# How to find the best hobby shop in my area



## grampi (Nov 23, 2006)

What is the best method for finding the hobby shop in my area with the best selection of plastic model kits (specifically, aircraft kits)? Is it just a matter of calling all of the local hobby shops, or is there a web site that can tell me?


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## Owen E Oulton (Jan 6, 2012)

It's simply a matter of going "old school" and physically going to each of the local stores and physically checking them out. That way, you don't have to take as gospel what the individual stores' web pages would have you believe. It's easy to write a great and flashy web page but when it comes to reality, the best evidence is gained by looking at the product on the shelves, checking the price labels and actually talking to the staff. It may take more time and cost you bus fare or gas, but you'll find the real info in a way the Internet cannot match. Plus, you may make new friends - sometimes store staff may be into exactly what you enjoy, and that's golden.


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## swhite228 (Dec 31, 2003)

Owen E Oulton said:


> It's simply a matter of going "old school" and physically going to each of the local stores and physically checking them out..


I agree with what he said and would add asking folks at your local IPMS chapter.


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

Yeah just go there. Best is a relative thing. I build more armor than aircraft, so a shop wiht a ton of aircraft but no armor would be of lesser/little interest. 

Also, unless you are extremely lucky, you probably only have one or two hobby shops around. In my whole county there is only ONE; a hobbytown USA that has cleared out their kits in favor of most RC.


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## grampi (Nov 23, 2006)

We have a few shops in my area, but like you guys are saying, it's impossible to know what they sell without actually going there. I used to live in Cheyenne, WY and there was this hobby shop just across the state line called Don's hobbies in Greeley, CO. It had like 3 floors, and the entire 1st floor was nothing but plastic model kits. I bet he had over 1000 aircraft models alone! I had never seen so many models in one place before! I wish we had a place like that around here. Seems like now days, if you're looking for a specific model, you almost have to order it online...


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

Not counting the crappy Lakeland Hobbytown which is around the corner from me, there are four other shops within driving distance that carry semi reasonable selections. However, driving distance is still 70 to 150 miles round trip. I enjoy looking at kits and picking new stuff off the shelf, but sheesh... it's not worth making a day trip just to find out they don't have what I need (or for three times what I can get it for online).


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## rickc5 (Feb 3, 2013)

grampi said:


> We have a few shops in my area, but like you guys are saying, it's impossible to know what they sell without actually going there. I used to live in Cheyenne, WY and there was this hobby shop just across the state line called Don's hobbies in Greeley, CO. It had like 3 floors, and the entire 1st floor was nothing but plastic model kits. I bet he had over 1000 aircraft models alone! I had never seen so many models in one place before! I wish we had a place like that around here. Seems like now days, if you're looking for a specific model, you almost have to order it online...


Oh man! I lived on the Front Range for over 20 years, in Lafayette and Louisville (near Boulder) and made the trip up to visit Don's at least twice a year. That was an outstanding LHS--so sad it's gone now.

We now live in Grand Junction, CO and have only *ONE *great hobby shop--The Hobby Hut--in town. Just one, as the other one only does RC stuff. When we make road trips (all over 500 miles R/T) to Denver or SL,UT or Las Vegas, I try to find other shops to visit, but there simply aren't many left that have lots of plastic models. Colpar Hobbies (now a Hobby Town)in Aurora, CO, the Hobby Town on Sahara in LV, and M.R.S. Hobby Shop in Sandy, UT are about the only ones I visit. I used to spend an entire Saturday driving to all the good shops in the Denver area, but almost all of them are gone now. Sad.

Anyway, you've absolutely got to visit shops in person to determine what they have, how they price things, and how willing they may be to order things for you that they don't have in stock. I find myself buying & selling lots of kits on eBay, but I know that eBay isn't for everyone.


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## grampi (Nov 23, 2006)

rickc5 said:


> Oh man! I lived on the Front Range for over 20 years, in Lafayette and Louisville (near Boulder) and made the trip up to visit Don's at least twice a year. That was an outstanding LHS--so sad it's gone now.


What? How could Don's be gone? No way! That was the best hobby shop I had ever been to! I just don't understand how a place like that could go under...if places like that are closing, there is no hope for this hobby! Sad doesn't even begin to describe this....


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## rickc5 (Feb 3, 2013)

My info is second-hand, but I was told last year that the building had been leased and when the lease expired, it wasn't renewed by the building owner (or something like that), forcing Don's to move. Somehow, Don's simply didn't survive in the new location. I agree that Don's was one of the best LHSs I had ever been in, and I was sorry to hear it was gone. But then, most of the LHSs on the Front Range have also disappeared, except of course for some Hobby Towns here & there.


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## grampi (Nov 23, 2006)

rickc5 said:


> My info is second-hand, but I was told last year that the building had been leased and when the lease expired, it wasn't renewed by the building owner (or something like that), forcing Don's to move. Somehow, Don's simply didn't survive in the new location. I agree that Don's was one of the best LHSs I had ever been in, and I was sorry to hear it was gone. But then, most of the LHSs on the Front Range have also disappeared, except of course for some Hobby Towns here & there.


It's been my experience that the chain hobby shops are never as good as the mom and pop places...sadly, those are the ones that are disappearing...


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## S4Simon (Dec 24, 2006)

Easiest way I found was to search for models kits on Ebay within 25 kms of your house. There's a surprising amount of actual shops I wasn't aware of that are still operating and the only way they sell their stock is via online avenues.


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