Pages

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Hard times for model shops.

I popped into the local Ma and Pa plastic model shop in town the other day to have a browse and a wee chat with the owner. I got put onto him ages ago by a mate who used to build the odd Normandy diorama, and over the years we've got reasonably friendly. As my only local hobby contact, I look forward to our occasional conversations about painting, kitsets or terrain. He has masses of stock and even though I don't build plastic models I can get lost in there looking at what he's got in or what he's currently building and thirty minutes will go by in a flash.  He's a really nice guy, so I always try and buy a few things from him when I'm in that part of town; flock, paint brushes and such like.

Anyway, I must have caught him on a bad day, because when I asked how things were going he replied with uncharacteristic seriousness. It turns out that business is bad going on worse, and that it has got to the stage that his sons are not interesting in continuing with the store when he retires. Ten to fifteen years ago, he reckoned, he used to have a lot of customers through his shop, mostly children, and mostly on weekends. They'd get model kits as presents and spend their pocket money to get more, they'd ask to look at the displays he has, would ask for advice on building and painting, and would use the track he has set up for radio controlled cars. Nowadays, by contrast, the children don't come in at all. The customers he does get are all largely adult males who were once modellers as children.

To lighten the mood he joked that I could take over the store when he was gone, but he may have been a bit more serious than he let on.

We nattered on for a while and in commiserating with him I asked whether he had tried selling through the local version of ebay.  He shook his head and said that he didn't want to do it because a) he likes talking to his customers, not just selling to them, and b) some internet buyers can be very demanding, and that dealing with those kinds of people is exhausting and can put your reputation at risk.

There wasn't much I could say to cheer him up, but I agreed with him wholeheartedly that it was very sad to see a once-popular and much-loved hobby no longer able to compete for attention against other forms of entertainment.

It made me think about our own hobby. I'm not much of a proselytizer for wargaming, but I would hate to see wargaming going the same way.  The thing wargaming has in its favour over modelling is that it is a broad hobby with many facets to it.  There's room for the modeller, the painter (and the painting services user...) the  casual gamer and the competitive gamer. You can be a rules writer or a rules lawyer; a social type or a misanthrope. It's not only about building things, but also about using them in an imaginative way, and I think there is more satisfaction to be had in employing your troops on a tabletop than there is in only seeing them on display in a glass case.

And what about the no kids situation? I don't know if this is such a big problem with wargaming.  My parents were not wargamers, and with the odd exception, nor were the parents or relatives of my wargaming buddies. I came to organised wargaming (ie, with rules and self-painted figures and whatnot) in my early thirties, when I had some disposable income and less desire to spend that income on nights out on the tiles.

So, while my friend's hobby store situation is a cautionary tale, I don't think wargaming needs to worry just yet.

But I'd like to throw this open to readers.

Is there a correlation between model making and wargaming?  Does it worry you if associated hobbies start to feel the pinch?  Are kids of your acquaintance interested in  modelling or wargaming?

Are wargaming parents important? In your experience, are they a pathway into the hobby for youngsters?

It would be good to hear your thoughts.

To finish on a happier note, here is what I got from the model shop the other day. 1/700 buildings, dirt cheap, that will work splendidly with my 1/300 figures. I would never have found these over the internet, and in my view any hobby would be much the poorer without people like my model shop mate who keep things going with their knowledge and enthusiasm.






22 comments:

  1. So why don't you take over the business? As I understand it Japanese homes are small, if you introduced a place to play games with a couple of large tables you could possibly make a real going concern of the place.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, it's a nice idea, but it wouldn't really be my thing, unfortunately!

      Delete
  2. Like you said I don't think we need to worry.

    As to the young uns, I dont think having wargaming parents really matters or not. Im obviously a wargamer, but my 2 teenage sons look at me like im a mad person when I suggest having a game to them!

    There are however quite a few kids in the local area, according to my youngest son, who are into 40k etc. Love or hate GW, they catch the imagination of the kids.

    Steve

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I agree. Still, sad to see a local institution on the wane.

      Delete
  3. Life's a circle. Given the progress of retro, there is a good chance that modelling etc will become trendy. It is nice to have something tangible and modelling provides a sense of completeness over the transitory nature of computer games. And it is even better when you can play games with your models (as well as research and engage in a bit of social interaction).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You might be right. In five years people could start coming back, you never know.

      Delete
  4. I got into war gaming from modelling - I wanted to be able to play a game with the models I was making and the rest is history. I have a tough time getting my 11-year-old to play war games with me - he will on occasion but the f'ing video games have ruined his mind. My 6-year-old is still a tad too young for most gaming but we play simple stuff now and then (basic GASLIGHT rules) and he enjoys it greatly. A year or two....

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My kids love boardgames with figures, so I'm thinking of picking up some dungeon terrain and going from there...

      Delete
  5. I would think that 30% of the wargamers do a little modelling but purely in support of the wargaming hobby

    A parent who is a wargamer is a good route into the hobby but not so usual.

    Kit making a a hooby for kids does sem almost extinct so that is a route that is pretty much dead

    I think computer gaming is actually a postive force for miniatures wargaming - the basic structre of a game with rules is much the same - the number of 'gamers' must have increasd hugely since computer games were invented

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Encouragingly, a few facebook friends have said that their kids love modelling, so maybe it's not all doom and gloom. I only ever wanted to play with models, not make them, so I guess wargaming was the natural route for me to take.

      Delete
  6. Yeah, there's sort of a relationship between wargaming and modelling hobbies. They both attract people who tend to be detail-oriented (either aesthetic or rule-wise) and who have disposable income and time to spend on something that's considered a bit niche in the first place. However, I don't think one is a bellwether for the other, unless you start looking at where the two hobbies meet (miniatures). Personally, I've looked at prices for models online and in my local hobby shop and I find the online prices to be fairly competitive.

    Ordering online also spares me the hassle of fighting Saturday traffic to get down there only to be followed around the store like a criminal for the duration of my visit. It sounds like you've got a positive experience there at your local shop but I've yet to visit a hobby shop here that could be considered friendly and I suspect I'm not the only one. I would also bet just the overall reputation of most shops (due to the demeanor of many owners) has turned off quite a few people from bothering to return there.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, you're probably right Brad. This guy is a bit of a treasure, so I feel for him more than I did for the other model shop that closed down a while ago.

      Delete
  7. Hey Aaron,

    So to let you know...and perhaps make you jealous...I can name 3 game stores and 1 hobby shop within a 15 minute drive or less from my house. There are two other game stores within 30 minutes of my house. The latter two would be the place to go to get a proper table top game in.

    I think we would need to influence our kids in playing wargames. What young boy doesn't like fighting right? Girls are a different matter. My daughter is completely averse to any sort of combat but she does like the miniatures. Other girls will have no problem playing wargames. I suspect there are plenty of boys out there who are equally averse to wargames and conflict.

    Of all the game stores in my area, there are two staples that keep them going: Magic the Gathering cards and GW 40K products. As well, wargame supplies are a big money maker (paints brushes flock etc). Only one store has any kind of historical selection in miniatures. He is willing to order miniatures for me which is how the business used to be. I generally do place orders through him because I want to see his business succeed. It does cost a couple of dollars more though.

    For my area, there is a different problem. No more clubs. I game very occasionally with some guys about 30 minutes away. It is the closest thing I have to a club. The old NOVAG group is a much loser, less formal group these days. Compared to 35 years ago, I used to game in a club once a week for 5 years. Met several of my good friends today there. But the club president went away to college and nobody took up the mantel. So that club was lost to the ages. Good times and good memories I stll have.

    John

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You sound like you're one of the lucky ones as far as hobby and games stores go, John! I guess you still have a bit of work to do training up the kids to make up for the dearth of nearby opponents though ;-)

      Delete
  8. Here in the States the local model hobby shop has been crushed. No longer do I have a model shop to go to where I could buy kits and see them first hand, but more importantly all the military history books, board games that they would carry, and yes of course miniatures. No longer do you see the kids building model kits because other things have taken that place.

    What has arisen to take that place is what I call the card flopper shops. Yep. Not much in model kits unless it has something to do with war gaming and then it's fantasy or SciFi. Now this is not a bad thing as the shop owners are still smart enough to be diverse in product by carrying other things, but one thing and one thing only really keeps them pumping and that's the card floppers.

    At first I didn't have much respect for card floppers, but that has changed over the years. Now I have come to see them as a means to an end. Without them I don't have a shop to walk into. So god bless those card floppers, every one of them I say.

    Times are a changing my friends and like anything it's adapt or die.

    Whatever you do Aaron do NOT get into the business unless you are knowledgeable about what's going on in the industry. A shop to survive must have a club room for kids to hang out in and card flop. You also better be savy with the internet. Unlike your friend, who seems to be stuck in the good ole days, he has too many years involved in what he knows and times have passed him by.

    I personally think Japan is a bit behind in this transition because of their strength in the model making business, especially when it comes to Gundam, Anime, etc.

    Now a days kids have to many over things that distract those fingers. Keyboards, phones, etc. etc. It's a new age, and us old timers, thank god, have the internet as well or we would be doomed.

    Cheers
    Kevin

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, model-making is (or has been) very much a mainstream hobby for boys over here. Until recently there were massive selections of models anywhere that sells toys. I have noticed lately in some shops that the model sections are getting smaller, and instead of carrying two full paint ranges they will now only carry one, and you have to hunt around a bit more for sprays and things.

      That's why it's bad news me that this guy doesn't get kids coming in anymore: the bigger stores must also be noticing this trend too.

      As you say though, the shops that diversify are the ones that seem to thrive. He's probably a bit long in the tooth to want to do that now though.

      Delete
  9. Sorry to hear about the old fellow. I started with 1/48 scale WW II tanks and planes when I was 11. All those lovely models did inspire me but it is a different world today.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I was a 1/72 and 1/76 man - Matchbox, mainly - but I was always more concerned with playing than modelling! Still am, which is unfortunate for the lead pile!

      Delete
  10. One of the first posts on my blog detailed the death of a hobby shop that I had gone to for years:

    http://bybrushandsword.blogspot.com/2013/01/the-death-of-hobby-store.html

    It was a real shame, and I can definitely point to the store as a real influence on my current interest in models and wargaming.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for sharing, Brian. That's a good post. I'm trying to follow your blog, but the follower function seems to be on the blink at the moment. Will keep at it!

      Delete
  11. Aaron, There used to be several wargaming shops in my local city (5 miles away) but now there are none. Its all internet and one man band shops are few and far between. Adapt and survive is the MO of today unfortunately not diversify and thrive.

    As to the question of the OP, for me a simple yes. I made many an airfix kit as well as diorama's using 1 in 72nd scale figures which lead on to a modelling club which lead onto wargaming.

    In respect of my parents, my dad loved board wargames and so I tried this but found it didnt quite hit the spot. I progressed via friends to wargaming with miniatures and have kept an interest ever since. My own kids arent interested but then I didnt expect them to be as I have a realistic view of the world in which we live . Its pretty much all video games and a small splinter of SciFi and fantasy RPG and "wargaming" but at least its out there and there is a tenuous link to our own hobby. Maybe there is enough trickle factor to keep it all going but I will hazard to say that the loss of the high street shops is a piece of my childhood that will sadly not come back

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for your thoughts, Dave. Last time I was back in NZ the hobby shops I knew had either gone or downsized. No GW section in the local Toyworld any more, for example. We are lucky to have the internet, but it's not so good for the local shopkeepers, I suppose.

      Delete