Going to Fla. to see the in laws during the last week of June. They live in Barefoot Bay, which is on the east coast, almost exactly the same distance from both Melbourne and Vero Beach(good placre to watch trains!). We used to visit Space Coast Hobbies in Palm Bay, but they aren't there anymore. Can any one recommend a good hobby shop in the area? Or, for that matter, a train show? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thaks in advance, John C
Any folks who have information on a shop for John, please feel free to Private Message it to him and don't post it here. Just a reminder of the policy we have had to establish here. http://www.trainboard.com/grapevine/showthread.php?106711-TrainBoard-Policy-on-Posts-About-Retailers
Moderators, Ummm, I am gonna say that I for one like to know the whereabouts of hobby shops when people, or I, travel. Its nice to know where things are when you travel. Posting the names of the shops in cities doesn't violate the TB rules that I am aware of. This comes right from the TB posting rules: If during a discussion someone posts, "Those are nice boxcars and I bought mine at the ACME Train Store because they had them in stock", then that alone is not enough to cause us to edit/delete/lock a thread/post. Likewise, if someone posts, "I am visiting Pixley next week. Does anyone know how many train stores they have there?", then that's not a problem either. However, in both of those examples, if someone starts editorializing on the quality of the store, prices, problems they had there, etc., then that post is likely to disappear.This is the key. I normally don't post comments like this one. If I am wrong, so be it. I understand the posting rules completely and I agree with 99.9% of them.. but I think not allowing someone to post the name of a brick and mortar hobby shop in a given city is a little overkill. Usually these are little mom and pop type stores anyway. No offense meant and none will be taken if I am corrected. I just want to be clear on this rule for future reference. Dean
I guess Charlie tweaked the policy a little to accommodate this kind of post so long as it does not get out of hand. I suppose I need to go back and review the policy statement periodically to get the updates.
I guess it depends on how far you want to drive. If you were coming earlier I would have told you to try or show (15th) since you will be later in the month I only know of 1 show and it is all the way on the Gulf side. What scale are you looking for
When going out of town, I usually consult the hobby shop listings from: Walthers: http://www.walthers.com/exec/shops Atlas: http://locator.atlasrr.com/PrxInput.aspx Micro-Trains: http://www.micro-trains.com/dealer_listing_us.php For shows, check the listings on trains.com and filter by state: http://trc.trains.com/events.aspx?page=list Whether a particular shop or show is "good" often becomes a matter of personal taste - and part of the adventure, as it always has been.
part of the adventure,,,I like that! It is true. I mean, what does it take for an LHS to be perfect for you to stop in? Eye candy is always nice, but I have stopped while on trips and if I find just one item that I hadn't found elsewhere, I gather it was a worthwhile store. I do understand not wanting to drive halfway across a state (or in rush hour, half way across a town) for a shop that is HO only, or what not, but I usually call to get some kind of an idea of how much N they have, and sometimes, if they have specific N items, like C55 track, or a loco I want, etc. That saves some non adventure!
The adventure is hoping that you will stumble upon that one item found nowhere else. I'll stop into almost any shop once. One of my favorites was the place where the owner deftly wiped off the dust, on his trouser leg, as he withdrew boxed locomotives from the display case. I tend not to return to the ones where the proprietor is the last of the chain smokers or has a dog that runs up to greet customers with a wet nose planted in their...
