Well it has happened again. HobbyTownUSA in Brentwood closed June 12. That leaves the closest HTUSA now in Murfreesboro 40 miles away. Bobby sold more RC stuff
than Slots. Is that hobby in trouble? Claims he sold more slot car related items at Christmas. But he ususally had a few cars in his display case.
Another LHS Closes
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 arroldn |
Another LHS Closes |
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Posts: 496 (06/22/08 08:15 PM) Home Racing Guru! |
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bigmike312 |
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Posts: 1091 (06/22/08 08:25 PM) Home Racing Guru! |
From what I've seen Mike at HTUSA in Murfreesboro sells a lot more RC stuff than he does slot cars but he keeps a good selection of slot cars in stock. You
can't sell them if you don't have them.
Big Mike Never argue with a fool, they'll drag you down to their level then beat you with experience. |
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Da Vols |
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Posts: 4660 (06/23/08 10:10 AM) HRW Moderator |
The HT here in Knoxville has a surprisingly good selection of slots considering I've never seen anyone else in that area of the store when I've been
there though the RC area always seems to have a customer or two. It recently moved from an older, but high traffic (as in customers) shopping complex to a
newer, larger, and more up-scale shopping area - business must be good as I know the rents/leases are way higher than their previous location and that
wasn't cheap at all either. Alas, in my last 2 visits the new scene was the same...me looking at the slots all alone and several in the RC area...and since
the round trip is 25 vs 5 miles now, the cost of shipping from an internet shop no longer is a minus with the price of gas of late.
Da Vols - Bruce & Harriet & Kali
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arroldn |
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Posts: 497 (06/24/08 02:56 AM) Home Racing Guru! |
Yeah Bruce I hear you. The trip to Brentwood was a 40 miler for me. That is why I dropped in only when we had sales meetings in Franklin. Now if only
HobbyLobby would care slot cars. Guess I'll have to ask the management next time I'm there buying paint. But even thats a 25 mile trip. It's so
much easier to just logon and push the add to cart icon any time of the day/morning.
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z real deal |
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Posts: 75 (06/26/08 08:06 AM) |
It's a shame when a lhs is forced to close. One reason I think is that people advertise for the big stores like Target,Sams,Wallymart. LOOK what I found at
hugmongo world and saved .55 this IS NOT helping youur lhs
When people buy from these hugmongo chains stores they are taking away from the lhs. You saved on expert advise and caring, when you don't walk in for a few week no one at these big stores says where you bin? OR HOW you bin? Dom |
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Cjent |
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Posts: 5831 (06/26/08 09:34 AM) Home Racing Guru! |
The ideal way to run an LHS is online and store front. Oil is going to make a big difference in how we shop for anything. Unfortunately, all Mom & Pop
stores have faced this, and it will just get worse, if you have a product that appeals to a very small market. It all goes back to the adage "Plan Ahea
d"
Cjent
"Speed Thrills" |
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ElSecundo |
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Posts: 6142 (09/06/54 02:14 PM) Home Racing Guru! |
Cjent wrote: I think this is very true. Best of both worlds -- especially in a business where your local clients do things in 'streaks'.
I'll tell ya...fellas......you're gonna want more cowbell!
Rock legend Bruce Dickinson |
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SJSlots |
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Posts: 2096 (06/26/08 10:07 AM) HRW Feature Editor! |
They just need to be VERY careful how they approach their e-business side of their operations. The old RadTrax in Las Vegas put too much faith in their on-line
business keeping them above water, as it grew to be 90% of their daily income, yet failed to take the proper precautions to protect their business by doing
things such as taped or on-line data back up. When their webhost lost the vast majority of their website it took way too long to rebuild the product info and
ordering abilities and it sent them in a spiral that they could not pull out from.
Prior to that it was Ebay, not the 'Big Stores', that was making the biggest dent in their overall sales (the 'Big Stores' do not stock the products and parts the majority of us here use). A lot of LHS's need to operate by selling cars at close to retail to keep the lights on, employees paid, tracks running etc and the same things weren't applicable to many Ebay related and other on-line vendors.
"It's better to have raced one day than to have been a spectator your entire life!"
Shawn J. Smith Shawn@HomeRacingWorld.com Cincinnati, Ohio U.S.A -------------
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ElSecundo |
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Posts: 6145 (06/26/08 11:08 AM) Home Racing Guru! |
Shawn, that goes right back to what Cjent is saying -- "Plan ahea
d" There was no need for RadTrax to go out of business. It was just poor planning, and really unfortunate.
I'll tell ya...fellas......you're gonna want more cowbell!
Rock legend Bruce Dickinson |
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johnstoys |
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Posts: 497 (06/26/08 06:10 PM) Home Racing Guru! |
Wow -- forgot all about RadTrax. When I first got back into the hobby I bought a BOATLOAD of cars from them. I think I had an order from them arriving every
other day.
They had some great sales, too. |
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old new slot guy |
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Posts: 56 (06/28/08 09:07 PM) |
Another going down, really hate that. Oil, will affect most sellers. Those that are M&M stores have it tougher yet. Tough for them to carry parts and
such.
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RichD |
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Posts: 1389 (06/30/08 06:41 AM) Home Racing Guru! |
I was in Milford, CT on Saturday and found out that Hobbies Unlimited had closed. Hobbies Unlimited was the oldest commercial raceway East of the Mississippi.
As I recall the place was strictly slots. The sign is still over the door and the track still has a website.
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Robert Livingston |
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Posts: 275 (06/30/08 07:24 AM) Home Racing Guru! |
The guy that ran the place told me, about three years ago, that he had been given a break by the landlord for a long time, through low rent. In case people
don't know the place, it was in a fairly busy location (small strip mall), but also "low rent" style, with nail salon and laundromat next door.
About two years ago a friend of mine had a birthday party for her son at that place, and he loved it. When I was there the ancient high-bank track was losing
its braid. Not much slot car equipment was sold beyond Parma 1/24 commercial track stuff, the kind of cars that run on 1/32 sized tires. There was an HO track,
but no 1/32 track. The guy had a friendly attitude, and allowed that keeping the shop open was a hobby for him, not a livlng. When I dropped by a year ago, the
place was closed, as the open hours were limited to scheduled birthday parties (and maybe races?). There could have been potential to stay alive with 1/32
scale RTR, maybe a plastic track, and digital, but the owner didn't seem too interested in changing with the times.
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