Death of a local hobby shop and track

[rnoswal3434]

Today I learned that we did have a fantastic place to race rc cars, inside and out! They also sold trains! T&T RC Hobbies in Shreveport LA. I used to race rc cars back in the 90's like so many have on here. Then I went to dirt track racing full sized cars for the next 14 years. After that it was an occasional restoration of a car but now my garage is empty. Like I said in my intro on this site, I cleaned my garage and found several of my old rc cars/trucks. I started looking online for parts and a accessories and found a thriving sport.

Like I said, today I was talking to a racer friend of mine and the rc cars. He told me there WAS a track in town! Well I went straight there afterwards and there it was! An old roller skating rink turned hobby shop with a very challenging track outside! I went to the door to see "Out of Business"!!! S**t!! I haven't gotten the story but I have read reviews on google and I saw a walk through video on youtube. It turns out that the neighborhood was geting older and most building was going on in the town across the river where I live, (location, location, location) I think they had about a 13 year run, the time I was racing! I am still mad that I didn't know about it, my fault and that my grandkids would have loved it if they were introduced to it as I know I would have.

Their outside track looked like it could be raced on right now, I will post a few pictures to show that. I mean track lighting, covered sheds for spectators and drivers to work on their cars, a very nice raised driver area. The youtube video showed a slot car drag track, a carpeted road course, both indoors and rows and rows of parts and new stuff. Large counters to talk to the owner, show your new or broken cars, just cool stuff I missed. I know that many more I don't even know here have stuff just sitting around now.

Anyway, support your hobby shop and buy as much there as you can. Bring in kids especially, Dads and Moms won't be far behind with the whole family racing just like me and my girls did years ago. Damn...sigh

https://youtu.be/lr5NZDnZcA8

Thanks
Russ Lawson

[GeneralZod]

I know how you feel. I have seen the death of many hobby stores around where I live. One of them was called Don's Hobbies in Greeley, CO. It was a big old building downtown and had 4 floors jammed packed full of cool stuff for everyone. Main floor had model kits stacked so high it would take an afternoon just to browse through them all. Vintage kits along with all new. Model rockets too! Just loved it! The basement floor was full of model railroad supplies. 3rd floor was all RC related things and 4th floor was where they had meetings and club events.

Most RC tracks around here closed as well except for one but it is no where near as nice as the one you posted here. I wish my kids could have experienced the great RC boom in the 80's and 90's like us old timers got to live through. It taught me so many things about electronics, building, painting, troubleshooting, etc.

It seems the internet killed all the locally owned hobby shops. I much prefer to see what I am buying in person and support local businesses. The locally owned stores just had more unique things and variety. Most big chain stores feel so generic to me.

[TRX-1-3]

Total bummer, man. It's just not the same these days.

The smell of rubber tires, C/A glue, motor spray, solder flux, dirt, hot electronics, and popcorn........

We're all old.

[RPMfieldtester]

It seems the internet killed all the locally owned hobby shops. I much prefer to see what I am buying in person and support local businesses. The locally owned stores just had more unique things and variety. Most big chain stores feel so generic to me.

I always hear this and contend that yes, the internet hurt some sales at the counter but the manufacturers were no help. Trying to stock parts to fit all of the popular cars and trucks and the many, many versions is a nightmare. Racing and the racer's mentality of "got to have the latest greatest" is a battle that few shop owners want to participate in for very long...
Owning and trying to run a facility that big must have been more work than anyone in their right mind would want to be involved with...too bad, looks like a fun place...