This topic (about Local Hobby Shops and their future) arises almost every week or so on the various forums and conversations I have with industry colleagues. Our economic system is without a doubt in trouble. Yet each day new businesses continue to enter into the marketplace or existing ones reinvent themselves to adapt to the ever changing trends. Many of the new entrants will fail for several possible reasons, as will established businesses. There is no one pill that a business owner can take to prevent eventual death in the retail marketplace. However, there are preventative measures to remain healthy and viable until the time of their choosing to make an exit, one such measure being education.
The emphasis on the Local Hobby Shop’s (LHS) survival is forefront in this hobby. It is a similar story which has effected other retail establishments such as family-owned book, drug, sporting goods, bakeries, five & dime, butcher and appliance stores, to name a few. Each has had environmental and evolutionary changes. Main Street gave way to highway bypasses that took traffic (customers) away from the once cherished and profitable locale.
Single, stand-alone operations lost out to chains and franchises. In many cases this was a change that was inevitable because the owners of the local little shop reached the end of their tenure, much like a farmer who has no one to continue on the tradition of the family’s farm.
Retailers who failed to adapt and grow with the community and its needs succumb to those who have read the tea leaves and acted appropriately. As with the fast food industry, we all know who the major players are…McDonalds, Hardees, Wendy’s and KFC. Yet there are regional operators who are gaining ground in that marketplace because they have the ability to identify and react to consumers’ wants and needs. Companies such as Culver’s have created a large geographical footprint in the marketplace within the US. They potentially have the ability to give the larger national franchises a hard run for consumer dollars.
So what is the future of the LHS? Many are searching for this answer. It could be that the end is near OR that a new breed of LHS is about to evolve…a store that specializes in hobbies, collectibles, toys and items of scientific interest. Could such companies as HobbyTown USA be poised to capitalize on this? I don’t know, but regardless of what happens, some hard business decisions need to be made.
Hard decisions need to be made not just by one of the “players” but by everyone involved…manufacturers, distributors and retailers. All have to plan and make those tough choices. Consumers also play a role in this. As prices continue to soar, what is the upper limit they are willing to spend for merchandise related to their interests? Will this necessitate the elimination of the “middle man” to trim final costs to the consumer? In other industries the distributor tier has been eliminated to keep costs competitive.
No, I haven’t forgotten the role the Internet retailer has on this industry either. Do not forget that it was once feared that Amazon was going to put all brick and mortar bookstores out of business, yet even with their huge customer base and sales volume, Barnes & Noble and Borders still exist and thrive in the same marketplace. The doom and gloom rhetoric spouted about Internet retailing being the cause of the demise of the LHS is based on misinformation perpetuated by those few who don’t have command of the facts.
Internet retailers have one basic difference in their business model…they don’t conduct face to face interactions with their customers. There are advantages and disadvantages to either business model, but they must be managed in exactly the same way and able to adapt to an ever changing market. The scale and scope of Internet retailing is as diverse as it is for the LHS. Success or failure boils down to the business decisions made by the owner/manager. I’ll touch more on this particular topic later.
Will the LHS survive? I hope so, but in what form I don’t know. If it follows the trends of other similar businesses, it might be found not on Main Street, but out on the bypass near the mall, bigger and better than ever!
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