The Hartman’s Model RR meusum has been sold, it will be closing by the end of May. I talked with Yogi and he said most of the layouts have been sold but there are still a ton of models for sale. The hobby shop will stay open until the end of the year. He also said he had been trying to sell it for a number of years and there was a buyer which was looking at it to keep it open but the deal fell through when they couldn’t get financing. The new owners bought it for the land hence why everything is for sale. There will be a sale towards the end of the year as well, and the outdoor train I believe is still for sale. It will be sad to see it go, but Yogi seems happy that everything will be going to a good home. So make a trip to the museum before it’s gone!
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Hartman’s Model RR museum closing- Bartlett, NH
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backroadrails wrote:The Hartman’s Model RR meusum has been sold, it will be closing by the end of May. I talked with Yogi and he said most of the layouts have been sold but there are still a ton of models for sale. The hobby shop will stay open until the end of the year. He also said he had been trying to sell it for a number of years and there was a buyer which was looking at it to keep it open but the deal fell through when they couldn’t get financing. The new owners bought it for the land hence why everything is for sale. There will be a sale towards the end of the year as well, and the outdoor train I believe is still for sale. It will be sad to see it go, but Yogi seems happy that everything will be going to a good home. So make a trip to the museum before it’s gone!Wow...another part of my youth is going to be gone.
That's a sad story. It was a fun (and well-stocked) hobby shop to visit in the middle of the woods!
-otto-
-otto-
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NYW&B Fan Site :: A Magazine I Read Often :: A Museum I Volunteer At
Otto Vondrak wrote:That's a sad story. It was a fun (and well-stocked) hobby shop to visit in the middle of the woods!Model Railroad stores are closing. In Tampa, when I moved here in 2005, there were 3 model railroad stores, now there is none. Hobbytown is the only place to get model railroad accessories, but it is in one corner...Chester Holly, Happy Hobo and one other (can't remember the name now) were great places. Chester died, but the owner of happy Hobo sold it and the new owner had the personality of a 2 by 4...
-otto-
In this day and age where 99.9% of everything can be purchase with the click of a button, brick and mortar store's are seeing less and less business; hell you can even buy your groceries online and have them delivered to your house.
It takes real skill to choke on air, fall up the stairs and trip over nothing. I have those skills.
You think about the relationship between the retailer & the customer. But equally or more important is the relationship between the store and the supplier. If the supplies are coming from somewhere in China, they won't care about some mom-and-pop store. Also, rent or real estate valuation is a huge problem for something like a hobby store that probably has <1% of the turnover per square foot as the Walmart. In states like MA, inventory is heavily taxed. You would think with interest rates still very low that carrying costs would be low but I imagine there is still a lot of pressure. A modern hobby shop would need to have low costs, smart merchandising and an effective web presence - tough to find combination.
Hartman's had officially closed, the ride on train went to Cornville, ME and motor cars were sold off, along with almost all the stuff from the museum. Rodger still has a large amount of models and tools, among other related things for sale. He will continue to move what is left to his home, and the building will go to its new owner.