This is in my view the best hobby shop in Gwinnett county. I assumed they were just another RC…read moreshop, but that was not correct. I suffer from severe MTS (Model Train Syndrome) but do not do anything Lionel because of their high prices and dodgy quality, which I assume will only get worse with MTH going out of business. B&B AFAIK has no Lionel equipment - at all. They do have a small selection of HO and N scale equipment, most of which seems to be of decent quality and at a reasonable price. Let's face it, everyone has to make a living and selling retail items at below cost is not going to help. So kudos to B&B for not really taking the Mickey and over charging for the train products - I'm pretty sure that is not a major profit center for their store.
However, I got 2 Bowser Ore cars at a very reasonable price - both will need work to get them into good running condition, but that is what I look for. I almost never buy new unless it is small items - for engines and cars I look for the used stuff - but then I'm neither a foamer (MTS people will know what I am talking about) nor a rivet counter. I love stuff that needs work and takes some time to get into the condition I want it in which is used, but not abused, for my home short line RR. I also bought several other items and had fun bantering with the owner who put up with my nonsense very well and threw a few conversational hooks of her own into the exchange. She is simply delightful. Why Larry S. had a problem with her I will never know, maybe she was having a stressful day, which it seems Larry has never had. Or maybe Larry is sort of a yuppie - we do remember what those are, right?
The store is well stocked for scratch building supplies, unlike store L.S. (you should be able to figure out which shop that is, near a Kroger...) and has a pretty good supply of paints and related items. I found everything I wanted and actually spent more than I had intended as the store has more of the core hobby stuff. And talk about organization! It is so easy to find things in this store that I nearly bankrupted my wife, who keeps me in poverty because she loves me. Or at least that is what I've been told. ;)
Yes, I did have to wait a while to get the attention from the owner that I so richly deserve, because I am very very special. If you believe that I have things I'd like to sell to you. Unusual items. Might be illegal....
What I did find was supplies very much to my liking, which were found in short order by man who has been caught looking for his keys which were in his hand, including stuff that I will have to wait to buy later as I had already blown my Grinch like budget. I wandered around and found thing after thing that I could not leave the store without. I spent more money in one go than I usually spend in a month. Sort of the like feeling I had after first watching "The Life of Brian" - if you're not a Monty Python fan then feel free to ignore my review.
When the owner got finished with the earlier customer she got around to me and we had a great conversation and she told me things about the equipment I was buying that I usually do not notice until the day after I've bought it. Remember I have severe MTS and will not apologize for it. She did take time to advise a young man on a large RC car he wanted to buy, she told him he was holding only the box with the cellophane wrapper still on it. She told him the real item was behind the main counter. I told the young man the box was free but the plastic wrapping was going to cost him some real money. She then redirected him to a less expensive option, the one he had in hand would have cost just under $1000 ,all bits and bobs included. I told him to try model trains as he would save money - but the younger generation seems to want everything ready built because they no longer know how to scratch build much of anything. OK, that is being mean and there are some very good young modelers and RC people that can beat me in a heart beat, dammit. But the trend is to use out of the box.
Finally, it should be noted that the shop charges something like 3% for using a credit card. Get over it and either bring cash or a check book. It is not that hard to do that. The credit card companies are basically a giant mafia like industry that way over charges for what they do, and I know as I worked in the IT department of one and what costs them a few fractions of a cent to process they charge about 3% to the store for the pleasure of using them as a middleman. That used to be called extortion. I don't see why the store should be charged for your convenience.
They are closed Sunday and Monday, so if you're planning a trip there keep that in mind. My advice would be to take along your check book and just wander in and see if there is anything that suits your needs and budget. If so, buy something. If not, I think there is a Home Brew store next door where you might find something more to your taste. :)
Cheers!
