Hattons closing
Discussion
Eric Mc said:
Hattons had quite a large on-line service.
I expect operating from a large, old style, shop premises didn't help.
Yep. A shop counter, where you can actually go up to someone who knows and ask 'Have you got one like this?' is just a hindrance these days if your customer base is national or global.I expect operating from a large, old style, shop premises didn't help.
I mostly hunt for things to do with model boats, so with a few exceptions most roads lead either to Cornwall Model Boats (not as good since Sarah left) and Hobbies.
Eric Mc said:
Hattons had quite a large on-line service.
I expect operating from a large, old style, shop premises didn't help.
I bet a lease renewal - or retirement - was coming up.
I still recall Cove Models closing down. Very sad to lose that facility to wander in with an old Scalextric car I'd just picked up online or at a car boot sale, and someone in the shop would have a rummage through a load of drawers upstairs and come up with most, sometimes all of the missing bits. Or even being trusted to search through those spares drawers yourself. Great for "resto-mod" repairs/upgrades on slot cars that had little to no originality value in them. Scalextric didn't seem to support spares for older cars at the time, so it was only places that had plenty of "new, old stock" stuff tucked away that could help. Sadly I'm not a very good customer of model/hobby shops these days. My Scalextric collection is boxed and stored away, and I've got rid of almost all my Hornby railway stuff, only keeping those items that I was sentimentally attached to. As for plastic kits? I've got a bunch of things (in various states of completion) under a bed in the house, but haven't actually taken part in the hobby for about 20 years. My last attempt at a 1:72 aircraft was a Revell P-51A Mustang that never got further than painting the interior and assembling the cockpit. I was building it alongside my son who was building a Spitfire Mk 1A he'd been given as a gift, but his simpler approach meant he was finished long before I was, and so my kit fell by the wayside when he decided that model making wasn't the hobby he wanted to take up.I expect operating from a large, old style, shop premises didn't help.
I bet a lease renewal - or retirement - was coming up.
Just told my dad as he's a regular customer, of their original single-front Smithdown Road show, their multi-front corner Smithdown Road shop, and their Widnes unit at the bottom of the A5300.
It won't stop him buying all this stuff, but we won't be able to get rid of him as easily for a few hours anymore
It won't stop him buying all this stuff, but we won't be able to get rid of him as easily for a few hours anymore
Simpo Two said:
Sad but predictable I suppose when you can click a mouse and order anything from anywhere.
Galaxy Models was a very well-known model shop in Ipswich but that disappeared 15+ years ago in the first wave of the internet.
From what I've heard through local modelling friends, Galaxy was actually still quite viable. The owner wanted to retire, but couldn't find anyone to take it on, so closed it.Galaxy Models was a very well-known model shop in Ipswich but that disappeared 15+ years ago in the first wave of the internet.
eccles said:
From what I've heard through local modelling friends, Galaxy was actually still quite viable. The owner wanted to retire, but couldn't find anyone to take it on, so closed it.
Ah right, I didn't realise that. He only seemed about 50; we did a great project in Brunei with a r/c helicopter.Gassing Station | Scale Models | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff