New Train Store

[RobertInOntario]

Four words for a little kid's area: THOMAS THE TANK ENGINE. That way you can have the little'uns busy while the parents shop. Plus you might also want to sell some of those wooden Thomas toys. They are still a big hit and can really generate some revenue easily. By the way, What's the new store gonna be called? "The Gauge"?

That's what happens to me when I take my two boys to one of my favourite LHS's. The boys go off to the Thomas (Brio) table and I go off and look at the model trains and chat with staff. It's great, because the kids are occupied, I can still keep an eye on them as well as focus on looking at model train stuff !

Rob

 

[Cannonball]

Well I am excited!

I just rented a space and will be opening a hobby shop just for model railroaders! The shop is within one block of The Northern Ontario Railroad Museum, A large CN Yard and a Via Rail station!

So if anyone ever is up this way, stop in!

David

That is too cool, David. :thumb:

I'd love to do something like that if I wasn't affraid of losing my shirt.

 

[stripes]

Train shop

A guy once told me that the only way to make a small fortune in model railroading is to spend a large fortune! So who knows! I am going to do my best, and as I always told my wife, "If this does not work, I am going to have one heck of a layout!"
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David

 

[N Gauger]

A guy once told me that the only way to make a small fortune in model railroading is to spend a large fortune! So who knows! I am going to do my best, and as I always told my wife, "If this does not work, I am going to have one heck of a layout!"
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David

Yeah - that's a Take off of the Million phrase.....

If you want to make a million dollars, just start with 5 Million... and then invest it..... :mrgreen::mrgreen:

 

[Cannonball]

I always told my wife, "If this does not work, I am going to have one heck of a layout!"
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Hopefully she doesn't have to accuse you of failing just to get the layout.

 

[60103]

Best of luck, David. If I get to Capreol again, I'll stop in. (last time was on the train and we only stopped long enough to shuffle the cars around.)
Think hard about Thomas. Our LHS has a Thomas morning on Saturdays and the kids go wild with the wooden tracks and things. It doesn't hurt that one of the employees is willing to dress up as Sir Toppam Hatt.

 

[stripes]

orders

will you take on line orders from the usa?

I already do, Model Rail Structures :thumb:

David

 

[stripes]

Got the Keys Today !!

Well I now have more work than I know what to do with. I got the keys to my little shop today! Here are a couple of pictures. I will post more as it gets going.

Outside;

Inside, all 210 sq. ft. of it !

David

 

[CNWman]

I see potential here. Here's an idea: You make the store seem like the inside of a caboose, and you call it "Dave's Caboose of Model Trains"

 

[stripes]

Update on store

Well I have been open for 3 days now and so far so good. Here are a few pictures of the shop;

And the beggining of the layout ! :thumb:

 

[N Gauger]

Neat!! Looks like you're making progress

 

[MasonJar]

Nice work David! Looks like it's coming together.

Andrew

 

[wickman]

Way to go David. Is the layout going to be sponsored in part by your suppliers?

 

[Russ Bellinis]

David, I don't know how I missed this thread until it got to be 3 pages ong, but congrats on the new train shop. I would like to add my $.02. On the layout I notice a couple of things. I think the first thing I noticed is that it is probably too big for the space you have available. I think you may need that space for products, unless the store front you are renting is bigger than it appears from the pictures. The second thing that comes to mind is to take a lesson from museums featuring model trains. The Model Railroad Museum in San Diego is an exception to the rule because they have crews doing operation on weekends so they use all of the sidings they have built during those times, but generally your in store layout will have trains on it and just be left running. The switches will probably not be used much. Most train museum layouts consist of variations on an oval theme. They may wind and meander a bit, but the trains will disappear into tunnels and reappear again but they will just run in circles through scenery. I think for the Thomas trains, I would make a small "coffee table" sized layout with the track pieces put together and srewed to the table and then let the kids play with the trains. Put it near the back of the store so that you can keep an eye on it to foil thieves, but expect that some of the Thomas trains will disappear and need to be replaced.

 

[stripes]

Lynn, what a great idea! I will be on that first thing Monday morning LOL!

Russ, The store is small, only 210 sq. ft. but I wanted to get an attraction to draw people in. And yes the layout uses alot of real estate but, Instead of using skirting around the bench work, I will be putting up pegboard to hang track, switches etc...
I also held my first how to clinic yesterday! Had 3 kids in who learned how to make hydrocal castings. When they were leaving one of the boys said to his friend " That was so cool"
The sales for the week and excitement of opening a store were nothing compared to that one little comment!

David

 

[bigsteel]

hey,sounds like you got a good thing goin for ya david.and your post is true-some of the smallest comments mean the most.and heres my .02 cents,make your layout interchangeable with other structures,trains,scenery,etc and put in new things for advertising.to show what the finished product looks like and how it can be used to customers.good luck :thumb: --josh

 

[stripes]

I plan on doing just that Josh! And as Lynn sugested I am going to try and get my suppliers to donate product for the layout. All they can do is say NO, right. LOL