Here in Tacoma we had 4 nice hobby shops. Life was good. The third one is now closing. The primary model shop closed first, the discount model shop closed and now the slot car/ RC car shop is closing. The only one left is the RC plane and small model section shop. The paint selection is now a small model master rack. We gained a HOBBY LOBBY but their selection of model kits is to small for me to be interested in stopping by.

I am being drug, kicking and screaming, into having to shop exclusively online. I loved to be able to stop by after work and brows and to feel the merchandise, to scrutinise the difference between close shades of paint. Now I get the privilege of buying paint by name and not by sight. So if you get some silly question about proper color or shade, be kind and forgiving of those that are now relegated to selecting the proper color sight unseen.

We need more war movies to inspire newer generations to build models. I bet today's young fellas would recognize an Orc before they'd recognize an F4U Corsair.

My LHS has one row of models and five rows of toys. It's one helluva row of models, but there is no AM in store.

...and you know how it is...you're on Ebay looking for decals and you happen upon that deal you can't let pass...

Best Wishs,

Gary

One line retailers provide all of these advantages:

-greater convenience.

How is it more convenient to physically travel to a store than to have things delivered? Also, the LHS is even more expensive if you factor in gas, subway fare, whatever.
Prices a little higher? Usually they are exorbitant--that after some truly outrageous raises in price by DML and others.

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Getting out of the house is a fact of life for social people. And attitudes like that are what is hurting LHS.

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I get out of the house enough, and I do not feel the need to subsidize a failing business model to feel sociable, especially to the benefit of unsavory folks like Alan from Red Caboose.
Modelling clubs are a far more efficient way to achieve the end you speak of.

Where i live, near Croydon, south London, there used to be a shop called ModelZone, which at the time i rarely used to visit. When i started modelling i used to play warhammer 40k. So, some 3 and a half years ago i came to modelzone saw some of the model selection they had which really interested me in military modelling. However, i didn't buy any kits from the shop itself, But did come to buy some paints and glue. when i was looking for those supplies i didn't find them, but there was a stairway in the shop that leads to a lower floor, so i went down looking for the paints. As soon as i came down stairs i saw everything before me. it was like heaven. .i saw kits that i never even heard of, even companies i never heard of either.

For me i ow my interest to model making to that shop. however, I never actually bought much things from there. Most of the things i bough were from online websites because there was a wider variety. But also when i didn't have anything to build i would always order online. but when i come across the shop i would have already had something to build. so therefore i didn't go to it much.

sadly, of all the time the shop was around before i was modelling, a few months after i started military modelling the shop started to close dawn and by September 2013. I never really had much of a chance to buy things from there and i was a bit upset because it was the only hobby shop i knew about other than games workshop.

Now, modelzone moved to WHsmith but with far less variety, there was a section in a department store that but also with less things and there is games workshop, but that is only for science fiction, fantasy and wargames.