I stopped by the Safeway store at 196th and 99 in Lynnwood last week. On my way out, I noticed that something about nearby Galaxy Hobby looked odd. On closer inspection, my fears were confirmed: They had gone out of business. I've posted before about the demise of the hobby shop. Galaxy's end is just another sad chapter in that ongoing story.
Galaxy opened for business back in 1995 as a local hobby shop. For quite a while it was a going concern. They never carried miniatures, but they were a go-to place for me for other types of supplies: glue, paint, scenic material, and hobby tools. There was also a lot of nostalgia to it as I looked over the model selection and saw all the old Tamiya, Airfix, Italeri, Monogram, etc. kits that I knew so well as a boy. I haven't built a 1/35th scale plastic model since the 1970s, but I built many growing up and treasure the memories.
As I've opined previously, the newer generations of kids have many more distractions to keep them away from the hobby of building plastic models or cars, tanks, planes, and rockets or building model railroads. The customer base for hobby shops just isn't there like it was in the heydays of the '60s through the '80s. There's also the ongoing factor of the erosion of mom 'n' pop stores in the age of the Internet and competition from larger stores. Part of Galaxy's descent can be traced to the fact that a huge Hobby Lobby store opened next door to it about 5 years ago.
My contribution to Galaxy's livelihood wasn't significant, but I tried to keep my business regular. I think I took for granted that they would always be around, even though at the same time I worried about how long they would be. But I should make a few mea culpas here and admit that I found it increasingly easier to get my supplies online than make the trip to the local shop and find that they don't have what I want.
Now that option is gone and I can't help feeling that I'm a part of the reason why.
The only kind of hobby shop around anymore is Hobby Town, which is a kind of vanilla chain in my opinion. It lacks the charm of the family-owned business, even if they are franchises.
I mentioned D&J Hobbies & Crafts in that older post. My first job was working there in the late 70s. The shop grew up a lot and relocated to a larger space after I left. It remained big for a long time until the owners retired. Their son, whom I remember as a baby when I worked there, tried to make a go of a scaled-down version of the original store. Sadly, that venture crashed. The allure is gone.
In the death of Galaxy Hobby I see the reflection of all the hobby shops I've known and loved since my youth: Houston's Hobbies, D&J Hobbies & Crafts, San Antonio Hobbies, American Eagles. They added something to the wonder and enjoyment of life. They brought out a creative impulse that has made me a better person. I grieve that the newer generations will forego the pleasure.
Adieu, Galaxy Hobby. I can still buy all I need online (for now?), but it will be a less personal experience.
No comments:
Post a Comment