What Is Your Local Hobby Store?

What is your local hobby store? It is unfortunate that local hobby stores, specifically ones that cater to roleplaying, seem to a dying breed. Kurt Wiegel at Game Geeks recently reviewed three of the best hobby stores that he has been to. It got me thinking about the different hobby stores that have been in my local area over the years and others that I have visited across the country. I wanted to put a couple questions out there to everyone. What is your local hobby store that you go to (if you have one)? What are some of the best hobby stores that you have been to across the nation? And, if you’re a hobby store owner, tell us about your store?!

I currently live in Reno, Nevada. We’ve had several local hobby stores over the years that have carried roleplaying games. The old school local hobby store that I remember the best was Rad Games. It was the local hobby store that got me started with played roleplaying games like Battletech, Shadowrun, Star Wars (D6), and yes… Dungeons & Dragons. But alas, Rad Games is no more. Like many game stores it closed its doors many years ago due to the economy at the time and the inability of our area to consistently support gaming.

The second local hobby store I used to go to was Hobbies of Reno. They carried roleplaying books, miniatures, and various types of model cars, trains, and airplanes. Over the years, they gradually weeded out their roleplaying selection till the point they are at now where they no longer carry any roleplaying items. The store is still around but I haven’t been to it in years since it no longer carries anything that I, personally, am interested in.

This leads me to the only local hobby store that still exists in the Reno/Sparks, Nevada area, Heroes Games & Hobbies. This store is your classical roleplaying, miniatures, and hobbies store. They carry roleplaying books, miniatures, board games, card games, dice, and pretty much anything a gamer would want. They have an area off to the side of the merchandise floor with several tables that you can game at. It is my only local outlet for roleplaying books besides the larger chain book stores, like Barnes & Noble or Borders. So…

What is your local hobby store that you go to (if you have one)?

What are some of the best hobby stores that you have been to across the nation?

And, if you’re a hobby store owner, tell us about your store?!

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