I need to know who this assistant is, so I can avoid him! Arnie's, the one in San Dimas and R Hobbies in La Habra are the only ones I haven't been to. Unless you count the ones way out in Santa Clarita or Ventura County.
I was in Orange County last month and stopped at Train Crossing in Costa Mesa and Milepost 38 which is in a new location not far from their old one. I liked both. The Costa Mesa shop had an overly talkative older sales rep. In his defense, I stopped with not really enough time to chat on my way to the airport. They were the first shop I had seen with the new N scale mag, so I bought it and left. I am sure they thought I was rude, but those planes wait for no man! MP 38 is great, but they have one of those buildup discount programs, so for travelers it doesn't really kick in and work well. I have bought some BNSF books there. Great selection on western rr books.
I deal with george and debra at wig wag now . From day one they have treated me like a long time friend. No matter how busy they both are they always make time to talk trains and go out of their way go complete my order. More than fair pricing and good shipping policy. IF the stores and people around here were like them I would not have to shop outside of california. I don,t believe I have a attitude problem metro. what gives me a attitude is when I have to spend train money in the gas tank to get to these stores and can,t buy as much as I want. I,m sure you can agree with that? thanks for the heads up on temple city, maybe we should talk off forum so we don,t waste this thread.
1. Sales last year were almost $3 million. 2. Net profit was approx. 10%. 3. Culver City isn't Beverly Hills, but it isn't a ghetto either. The city is a wonderful, upper middle class city, with outstanding Police & Fire Depts. The folks from Brentwood, who arrive in their Range Rovers with all their kids, don't seem to have a problem coming here, so it must be a pretty decent place, right? Besides, the buyer can move the business anywhere they like, so what's the problem? 4. The "funny conditions" only have to do with a situation where someone enters into an escrow to buy the place, and then backs out at the last minute. 5. The inventory in this store is newer and cleaner than any model railroad store in the country, that has been open at least 10 years. The reason for this, is that I have systematically sold off old or "dead" stock in my annual auctions, which I have held for the last 25 or so years. 6. Less than 100 yards from my proposed location, there is a new building, which frankly, I don't feel is as nice as mine. They are getting $3.50 per sq. ft., triple net, and the taxes on that place are sky high compared to mine, as I have owned mine for many years. Check out the front page article of the L.A. Times, March 10, and see what's going on with Culver City rents. You may be surprised. 7. As in all business, money talks, B.S. walks. Lots of people "walking" on this site. Allied is the store that the bottom feeders love to hate. Well, that's fine. Someone out there must love us, as we can't do numbers like we have done for the past 32 years, if no one shops here, now can we? When the big store closes, the bottom feeders will be the first ones to scream. Thanks to all of you who have made positive comments and constructive criticism. Allen Drucker Allied Model Trains
Don't avoid him, he's a hoot, one of the reasons I like to go there! He definitely has an HO bias, but is knowledgable about n-scale too and has always been quite helpful. Very opinionated on all subjects which is entertaining once you get used to him. I'll be traveling out there again soon and will be sure to stop by. He convinced a friend of mine Athern was consulting with him on the Challengers (HO & N), but maybe my friend is just gullable? Nice folks at the Train Crossing, too. I haven't been to their new location yet, I'll have to check it out. When I'm out there over a weekend I usually dash up to Allied trains Saturday morning, awesome place. One of the few places I've been where I could purchase in person Esbit fuel for my beloved Wilesco steam tractor, too. Gotta be a cool place to carry that stuff. Lot of great stores in the LA area, too bad my travel there is so infrequent! Steffen
I work a few blocks from Arnies, so they're my main LHS and I'll second Steffan's opinion of Dave at Arnies. He's opinionated about everything, not just scale. Don't be too thin skinned & he's as helpful with N as for HO. I don't get any grief at all. Once you know him, he's entertaining. The store has a pretty good selection of n-scale, but mostly the older big name brands (Atlas, Kato, Life Like, Athearn, no Intermountain, Red Caboose, ...). It's hard for me to call it an HO bias when there's more HO available, it physically takes up 4 times the volume per piece and that's what most of the customers buy. They've also got a large area devoted to Lionel. Dave's also had various challengers running on their n-scale layout for at least 6 months; he's not just claiming to be affiliated with Athearn. He's usually got a pile of Athearn repair work sitting on the store layout. My experience so far is if it's broke, he can fix it. Watch out for the attitude if it's broken because of something he finds amusing. I've heard lots of stories like "he claimed it was caused by ... when it could only have happened by ...". The only negative with them is they charge full retail except for their 2 yearly sales, one of which happens to be ongoing this week (no affiliation with the store). The other is usually in November. I usually arrange my loco purchases from them to coincide with the sales. The Train Crossing was owned by a retired couple, but he passed away late last year. She ran the business end of the store, so stock is still good and her sons are helping out for now. Her husband could be opinionated (he was actually a Lionel guy), but they're all very friendly & helpful. I wish I had a crystal ball to know how long she's going to keep the business open. Full retail, but she has a 5 or 10% discount for cash. Prestige Hobbies in Anaheim usually has a respectable selection of Atlas, Kato, MT & Intermountain. Mostly retail, but I've found some good buys. The future of the whole Hobby City complex is up in the air now, so I'm not sure what will happen to them. Best overall n-scale (maybe all scales) selection in OC is Milepost38. By far the best selection of structures & detail parts. Full retail, but they give you back 10% on your next purchase.
Allen, I appreciate your info, and why you posted. My inclusion of the word "suspicious" was a poor, poor choice of words. I only meant to say "I would need more information" and you answered my direct questions, and I understand how you might be a bit peeved at some of my other points where I had to speculate. One word made it seem as if I was questioning your motives, and I was not. I own my own small business for 23 years now, and understand that you had to do a lot right to survive and prosper for 32 years. I look forward to selling my business in about ten years. I am an architect, and I have also endured my share of being "bashed / questioned / critiqued" on enthusiasts internet forums devoted to such things, so I can sympathize. I wasn't trying to interfere with your store sale, but just posting out of having enough interest in the biz and the hobby to have been solicited by another LHS to invest. I suspect that at $3M annual sales, you are one of the most successful LHS of all time. I figure most LHS gross 10-20% of that amount. And yes, it seems there will always be someone out there to offer the product at $.01 cheaper, and most of us flock there, but how many of those shops last as long as yours has?
Jeff, Thanks for your kind words. If it wasn't for a great architect, I don't think I would be in the position I am currently in. James Mount designed my building, and from day one it was a hit. People would stop in, even if they had no interest in trains, just because they liked the building. Best wishes, Allen
Yes, even non-model railroaders know it as a place where one can buy model trains. Perhaps the best architectural example of a building whose design is most appropriate to its business. Even better than Tail O'The Pup. Why couldn't the camera store just move into a building shaped like a camera?
Bottom Line is your area might loose a great hobby store, but on the bright side you could always take up photography I would rather the Allied hobby store survive or for that matter any well stocked hobby shop. Sometimes you don't realize what you got till it's gone.
