Not Quite the End of an Era

 The Thrifty Rocketeer blog continues...

Several months ago, I posted a column on the end of one of the largest old-style Hardware stores in the region.  It had a huge hobby department that had been maintained for years by a senior advisor for our rocketry club.  Upon his passing, the department dwindled.

It was a sad posting, and it garnered the largest audience I ever had in the history of this blog.

Today, I am sad to say it is my duty to inform you of the demise of their competition...  A modern hobby shop that caters to the RC truck enthusiast in the area.  Among the myriad RC kits, batteries, contraptions, etc. ... is a very small display of model rocket kits and parts. And hidden among the rest of the store are similar products that one might need in constructing these kits... glues, epoxy, CA, paints, paint brushes, sand paper, knives, etc.

However, the owners of this more modern hobby & RC shop have decided to retire.  

That means, they are closing down their brick & mortar store.  That also means that they have been informing their clients and customers for two months, as well as establishing a 25% off across most of the store.  In some areas, a red dot means 50% off, but this is not the case for the rockets.

Among the "kits" that are left, are the Riptide, the Tazer, the Vesta Intruder and the Mars Longship.  There's also a number of unwanted "Leaper" devices that no one has touched since they were introduced.  There are at least two Estes style launch pads as well as parachutes, launch wadding and ignitors.

There's still a double row of hang pegs with any number of blister packs of motors, from 1/2A3-4 all the way up to E9-4 with many different values.  However, a number of the hangers are empty with reorder tags visible...never to be refilled.

Now, I have heard that after this month, the remaining stock will be moved to a warehouse, where the goods will be made available via the internet or perhaps eBay.  But somehow, I don't think it will be the same as walking into the store, past all the rest of the merchandise, and hunting up your desired parts.

I'm not sure how people will find their on-line store, and how they will be able to afford the shipping on top of the retail price for these items. But that's their business.

The point is that yet another source of hobby materials is going under here in the region. This leaves us with ONLY a big box store of "craft items" that goes under the initial "H L" as the sole source for rocketry supplies.

In my case, there is one such store 42 miles west of me via an expressway, or 42 miles east of me via another divided highway.  NOTHING in between.

Now, you may be thinking that this forms an opportunity for me to enter the market and establish such a shop in my small university town.  Unfortunately, I don't think so, as our local hobby store in the mall closed many years before I ever got into the hobby. I don't even know if they had any rocketry items, 'cause I never looked.

Now, you may be right, that the lack of hobby stores might make for a good location for a rocketry club, perhaps centered around the local library.... a place where young men and women that don't have their nose stuck in scrolling their smart phones could gather and build together.  Now, there MIGHT be interest in building a rocketry club... but without a supplier of kits and motors locally, I'm not certain how long the interest might last.

Still, when there were hobby shops in adjacent towns, one by one, they closed down as couples and families retired.

Perhaps it's time to retire.

What do you think?
The Thrifty Rocketeer would like your thoughts on this...