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The End of an Era in Roanoke

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AngliaGT

AngliaGT

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I just saw where the last Hobby Shop,Rail Yard Hobby Shop,will be
closed for good after November 30th.We used to have three of them
in this area until recently.
I remember when I'd visit two of them in Eureka,& see what the
latest kits that came out.I don't think kids build them anymore.
I still have a bunch of unbuilt ones in my closet.
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Doug - you should open your own car kit museum! Local media would probably flock to see it, and you'd get some great publicity.
Tom M.
 
It's the electronic age! If it's not a cell phone or iPad/Pod, kids don't want to have anything to do with it! They want to sit on their butts and stare at a screen all day. We have two grandchildren who, if it isn't on a screen, they want nothing to do with it! 🤓 Their mother is a schoolteacher, and their dad is a computer technician for a large company, so the kids' future paths are pretty much laid out. They have no interest in hobbies.:rolleyes2:
 
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Yea, they've pretty much disappeared here too. The half dozen or so I used to know locally and in Columbus OH up the road are gone with one exception. And the remaining one has gone to having an indoor rc car track, selling knitting and other stuff to try to get a bigger customer base. But on those times I'm in there, rarely more than 2-3 folks all told and I gather the finances don't look good. As you note, the young folks want virtual hobbies that can be anywhere, anytime for as long or short a window as that feel like at that time.
 
Same thing happening here. I recently did a search for hobby shops near me and all I found was a few craft stores like Hobby Lobby. I spent a lot of wonderful hours in hobby shops while growing up.
 
Last one I knew of here closed years ago when the owner got too old to run it. His daughter tried for a few months but gave up and closed. We do still have a small model railroad store that seems to deal mostly in used stuff. I don't know how he still survives.
 
DocDup1 said:
Same thing happening here. I recently did a search for hobby shops near me and all I found was a few craft stores like Hobby Lobby. I spent a lot of wonderful hours in hobby shops while growing up.
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Me too! I spent hours building model rockets, planes and constructing projects from my Popular Electronics magazine.
It was satisfying seeing the plane I was building slowly come together; today it's instant gratification on the computer.
 
Lawton, the nearest city, hasn't had a hobby shop in probably two decades. However, recently the local comic shop has started offering a broader selection of games including those table top ones with miniatures and they seem to be thriving.

I think what we are seeing, at least locally, is a shift away from model cars and trains towards table top games. They have a very healthy clientele ranging from teenagers to grown men. I have had several students who spend their Saturday's over there.
 
Basil said:
When I was growing up, slot car racing places were all the rage. Had great fun in our local slot car place. They had a huge indoor track. You could bring your own car or they would rent you one.
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Exactly what I used to do. I would build my slot car and my mom would drop me off at the slot car place that had a track and I would be there all afternoon.... what fun!
 
PAUL161 said:
It's the electronic age! If it's not a cell phone or iPad/Pod, kids don't want to have anything to do with it! They want to sit on their butts and stare at a screen all day. We have two grandchildren who, if it isn't on a screen, they want nothing to do with it! 🤓 Their mother is a schoolteacher, and their dad is a computer technician for a large company, so the kids' future paths are pretty much laid out. They have no interest in hobbies.:rolleyes2:
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I'm on a positivity bent right now.
My nextdoor neighbor has 4 kids and they are a marvel of goodness.
NOT goody goody stuff, just young human beings.
The youngest Stella is just a delightful happy child.
One older son Jason, is just quiet but still starting to become a good person.
Jackson is in High School and always drops by to ask if he can help out around the house.
He does mostly yard work for me and he does a great job, with little supervision.
The oldest son, Jadon is just starting Community College and also helps with yard work.
What I mostly marvel about is I NEVER see any of them with a phone!!!!
Somehow, they are able to get on with their meaningful lives with minimal screen time.
 
We had a slot car track Redwood Raceway in the mid '60's for a while.
I went to Auto World in Scranton,PA in '79 & saw Oscar there.
I guess I can blame my behavior on all the model paint & glue fumes.
 
Gliderman8 said:
Exactly what I used to do. I would build my slot car and my mom would drop me off at the slot car place that had a track and I would be there all afternoon.... what fun!
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I remember slot cars of different sizes we had growing up.
Even though I thought they were cool I was never good enough to keep them from flying off the track.
Hand /eye coordination was not good for lots of things.
 
equiprx said:
I remember slot cars of different sizes we had growing up.
Even though I thought they were cool I was never good enough to keep them from flying off the track.
Hand /eye coordination was not good for lots of things.
Click to expand...

Bad hand/eye coordination? Must have been a Navy pilot.

<ducks and runs>
 
AngliaGT said:
ALL of the Blue Angels will be paying you a visit soon,
or be flying low over your house.
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I can only wish.
My dream was to be a Blue Angel when I grew up, then an astronaut before that was a word.
They used to buzz our neighborhood every year for Fleet Week.
Got canceled due to shut down, even though they were already here and ready to fly.
Just vindictive s**t by T**p.
 
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