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Where was your first hobby shop?

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#41 ·
As a kid, Hill Cycle Shop in Chestnut Hill (Philly) was my first hobby shop. It was run by Jerry and Julie Casale and besides bikes, it had toys and trains. My cousin and I would hang around there. Not sure if we bought much, but my dad bought our bikes there (used) and most likely got trains there too. Jerry Jr. was big in bike racing and when he took over the store it was all bikes, no trains.

As an adult when I bought my own trains, the first shops were Estes Hobbies in Norristown, PA and Henning’s on Main Street in Lansdale, PA. Estes is long gone. Henning’s is still around of course, but it’s now on Line Street.
 
#42 ·
I grew up in Chicago so we had a few in the City and more out in the suburbs. My uncle got me into Lionel and eventually took my to Hill's Hobby in Park Ridge, IL. When I was in high school, we moved to the NW side which was close to Townhouse TV & Appliances in Niles, IL. Townhouse was a Lionel Service Station (an island in a big store of TVs, washers, refrigerators), and that's where Mom bought me an upgrade steam loco and a new old stock KW. I still frequented that shop through my college years. I was also a plastic model builder, so for that my favorite shop was Stanton Hobbies on Milwaukee Ave.
 
#43 ·
Like others, a Chicago area boy

Earliest recollection of a hobby shop is of Airplane Model and Hobby Shop at 6129 w. Cermak Rd. in Cicero.

Like SantafeJim, spent most of my allowance at Windsor Hobbies in Berwyn. Continued to spend money there right up until he retired.

Other favorites from my youth were Al's Hobby in Elmhurst, Stanton Hobby in Chicago, and Hobbycraft in Darien.

Regards,
Jerry
 
#44 ·
My first Hobby Shop so to speak was a Western Auto store that carried Lionel Trains and accessories in the 1950s. It was located on the corner of Patapsco Avenue and I think Hanover Street in Baltimore City, just across the Anne Arundel County line.
 
#46 ·
Does anyone in Kansas City remember a model train shop way down on Troost Avenue?

It was in a depressed area that I would imagine in the 50' and 60's was a much better area. The guy that ran it was an old man in the 1980's so I doubt if he's still around, but I've always wondered what happened to the shop.
 
#49 ·
My first hobby shop was Paul Grabbe’s (sp?) on Valley Street in Lewistown, PA. I have encountered few people in my life who came across as gruff or mean as Mr. Grabbe. Oddly enough; he and my dad got along very well and Mr. Grabbe sold dad items from his personal collection a time or two. Two memories of this shop stand out the first being a Lionel B&M boxcar that I desperately wanted (and never got till I re-entered the hobby years later) and the small index card signs Mr. Grabbe liberally posted about his shop. One has stayed in my memory - “ Confuscious say child who keep hands in pockets never breaks an egg.”

My favorite hobby shop was the first one I found when I got back into the hobby in 1989 - JR’s Hobby Depot on Kirkwood in Houston, TX. A better shop and a better ambassador for the hobby would have been hard to find.

Curt
 
#50 ·
Can't remember the name, but I do remember that it was on Cleveland Ave., just north of Hudson Ave. in Columbus, Ohio. It was walking distance from grandparent's house and I walked there a lot to buy Model Railroader in the early 60s.

Chuck
 
#51 ·
My Dad would take me to a hardware store in Staten Island NY. Every Christmas season they had the Lionel Demo layouts set in the store front window. I looked forward to these seasonal trips with Dad and watch the Lionels running in the store. Great memories!
 
Discussion starter · #52 ·
Having grown up in a small town in Iowa, I never had the chance to see the big department stores' Christmas displays. Did any of you get see big stores like Macy's or Marshall Fields in the day? I'm guessing they might have had Christmas window displays as well as a layout running inside the store? I can't imagine how exciting that would have been as a young boy.

Art
 
#53 ·
I actually worked at Chicago Loop Field's in the Toy Department one Christmas in the early '70s. Their windows always told a story (no trains that I can recall) and all merchandise was behind "counters" in those days. At Christmas time, no room for a demo layout.

Chuck
 
#54 ·
Chugman said:
Having grown up in a small town in Iowa, I never had the chance to see the big department stores' Christmas displays. Did any of you get see big stores like Macy's or Marshall Fields in the day? I'm guessing they might have had Christmas window displays as well as a layout running inside the store? I can't imagine how exciting that would have been as a young boy.

Art
Click to expand...
Yes, when i was about 4-6 my Dad would make the long drive to Baltimore MD, to see the window displays in the large department stores. I can`t remember the names now, been too many years ago. The animation displays were totally amazing with Santa's, Elves, Reindeer, Nutcrackers, Dolls, Teddy Bears, Christmas Carolers, Joseph, Mary, Baby Jesus, the Wise Men, everything connected to Christmas, and yes, there were trains, all of this i do remember. Too a country farm boy, this was a dream come true, one of my fondest memory's, if i sit back in my recliner and close my eyes, i can still see it.
Merry Christmas
WMnut
 
#55 ·
When I was a kid we lived on the near west side of Chicago in the little village/Pilsen neighborhood. There was a small hobby shop on Cermak road just off Marshall blvd. It was a tiny place barely 20 feet square. You had to walk down a couple of stairs to enter. One side was trains, mostly American Flyer and Lionel, the other side was everything else- slot cars ,models, chemistry sets, and anything else. The owners were an elderly couple that seemed to resent anyone coming in to look unless you are planning to buy something. The
 
#56 ·
As I was saying, the cool thing about this hobby shop that imbedded in one oday the display windows was a contact in the shape of a hand. When you placed your hand on the window covering the contact, it would energize a small oval train layout that ran until you took your hand off.
 
#57 ·
Follow the "Arrow" Arrow Sports Shop!!

Growing up Oswego, NY we had Greens Dept Sore, Woolworths and Arrow Sports Shop!! Arrow was THE place for Famous Monsters, Aroura & Tyco Slot Cars, Revell & Monogram Models of all kinds....and Trains....lots of Trains!! Tyco, Marx,American Flyer and Lionel! Mr Mack the owner just seemed to be everywhere answering questions and making Arrow the place to be as a kid!! My big Bro got a NY Central Lionel Set ofr Christmas from Arrow(Santa Claus) that was under my Grandmothers Christmas Tree for years...and when it wouldn't run our Uncle Milton would take the Loco to his basement and fix it religously...cuz HE had a Lionel Layout....The Tradition continues under the Tree!! :thumbsup:
 
#59 ·
As I mentioned in an earlier post, we had a general-purpose toy store in Morristown, N.J., that stocked some Lionel. That was our train place. In about 1965, however, a competitor opened a new store directly across the street. The new store was owned and run by a middle-aged guy named Johnny who had worked in hobby shops for most of his life and really know his stuff. He carried Lionel and was a source of sound advice on running and repairing our trains and setting up our layouts. He was the first adult I had ever met who treated electric trains as serious stuff, not toys.

In the basement of his shop was the largest and most elaborate slot car track you can imagine. Kids would pack the basement after school and on Saturdays to race their slot cars. The place was hopping, and Johnny's Hobby Shop looked like it would be a raging success. I was a Lionel guy, not a slot-car guy, but I would be mesmerized watching those slot cars zip around that track at break-neck speed. Unfortunately, slot cars soon went out of fashion, and Johnny had to close.

What I distinctly remember is this: in the next few years, I'd see guys around town with long hair and dressed for what passed as hippies in our area. I'd look at these guys and realize they were the crew-cut kids with button-down shirts who used to race their slot cars by the hour at Johnny's. The times were a-changing.
 
#60 ·
Detroit, Michigan on Woodward Avenue a few blocks south of 9 mile road. The year was around 1963, This was a real hobby shop! All types of trains (all gauges), airplanes, stamps a small layout, slot cars, etc.. They would also trade if you had good stuff. I can recall trading for an American Flyer Northern Diesel passenger set for a Lionel 2343 Santa Fe with passenger cars! Yes, you are right, I got taken!! Oh well, live and learn. Talk about beat up mechanically! Never got it to run properly and eventually traded all my American Flyer at tax time one year (long time later)!! Oh well, live and learn. Mike Spanier
 
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