I have used Hiawatha Hobbies for years. Their selection is always excellent, their prices very…read moregood, and a customer service that responds to both emails and phone calls promptly. Generally their shipping is quite fast. In saying that in the past when an item was slow to ship and they could not complete the entire order they did not charge me shipping which was unexpected, but a nice touch I thought. However, their products always arrive well packaged. Never have I had a product damaged when shipped by Hiawatha Hobbies. I absolutely recommend Hiawatha Hobbies and will continue to use them going forward. They are a great stop for model railroaders.

Submitted and on line order, when I received it two items had been damaged by UPS. I called that…read morethey shipped replacements the same day. Great customer service!

My granddaughter is obsessed with NeeDohs, so we were out on a mission to find them. We originally…read morestopped by the Aldi next door, only to discover it was out of business. While we were there, we noticed a line forming nearby and decided to check it out. To our surprise (and my granddaughter's absolute excitement), it was HobbyTown doing a NeeDoh drop at 10am! The line kept growing and at 28 degrees we were freezing, but there was no way we were giving up our spot. Thankfully, the owner opened a little early and everything was very well organized. They limited purchases to two per person, and since we were third in line, we had time to pick exactly what we wanted. Such kind owners and a great experience overall. We'll definitely be back to explore the rest of the store.

We visited today and what a great experience. The employee who helped my son was really an amazing…read moreguy and was so kind to my son and helped him find a model airplane. He was really patient and kind in helping him find what he was looking for. It's a very neat store!

Could be a good store if the owner didn't run to eBay every time you want to buy something. He will…read morecheck to see what it's currently selling for and pick the absolute highest price it's listed for. Not what it's actually worth. I would love to actually buy some of the older models they carry but the price tag would say $30 and he will charge like $300 because someone listed it for that. Plus the store is filthy and very unorganized. You're better off going to Amazon.

Okay, first it's like walking into your father, uncle or grandfather's hobby storage closet or…read morebasement. Things are a bit of a jumble. That said, it's a treasure trove of mystery. They have models from 50 years ago in the original boxes. Lots of hotrods, aircraft, ships, military and everything in between. They have Lionel and Marx trains and parts, in cabinets, display cases, bins, and boxes, unseen in the markets for generations. They have a good number of completed models from generations ago with a few that I believe are for sale. It's dusty. It's a little damp in the air. You're going to have to do a little digging. This isn't one of the flashy, running after every trend to sell you the latest junk. This is the old school hobbyist's store looking for something from our childhood... The owner is very knowledgeable, honest and seems to be a pretty straight shooter. In my dealings with him, I've always thought he treated me fairly.

Model Empire is scheduled to close March 28th, 2026. In the mean time they are having a clearance…read moresale to move out their stock.

they say it's a small world. absolute wonder of a spot on one of the greatest strips of retail in…read morethe region! worth it even if you think you've outgrown miniatures.

It's a small shop but has a lot to offer. They can order stuff for you if they don't have it…read more Prices are good. They give out advice and care about their customers.

BEST model train shop that I have found anywhere and we live about 85 miles away. Tom is…read moreexceptionally helpful, goes out of his way to answer any questions or solve any problems that come up. He and his crew were extremely helpful in helping me switch from one scale to another and saved me the time and trouble and expense of trying to sell it on ebay or anywhere else!! I disagree wholeheartedly with the person who had a negative comment about packing and shipping. I have seen what they do so read the information / listing on ebay as most of it is used and/or listed "for repairs" - totally honest and forthwith information!! And what's up with yelp showing two reviews not recommended??? Both are positive!!!! Take care of yourself and stay well Tom and crew, thanks for all your help!!!!

This place, tucked away behind an unassuming hand-lettered sign on a corner in mostly deserted…read moredowntown Kenosha, is probably one of the best of the remaining RPG stores in the United States today. I do not say that lightly: Inside you will find a half dozen rooms catering to every possible role playing game taste, from Dungeons & Dragons and GURPS to obscure, esoteric and forgotten titles from the golden age of paper & dice gaming: Car Wars (actually, an entire gigantic shelf devoted to Steve Jackson games), Traveler, countless board and card games, die cast miniatures, old issues of Dragon and White Dwarf and seemingly every cyberpunk manual and sourcebook ever printed. Especially strong when it comes to indie/self-published works, this place is an important archive of an influential subculture, one that is directly responsible for what is now considered mainstream geek/videogaming culture (there would be no Game of Thrones, no Grand Theft Auto, no Call of Duty, were it not for the tropes and character attribute systems honed in this scene). It's like a museum where everything is for sale. That alone would be enough to merit this place 5 stars, but on top of that, it also caters to model builders and model railroaders, with every conceivable kind of kit and diorama accessory stacked to the ceiling, plus all the Xacto knives, glues, paints and reference books needed to perfect any scale modeling creation. In addition to having space for regularly-meeting RPG groups, Friends' also serves as the headquarters for a regional scale railroading group. If you visit, note that the store is cash-only (they have an ATM). There'll be a cat roaming around, and probably a few hobbyists just hanging out and shooting the shit. If you're coming from Chicago, note that there's a Metra stop just a few blocks away (call ahead to verify hours). Places like this are disappearing, as more and more people get their gaming fix online, but Friends' seems to be going strong -the proprietor told me it's been around 29 years, and that they're eyeing a larger, 4,700 sq. ft. space down the street so they can display even more product. Only fitting for a gaming store located in the shadow of Lake Geneva, from where Dungeons & Dragons itself was unleashed on the world. EDIT, SEPT. 2018 - Stopped by for the first time since my initial visit. Business has moved to a new location - 8501 75th St. (see flyer in photos). They're still awaiting a some municipal permits, so call first before stopping by.

The selection is nice here…read more Unfortunately the place smells gross and becomes more overwhelming the longer you are in there. I had to go wait in the car because it was too much. The owner was very nice What was supposed to be a quick browse to look at the model car choices and paint selection turned into being inside for an hour minimum The paint we picked out has to get returned since there was chunks of something in it. As if it was sitting on the shelf for years

Great customer service. Helped us understand requirements and provided resources if needed. Amazing…read moreselection.

Shitty service, they sold me a rifle and a pistol I spent well over 500 dollars and when I have…read moreproblems with the products they tell me there's nothing they can do and it was something I did that caused the issues, now I have a Glock 45 that doesn't hold green gas in the mag and a ar-15 that the hop up doesn't work don't wants your money here only purchase from a place that has a 30 day warranty from the store, very disappointed and really ruined my first experience with airsoft

Went there to buy a gift and they were great in helping me pick out the perfect car and showed me…read moretheir racetracks and explained all they have and different events. Excellent service and because we bought the car kit there we get a punch card for free racing and track time. They charged me the same I'd have paid online but getthe punch card so buying there is the way to go! Also great to support a local small business!. A++

Easy to rate this place 5 stars. I came here earlier today blindly just knowing that they rent R/C…read morecars to race on their indoor track i knew nothing else about it. I took my 9 year old nephew who is currently in a wheelchair for something fun to do during spring break. The lady at the counter (Sarah) who is also the manager is extremely friendly and helpful she explained how the rental process works and said it would be 30-40 min till it would be ready But we were able to look at the track, While we were there we talked to Matt? i believe who was just as helpful and friendly with everything. We left and came back a short time later to try his luck on the course. He did pretty well, but eventually the 1 R/C car broke, the lady was fine about it and said not to worry, we went back and watched the others race. We came back into the showroom to find the truck fixed and charged she asked if he was ready to go back out. so he did, a little while later the truck broke again but Kyle was quick to help fix the truck and get him back going, he played abit longer till the battery started to die and we called it a day. He had a ton of fun and is wanting a R/C car of his own now! Thanks again for the great day.

Disappointed on selection and displays. Hobby shops are hard to come by these days, so I get it…read more I was just hoping to see more.

We stopped in to look around. The owner was very friendly and knowledgeable. They had Christmas…read moremusic and lights strung. Very organized and pleasant shop. We didn't buy anything as we are novel train enthusiasts but the owner was happy to show our son the model trains. Great place!

The coolest thing about this nursery is that it's actually not a nursery at all. You drive in the…read moredirt road of the nursery and can walk around, check out the plants and buy fertilizer and seeds or whatever, but smack in the middle is a huge train shop! They sell everything from Thomas the tank engine all the way up to huge garden scale trains. There are big, working O scale model trains set up inside the store and row after row of trains on the shelves and in glass display cases. They have all different styles and scales, from cheap plastic toys to brass models worth thousands. Totally cool! Bring the kids... They have a web site at staubintrains dot com