Hobby shops have been in poor shape many years in the south. They had MSRP prices and not used trains or model plane motors. In the 1960s I had to buy by mail from Sig balsa wood and others for model dope. We had a music store that sold a few models and Testor's glue. Trains were not much in the sticks of south Texas. We even took to making our own model airplane fuel as we had adults, that worked chemical plants, with access to methanol and nitrobenzene and a friends Dad owned a drug store for castor oil.
Prices for all hobby stuff is sky high. I just went to Hobby Lobby with the wife and no kid can afford anything they have. Our local hobby shop is well stocked with lots of planes, plastic models and model car stuff with a couple of Lionel cheap low end train sets and a few HO things. Best deals there are old out of date model paints.
We do have a good O gauge train shop, Electric Train Depot, in Ponchatoula, LA, with three layouts but is only open, 10 to 4 on Saturdays. They have a good selection of new and used trains. I hope they make it.
It current times with kids and adults messing with devices, TV and sports, most do not have the spare time it takes to have a hobby like model trains.
Charlie
