Mid-Virginia Radio Control Club

The lack of a good local hobby shop is going to leave those of us participating in the hobby with a significant void. Sure, there’s mail-order and online purchasing. There are Internet forums in which we participate that allow us to develop communities unbound by geographic distance, yet consolidated by our particular interests. But these will never replace the fond experiences we grew up with: walking through the door to encounter a buffet of eye candy, stocked on shelves and gently swinging from the ceiling as if to be suspended in time, not just string.

There were usually a few folks to encounter and chew the fat with, both from your own and other clubs. Products to pick up and fondle, even those that fell outside the your usual range of interest. There was a tangible anchorage, a sense of place. Stimuli that touched all of the senses, as opposed to the detached experience of looking at a magazine or computer screen. Best of all there was a pack of those control horns you needed to wrap up your latest project conveniently hanging from a peg for you to purchase right then and there. No shipping charge. No Waiting.

I would hate to loose that experience. Not only on a personal level, but for every wide-eyed kid that has the potential to become the next boy-wonder on the sticks.

I am aware that this article is coming from a RC flying perspective. But I am also keenly aware that the scope of products represented that are necessary to successfully (i.e: profitably) run a retail hobby business span more dimensions that just RC aircraft modeling. Without posting a resumé here, let me just say that I have accumulated enough retail, marketing, and management experience to be a sound judge of market dynamics.

A Few Observations

All hobbyists would rather buy locally than from some distant source, given no great disparity in price. The value of product-in-hand and face time with a proprietor who strives to deliver satisfaction along with your purchase weights heavily in favor of the local purchase. Further, by making purchases at a local retailer, you keep the money circulating in the nearby community. It’s better for you, your local government and the future of your buying options.

The South Park area is a major crossroads, for retail outlets and transient shoppers; most significantly it is a destination of choice for the scores of army trainees stationed at Fort Lee on weekends, when they have paychecks burning holes in their pockets. I have witnessed the payday-weekend firsthand while working retail at South Park Mall. Gross sales would commonly jump 40% or more as our store catered to continuous streams of “battle buddies” with pockets full of disposable income. Keep that thought in mind and stick with me.

Because of the hyper-competitive nature of the hobby industry, propelled by the explosion of online purchasing options. and because of the dollar-per-square-foot demands in the prime retail locations, a small lobby shop would have to struggle to make ends meet. To make the formula work, there would have to be a cash-cow, a twist, an irresistible hook to make it truly profitable.

Just Thinking Out Loud

That long stretch of Temple Avenue between the mall and Fort Lee will steadily be populated by retail establishments as a result of the money that flows along that road. Prince George county’s government is proving to be very aggressive in pursuing economic development. A number of business owners who have relocated there from within the corporate limits of Colonial Heights report that they are exceedingly “retail friendly.” I predict that this corridor will develop very quickly. OK, so much for location, location, location.

What’s the hook? The cash cow?

Imagine this scenario, then multiply it by several hundred:

My buddies and have sweated and strained all week long honing our skills for our role in the armed forces. But it’s now the weekend. Ah, the weekend. I have a wad of cash in my pocket, courtesy of Uncle Sam, and a need to escape this place for a short while to laugh and have fun like a normal person.

What better base of operations than the Mall? I call the cab company and pile in with three of my best buddies. We pool our money for the fare because we want to have the as much as possible in reserve for FUN. The cab swings West on Temple Avenue and motors for the notorious Mall. On the way, my buds and I see a big sign. Our eyes are glued to it as we savor every word: RC… Cars… Competition… Racing… Rentals!

We all-at-once scream at the driver to turn into the parking lot already swelling with cabs, GIs spewing from their doors. We throw down our cash just in time to make the next to last qualifying heat. What’s $30 per run? I don’t care about the $100 gift certificate or the trophy their offering as spoils. I just want to beat these suckers bad! And I’ll keep throwing down my green until I do.

End of scenario.

It’s not a business plan, it’s just an idea. A good one in my humble opinion. Do a little simple math and the numbers look good. I have the time and imagination to want to do it, just not the credit rating to pull the funds together. So I’m hoping that there is either someone out there who could pull it off. I’d love to be on the team.

Oh. And don’t forget. Off to the side of the track is a tidy little hobby shop with plenty of control horns hanging on pegs.