When is your LHS open?


D

Dameon

Member
The wife wanted to go shopping today and I agreed to go along because one of my semi-local hobby shops was close by the mall she wanted to go to. When I got to the shop it was 2pm on a Saturday... closed. It made me very upset and got me thinking, All our local hobby shops have hours that are simply ridiculously inconvenient and I wondered if it's like this everywhere. If you are independently wealthy or retired and have nothing to do in the middle of a weekday then it's fine, but if not your pretty much f'ed.

LHS #1: Now open for about 3 hours on Sunday due to customer request, open every other day of the week from about 8 am until about 5:30pm. Not open early enough to stop by before work, and closes so early I can only make it on days I can slip out of work early. But at least he is open on the weekends! Now I cut him slack because it's a one man show. One guy dedicated to his store still manages to keep better hours than the other two LHS who have small staffs!

LHS #2: Opens around 10am -12noon depending on the day. Closes at 5. Closes at 2pm on Saturday. Closed Sunday. Prime location in a strip mall in a very busy retail area section of the city too. Ridiculous.

LHS #3: Closed Saturday. Closed Sunday. Closed Monday. Open Tues-Fri 10-5. Open 7 hours a day 4 days a week. They've been in business 5 years... I have no idea how.

This is retail. Retail means you need to be open when your customers can come shopping. That means your prime hours are evenings and weekends. I'd like to support my local stores but frankly with hours like those I don't think they want to make money, so I do the vast majority of my shopping online. I have too.
 
here around chicago land most shops are open 6 days a week.

M-F 10-6
Sat 11-4

some shops are Tuesday-Sunday to get the buisness from the shops that close sunday. Most shops here all work with each other and its very friendly. if they dont have it they will recomend the next closest shop.


out in the "sticks" some shops I have found are open for only 2 days mid week after 5pm...LOL times are tuff..
 
My LHS is open 7 days aweek. 10:00 am - 7:00 pm M-F, 10:00 am - 6:00 pm Saturday,
12:00 pm - 5:00 pm Sunday

This place gets packed during the weekend.
 
Warricks Hobby superstore in Fort Lauderdale:
10am-8pm Mon-Sat
12pm-6pm Sundays Good hours!!!

Ready To Roll Trains
Monday: 9-5
Tue-Sat: 9-6
Sun: 10-1 only on Nov-Jan, otherwise closed

Warrick's feels more like a Target/Wal-Mart while RTR is small staffed. Too bad Warrick's has less trains but I still manage to buy stuff there. RTR is good for me on Saturdays, and they have what I need. Attest to that is Flymanjg's layout on Youtube. I think it's all virtually entirely bought from Ready To Roll.
 
Wich is better:
A LHC with good hours but not much inventory and not very competative prices, near full retail.
OR
A LHC with odd hours not much inventory and not very competative prices, near full retail.
Those are my choices without driving two hours to Indy.
 
Our have semi decent hours but change alot. Seasonal

Alot of hobby shops are open funny hours because it is a part time deal.

Maybe they are "Independently wealthy" or work somewhere else.

Our best one is open on satuday all day and sunday afternoon. He says he does nothing on the weekends but stays open because alot of people complained. His sales on the weekends dont cover the utilities let alone him making anything. He says he does the most business in the middle of the day on weekdays when the retirees come in when they can get away from the house.

I used to be retail in another area and I was open 8-6 mon-sat and opened the door if someone was standing outside off hours. Also by appt. I was hungry and needed the business to make ends meet.

They must be open when it works either financially or based on their other obligations.

Retail doesnt mean you have to keep certain hours. It means you have a store front and a sign. It means you are there with a smile and the door open when you say you willl be there.

I suggest you ask them or talk to them about by appt. or go to the others when you get away.

Good Luck
 
Here is what really gets me, one of the largest stores in my area, has such crazy hours for the B&M store that I doubt I will ever get to visit the store:
(Copied from the website)

2010 Hours Of Operations
(all times eastern)
PHONE AND STORE HOURS
WINTER
January 4 to March 7
10am to 5pm Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday
10am to 7pm Wednesday
10am to 3pm Saturday
Closed Sunday
SPRING/ SUMMER
March 8 to November 6
10am to 5pm Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday
Closed Monday, Saturday and Sunday

FALL
November 7 to December 31
10am to 5pm Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday
10am to 6 pm Thursday
10am to 3pm Saturday
Closed Sunday

​
The store is Blue Ridge Hobbies in Greenville SC. They have a huge internet presence, and I guess do most of their sales there. Still I would love to visit in person but with those hours, it's not likely.​
 
store I visit has some awkward hours. They are closed tuesday's, wednesday's and sundays from april till end of october. Fridays they are open till 9 which is nice. But they do take orders on tuesdays an wednesdays by phone. I've never asked why they do that but aren't open to the public on those days. kinda weird.
 
Discount Model Trains
4641 Ratliff Ln
Addison, TX

Mon-Sat 10-6
Sun CLOSED

20% off retail price on everything in the store. 50% of the store is HO scale, 25% N scale, 10% Z scale, the other 10% O scale 5% narrow gauge. also had a consignment case in all scales so u can put ur stuff for sale
 
Hey Jtudor

I have ordered online from Blue Ridge Hobbies and talked to them on the phone as well.

They are great people and I wish I could get down there to slobber on the cases as well.
 
Randy's Roundhouse
910 N. 70th Street
Lincoln, Ne
M-F 9a-5p
Th 9a-8p
Sa 10a-5p
Closed Sunday

It's a fairly new place, so the inventory isn't the best, but what he doesn't have on hand, he'll order for you.
Sure beats driving across town to the limited supply Hobby Town has!
 
Mark Twain Hobby Center

walk-in retail store hours are from 9:30am to 9:00 pm Monday through Saturday

and noon to 4:30 Sunday.

I'm Good :D
 
Dibble's--Tuesday through Saturday, 10-6.
Hobbytown USA--Monday-Friday 10-8, Saturday 10-7, Sunday 12-5.
Lone Star Trains--Monday-Saturday 10-6.

When I was a kid a local shop (Hobby Corner) used to be open until 10pm on Thursdays. I liked that.
 
Dallas Modern HO Scale said:
Discount Model Trains
4641 Ratliff Ln
Addison, TX

Mon-Sat 10-6
Sun CLOSED

20% off retail price on everything in the store. 50% of the store is HO scale, 25% N scale, 10% Z scale, the other 10% O scale 5% narrow gauge. also had a consignment case in all scales so u can put ur stuff for sale
Click to expand...
I have a box right beside me from that place, a buddy bought it for me. I haven't been as of yet. Hopefully soon :D
 
I'm envious of you with stores that have regular hours, especially those open later into the evening and for most of the day on Saturday. Be grateful for what you have.

Blue Ridge Hobbies in Greenville, SC was actually the #2 store I listed. I've been there, its a fairly pleasant store to be in, modest selection and great prices when they are open. Their online presence may be "large" (so I am told) but their site is a disaster.

#1 was Rail & Spike in Easley and #3 was The Great Escape in Greenville (a place you are better off avoiding: Poor selection, 50% to 100% markups, completely useless staff). I didn't list Hobby Lobby because aside from a few a pieces of scenery stuff they just carry toy-store junk, plus there are a few other all-purpose hobby shops in the area I didn't list because they don't carry much more than toy-store train sets either.

Yeah, I know the "weekday retirees" are big spenders, but this idea that that's it for the big sales is a total load of B.S. The average person shops in the evening and on weekends, because that is when they have time to shop. Open your store, advertise!, and guess what, you might start doing business then! The classic father and son who wander into your shop one weekend might just one day become the "weekday retirees" because they've gotten to see there's more to this hobby than department store toy train crap. If you want to focus on only a scant few customers who make big purchases instead of also wanting to deal with a crowd making smaller purchases, then shut up when people go online and don't come into your shop, don't look for sympathy when you go out of business, and stop moaning about how the hobby is dying when you're putting nails in the coffin.
 
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My LHS has a great selection and great prices. Their hours work out well for when most people are going to shop as well so no complaints from me. It's a two person shop most of the time with a small group of local modelers that help out when the owners need some time away for shows and the like.

Mon-Thur: 10-5:30
Fri: 10-8
Sat: 10-5
 
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