Chatting With the Mayor of Hobbytown

 

   There were at least four places within walking distance of my house that could eat up my allowance.  There was Jack’s Deli, Friendly’s Ice Cream, Mario’s Pizzeria and the Brookdale Hobby Shop.   If there was a way to keep track, I could guarantee that the hobby shop took most of my early savings.

 The Brookdale Hobby Shop or Larry’s as we called it (after the owner) was a goldmine of diversions, especially in the days before video games.  Larry’s had Matchbox cars, slot cars, model cars and all the necessary accessories to keep us coming back.  Even if we dropped fifty cents on a few candy bars at Jack’s, there was still enough change to buy a Rat Fink decal or STP sticker at Larry’s. 

   Larry’s was mostly a bike shop and the smell of fresh rubber tires filled the store but it was the hobby “stuff” that kept us coming back.  That is why I was so anxious to introduce hobbies to my son when he was younger.  We built models on rainy days, constructed slot car raceways on long weekends and often enjoyed a trip to a place called HobbyTown USA to buy the “necessary accessories.”

   The “mayor” of HobbyTown these days is Pete Zellmer, who bought the franchise eight years ago and later moved it to its current location on Central Expressway in Plano. 

   The aisle of trains and wall of models says that HobbyTown is still a place for hobbyists but the interest of customers has been moving away from traditional hobbies says Zelmer.

   “The biggest change I’ve seen in our business is the movement away from project oriented activities. Spending an afternoon (or a week) setting up a model train set is a commitment and is just not as satisfying for kids as it once was.”

   The store still sees a steady business with older hobbyists who build models or run trains as they did as kids.  As that population grows older though, Zellmer sees the sales and shelf space for trains and models dropping off.

   In their place he sees more emphasis on activities that offer instant gratification such as remote controlled cars and helicopters.  Even that has changed as parents and kids prefer to purchase “ready to run” r/c cars instead of building them from kits.

   Still, Zellmer finds many parents and kids who come into the store looking for something engaging that gets kids off the TV and video games.  Science themed activities are among the more popular items he recommends to parents.  Telescopes, science discovery kits and robotics projects are all big sellers.

   It seems logical that a child’s connection today to a WWII airplane just isn’t the same as it was forty years ago but model building in some areas is on the rise.  “Science fiction and fantasy models based on Star Trek or anime’ characters, for example, are selling well,” explains Zellmer.

   Regardless of the activity, the mayor of Hobbytown hopes that parents continue to encourage their children to pursue hobbies, to learn patience and satisfaction for completing a difficult task – even if there is a little glue on the windshield.