.Last year I got that EnterpriseNX01,just buy chance,the problem was there was only a 1/4 shelf lengh of scale models,but it was packed with alot of cars,might be going out to penna soon to check up on whats new.
I've noticed this phenomenon of "the grass is always greener on the other side of the state line." I figure once we've driven to another town, driving across town to another store doesn't seem like the chore it does locally. Plus, when we get there, we haven't looked through that selection and arrangement dozens of times, so it all seems fresh to us.
This is the 50 mile trip that I mentioned earlier in another post, and the shop I used to frequent before I moved to a county further away from New Jersey. It's nickname was "Highway Robbery" :-) Click on the 'Models' link for some pictures inside the store.
There used to be a good hobby shop in town (I used to work there) but when "management" stopped listening to customers and employees, I quit my job. Now it's only RC and Railway modeling. Not my cup-o-tea anymore.
But, as The netherlands isn't that big a country (100 miles X 200 miles approximately), I don't mind driving to different parts of the country once in a while, for a (well stocked) hobby shop. Together with my best friend/modeling buddy we make it a nice day trip.
I just looove rummaging through old stock of all different model shops.
And I do/have to search for a hobby shop whenever I visit another town/place.
I took the trip Saturday. Actually, it's only 40 miles. They had a large selection of plastic kits in various skill levels. Besides the ones that have to be fully assembled, they had the snap together models and some quick models (apparently for kids) that are already painted and decaled with only a few parts to be glued on. Their military stuff was displayed by country. US, then British, then German, then Japanese, etc. I picked up about $45 worth of stuff that I carried out in a small bag, which $45 would have bought a shopping cart full back in the 70s. Anyway, it was good trip and I spent about an hour walking around the shop reacquainting myself. There were only about 6 or
8 shoppers at one time in there during my 1 hour visit and this was a Saturday. Well, I didn't have to wait on any lines. :-)
I also found a small hobby shop closer to me. It was in a strip mall on Rt 17M in Monroe, NY. 'Hometown Hobbies' (no website). Not many models, but had a lot of the small stuff to finish the models, i.e. paints, thinners, decal setting solution, glues, tools, etc. While I was in there, there was only one other person besides the shopkeeper and he apparently was just a friend as they just talked to each other around the register counter the whole time I was there.
That can be a hazard of knowing the owner as a friend. I almost hated making a dash to Smitty's here because I inevitably got tied up in a conversation. Usually I didn't mind too much but the wife took umbrage. ;)
As did I, some 30-35 years ago, as a student. I last got back to Summit/Portage counties for model shopping a few years ago. Unfortunately, you don't seem to be a 'Car Guy'. ISTR that "Ma & Pa Kittle's" shop down in Barberton was still open (Second or Third St., I think) and they have, in addition to a boatload of OOP cars, paints, and modeling supplies, some military stuff. Very little *new*, though. OTOH, it's only a short jaunt over there on I-76. It could be worth a trip to you.
PolyTech Forum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here.
All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.