Got some sad news from a friend of mine in Memphis: the Golden Spike, a long-running hobby shop in Ft. Smith, AR is closing Saturday, May 31. The owner, Dave McDonald, has decided to retire. He's closed this business, which was housed in the second floor of a two-story house in Ft. Smith (the first floor was his main business, Cottage Florist). When I finished med tech school and started to earn my living, the Golden Spike was the first hobby shop (and well within walking distance) that I hit full-scale. Dave was very helpful, and he and several other Ft. Smith-area modelers were quite instructive in helping me model the Frisco. (OK Charlie, now you know where I got the bug ). Twice a week, I was at the Golden Spike, buying this or that to work on another project. After I moved, and every time I was in Ft. Smith, I made it a point to stop by the Golden Spike & say hello to Dave, and see what he had in stock. While it's sad that the store has closed, my best wishes go out to Dave McDonald and his wife as they set out on retirement together. Also, here's hoping Dave gets to make some more trips to Colorado to see & ride the narrow gauge he so loves. My thanks to Mike Condren (a fellow Frisco Folk and former Ft. Smith cohort) for telling me the news.
It's always disappointing to hear about another hobby store closing. These days, it's really difficult to make a living selling trains, unless you live in a larger city. Pat
Pat- Early this past week, I spoke with a friend out on the Pacific Coast. He was telling me about a major shop that's down on sales volume. The economy, competition from discount shops, ('Net), and the problems that can be had in obtaining inventory from the limited production runs these days. Costs of a shop in suburbia, the overhead, TAXES, TAXES, TAXES. Knowing that store and owner very well, and the once affluent area where it is well located, you can quickly see how weak paychecks are today. I'm sure he won't want to hold out awaiting an economic "recovery." He's too smart for that. Boxcab E50
