The End of the Line

 The Thrifty Rocketeer blog continues...

Well, for years, the state of the model rocket industry relied upon plans and patterns that were photocopied or printed out, and then applied to standard sheets of balsa to be cut out.

Eventually, the various parts for various sized rockets were packaged in groups or blister packs, and sold at hobby shops across the nation.  The emphasis was on home brew or building a rocket to specifications and plans.

Eventually, entire kits were pre-packaged, with all the parts that one would need.  And then, laser cut shapes, fins or parts were already pre-cut, doing away with the need for most of the patterns and tracing.

So what happened to all those bags and bister packs of parts of rockets?  That is, a baggie of various nose cones... or connectors... or transitions or more ?   Many of  those packages remain at your local mom and pop hobby store, just waiting for someone to come in and buy some of their pegboard stock.  And the number and frequency of these items dwindled.

Eventually, only supply houses and a handful of hobby supply companies still had these, including Estes Rockets themselves.

But a few mom and pop stores, with diverse hobby interests, held onto these parts.   And one by one,  the mom and pop shops went out of business...through retirement... or increase in rent...or being bought out.

One such place was a hardware store in 45 miles away in Ohio.  This was an old fashioned hardware store, where you could find unique hardware, handles, fixtures, and hobby parts.  The hobby department was managed by a tall, large man who we will call Joe.  Joe kept an eye on the stock, and what was selling. But he also participated in the hobbies in which they had parts... RC Planes, Model Rockets, etc.  In this way, he could keep his finger on the pulse of the hobby and keep a varied stock to appeal to hobbyists.

The rest of the world moved on toward Hobby Lobby and exclusive deals for prepackaged kits... but there was always a need to repair a fin, replace a nosecone, or shorten a body tube, or replace a melted parachute.  And his hobby department was one place where you not only could find it, but also get some good advice on how to build it right.

After several decades, Joe approached retirement age, and  developed some health issues.  He reduced his hours, but still kept an eye on stock levels and re-ordering.

I was fortunate, because I not only visited the hardware store on the way to my first ever launch across state, but I bought my first rocket kit from them. I was advised that if I had any construction skills, I would master this simple rocket too quickly and become bored. But I assured the clerk that I had NO experience with rockets, and wanted to start with a Skill Level 2 rocket. I bought a Freedom Two kit.

And I was right, as I didn't have paint, glue, nor experience yet.  But I grew into it, and learned quickly.

Whenever I had a question, Joe was there to help...whether at the club rocket launch or in the hobby department. He was a great father figure.

Five years ago Joe passed, and we were all caught off-guard.  We remember him fondly.  But we also continued to grow in the hobby.  And Hobby Lobby kept taking a larger amount of the field. There also was a smaller store that sprouted up in his city, and catered directly to many new aspects of the hobby field...RC Trucks and drones.

I tried to swing by to Joe's when passing through town and check the Hobby Department to see what was left on the rack.  I also left feeling there were a lot of "parts" but not a great depth of kits or rockets for me. But the parts were varied enough that you could find something to patch up your rocket, or build from scratch.  But it wasn't clear if you could find ALL the parts you needed at one stop.  And so, I didn't buy as much from them.  And I watched their stock collect dust.

Eventually, the hardware store owner has decided to retire.  And just this week, I heard through the grapevine that the entire contents of the store were being marked down to 50% through the end of the month.

I drove up to visit, and found the old barriers where the hobby department had been, were dismantled, and stock was condensed. Eventually I found the remains of the rocketry pegboard wall and the motors, as well as the largely picked over epoxy/glue display. 

But now, the mark down percentage was 65% and the end date had been moved up to the week before the end of the month.   I started shopping.  I found myself picking bags of parts off the pegboard because, "Who knows when I'll ever find one of these again?"

I could always use a red nylon parachute, but how often would I need a NC-20 nosecone... or NC-50... or all those odds and ends in motor sizes.  There were transitions, and nosecones, parachutes and boosters.  And that doesn't even include all the parts, propellers and wings for the model airplanes, just one row over.

I also noted the traditional Roller Derby track that stayed permanently set up in the department. Though I had never seen it in use, I am convinced that the area cub scouts and boy scouts would gather there annually to buy their supplies and then race their cars. 

Eventually, I winnowed my choices down and found I was getting $100 dollars in retail parts for just $35 plus tax.  I figured I could justify this as the single largest item was a PRO II Series launch controller, marked down from $45 to just $15.

I checked out with my parts and drove home, thinking of Joe and how this was the end of another era. Not only had we lost him, but we had lost his life's work.  I didn't know his family, but I knew he loved that shop... that's why he had stayed on and managed the stock, even after retiring.  The same stock that I had just been raiding.

I don't know how much will be left at the end of the month, but I think I'll make one more visit... just for Joe.

This is the end of the line for the greatest Mom and Pop store I have ever visited.