FYI....After 35 years in business, Engine House Hobbies has gone out of business. It was my go-to place for Lionel and MTH repairs. Sadly, it joins a long list of other train and hobby stores recently closing.
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I was very glad to have run across and chat with Ron Cerise and his wife Lucy yesterday at the Orange Hall at York. They were Engine House Hobbie's proprietors from the late 1990s until about the 2010s (can't recall the exact years). Wonderful people!
Retailing in general is going through a wrenching realignment. There is nothing really surprising about that fact since the industry changes significantly from one era to another. Think about all the great downtown stores long gone. Think about all the retail brands like Woolworth’s that disappeared.
Now even giant shopping malls are struggling. Reports are that the big double-decker Westfield Mall in my town may be closing up soon . Would have been unthinkable just a few years ago.
The only constant is change. Still, I sorely miss so many of the old retail establishments.
I went to Engine House Hobbies when Ron and Lucy owned it. The new owners moved the operation few blocks away from the old. Still right next to the tracks! Good folks and best of all, an authorized Lionel and MTH repair station. Those are getting scarcer than hen's teeth. They will be missed. Owner is retiring and the left over inventory will go to an auction house so he does not have to burden his family with that aspect of the store.
Engine House Hobbies was a great store! I knew both Ron and Lucy from back in the 2000s. They had just moved the store to its' current/final location not long before I became familiar with the store back in the mid 2000s. Ken Ferlic who bought the store from Ron and Lucy around 2010? Over the years I purchased a plethora of trains items from Engine House Hobbies. I always liked going there just to hang out and talk trains. Ken always made me feel welcome at the store and we had many great conversations about model trains, real trains, music and creativity in general. Not many train stores could boast a 1:1 scale CSX/Amtak railroad ( the B&O's former Metropolitan Division ) running just outside their door! Engine House Hobbies could! I hold the honor of being Engine House Hobby's final retail customer when in store retail sales ceased back in March.
The repairman at Engine House, Louie D'Angelo is first rate! He can fix all makes of toy/model trains and is a bastion of knowledge! He repaired many of my engines and cars. I'm sure many of us will miss his expertise and craftsmanship.
After many year of owning the store Ken decided to close it because he had other projects to which he wanted to devote his time. While still in good health, it made sense for him to embark on these projects. As rents became increasingly higher it didn't make sense to keep the store open just to pay the landlord and keep the lights on.
@trumpettrain posted:The repairman at Engine House Louie D'Angelo is first rate! He can fix all makes of toy/model trains and is a bastion of knowledge! He repaired many of my engines and cars. I'm sure many of us will miss his expertise and craftsmanship.
Totally agree!!! Louie would do many of my repairs right on the spot. He always knew how to fix things without looking at the manual. He really enjoyed his work and helped so many people.
