I've recently stumbled across Whistle Stop Hobbies and cannot recommend it enough, from the friendly staff, to the variety of tamiya paints and model kits. Planes, ships, cars, and more... they really have it all here. A hidden gem for the hobby read more

Cool little Hobby and toy store in a strip mall in Alexandria. Lots of models, puzzles, figures/figurines, model paints., and more! The person running the story was friendly and greeted me and asked if they could assist me in finding anything. #WhistleStopToyAndHobbies read more

See all

Good selection of paints. Staff is friendly and knowledgeable. Wide selection of different hobby items. Website does not do the shop justice. Trains aren't my thing but they have tons of them. read more

Always on the look out for hobby stores, we stopped here on a recent trip to Tyson's Corner to check out the Gunpla stock. Its a pretty small shop, easy to miss, in the CVS plaza. Shop mostly stocks legos, board games, a few train parts here and there and an impressive number of Gunplas, even some of the rarer stocks. Prices were comparable with those online and the owner was pretty knowledgeable on his stock. More for the adult collector, I didn't see too many toys for young kids but maybe teens or young adults would be a good starting age for most of what they carry. read more

Whistle Stop Hobbies - Located next to Rocket Fizz, under the toy and hobby banner - Toy Stores Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

Whistle Stop Hobbies is oriented towards the adult hobbyist. It is not a toy store. I think the web site description of it as an alternative to Toys-R-Us is inaccurate. That said, I found it to be a very good hobby store for the serious hobbyist. Aviailability of plastic model kit making materials is what attracted me to the store. It has a good selection of plastic model kits of aircraft, ships, AFV and cars. These range over all scales and include advanced kits as well as snap-together kits. The store is a source for Tamiya spray and brush paints and primers. They have the hard-to-find Model Master paints now that these are no longer available at Hobby Lobby and Michaels. A good selection adhesives, masking tape and tools is stocked. There is a train room, but this is not a comprehensive train store. There are a few locomotives and rolling stock items in O (Lionel), HO and N scales as well as track, accessories and scene making materials. Board games and a selection of Lego kits round out the stock. They even have the balsa wood gliders I remember from childhood. I was glad to find the store and definitely will be coming back here for paints and model making supplies. read more

Whistle Stop Hobbies - Whistle Stop Toys & Hobbies. - Toy Stores Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

See all

Amazing store service was amazing and the prices were amazing as well definitely recommend coming back!

What a cute tiny hobby and toy shop! I'm sure small boys love it;) Variety: Many legos! Many military airplanes. Price: Pricier. Parking lot: Free. read more

See all

We stopped in here because we like to support local businesses and needed to buy some toys for our little guy and for a friend's kiddo. I didn't need much but the store was really small and had a limited supply - it seemed as if it was more of a toy truck shop. When we walked in the shop owner didn't even bother to greet us. He continued whispering on with a lady who was already in there and they were saying things that seemed pretty partisan and made us feel like we were in the wrong store as an interracial couple in Virginia... I ended up buying playdoh for our friend's kiddos birthday but given lack of a selection and the crappy welcome we just kept it moving. I will not be going back. read more

Whistle Stop Hobbies - Toy Stores Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

I swung by here for coffee one early morning road-trip and was pleasantly surprised by the options and friendly service.

Great service, knowledgeable about building model airplane kits, but could use more inventory.

This is a fantastic little hobby shop with very friendly staff and reasonable prices. While the store isn't spacious, it has the essentials for a variety of modeling pursuits, including modern military (aircraft, armor, infantry), Gunpla, and model trains with a decent paint, tools, and accessories selection and a smattering of toys. I am very happy to make them my go-to local hobby stop. read more

Called. Was supposed to have something in stock. Drove a long distance to get there and wrong product

A great hobby store for train and rocket fanatics of all ages. Got 4 different rockets for my son and his teenage friends. Parts, motors, all in stock. These teenagers surely enjoyed and are going back there themselves next week. I will also commend the owner for stocking soldier sets from WWII ally countries. Was pleasantly surprised to see the Soviets :) read more

I would give them zero stars if possible. We have gone these to purchase LEGO sets two or three times over the past couple years. I was never particularly pleased with the selection or service but stopped there because it is in my neighborhood. To say they are unfriendly is an understatement. The owners have yelled loudly at my children and acted in the most unprofessional manner I've seen as a consumer and parent. It was not lost on me that my child a child of color, and honestly I can not even imagine the kids owner speaking to non-minorities in the same manner. When I told the owner his tone was inappropriate he said I was using "the race card." As a parent, it hurts me deeply that an adult would treat a child, any child as a person unworthy of respect. It is shameful. I'm all for investing in a local establishment but there is no excuse for unprofessionalism. The item in question were pieces of candy not radio-controlled toys. I expect better from a place that expects to attract people's business. Completely unacceptable in my book. read more

I took my son in here to buy a small toy. He loves trains, airplanes and trucks so I thought this would be a great place to find something he'd like and support a local small business at the same time. As soon as we got there the gentleman at the register started pointing out more high-priced items to my son (such as large trains that were in the $100 range). I was able to redirect my son to some small airplanes and trucks and he was picking them up and looking at them, trying to decide what he wanted. He had a garbage truck as well as two planes on the stroller tray in front of him when I noticed a small piece from another garbage truck (that was not in his possession) also on the tray. Upon further inspection I found a garbage truck with a missing piece and went to put it back together. The man immediately accused my son of breaking it. I was upset but I tried to let it go. I told him I didn't believe that my son broke it and I brought it to him to look it over himself. We kept shopping (which was quite awkward at this point) and my son picked out a school bus. We went to the register to pay and the man picked up the truck and said, "This too, right?" I told him no and he said that my son broke it so he was charging me for it. Again I told him I didn't see my son break anything and he insisted he just put the trucks out yesterday and none of them were broken so it must have been my son. I was stunned speechless. He had no proof whatsoever that my son did this. He did not see it happen. He may have failed to notice it was broken when he put it out or someone else who came in before us may have broken it. The point is that he had no proof of how it was broken yet he was determined to make me pay for it. I was very angry at this point but I paid for it and we left. He forfeited all our future business over a toy that amounted to maybe a couple of dollars. That was our first and last visit to the store. We will not be going back. read more

What great service! I was recently in search for an additional train for my grandson. The owner was most helpful and the project turned out great. When we encountered a malfunctioning engine, he personally called the supplier to make the exchange as effortless as possible. read more

Took my son here today for train supplies. Nice little shop . Friendly customer service . Will definitely be back

Staff was knowledgeable and answered all my questions. They got upset with me when I took out my phone to compare their stock with another hobby shop I use and approached me about it. Felt really weird since I personally never had something like that happen at a store before. read more

Walking into this hobby shop is like getting to go back in time. It is a stereotypical mom & pop shop is all of the best ways. It's family owned and operated, which gives an environment that is extremely friendly and customer oriented--the way it's suppose to be. I came in looking to get a model car, but had no clue what I needed to get. The owner, Frank, helped me figure it out and was never pushy trying to sell me things I didn't need. It's a small shop and easy to miss, but it is really a hidden gem. You have to check it out! I promise you won't be disappointed! read more

I like it. Owner seems friendly enough. Good assortment of different toys/hobby projects. Prices seem in line with competitors.

We purchased a toy for my son's birthday from Whistle Stop Hobbies. We want to support our local business's in the internet age, despite the fact that we clearly paid more for the exact same product as we could have on Amazon. Unfortunately for us, this local business does not accept returns. No refunds, no exchanges, no exceptions. We were never told this at the time of our purchase and when we inquired about this later, we were told by the owner "you should have asked". The owner then threatened us with legal action if we posted our experience. YIKES! read more

We've been here several times. My kids love the cars and trains, Legos, baseball cards, etc. However, increasingly the staff are very unwelcoming. One clerk, in particular, treats customers (especially small children) like they are a nuisance instead of, you know, the reason toy stores exist. It's very strange behavior for a store that is almost certainly losing business to big-box stores. I like shopping local for that reason. And I've bought something every time we've visited. But I think we've been there for the last time. read more

I have always walked by this shop intrigued by the wonderful offerings and toys. Unfortunately, when trying to purchase an item I was met with horrible customer service. Beware that they do not accept cash for purchases under $15. When asking a question about this policy, I was met with an extremely angry shop keeper who shouted at me as I was trying to leave the store. I do not recommend visiting with children and to make sure, if you do visit, bring cash to prevent a confrontation. read more

Need a great gift? My sister is having a little boy and is creating a beautiful nursery. I bought a collectors/antique train set here with a little conductor- a thoughtful, unique and special gift that was a great hit. read more

This place was a great find! It's a smaller sized hobby store, so the selection isn't huge, but they have a surprisingly varied selection of secondhand models. For example, I saw some Roco WWII military vehicles, and I actually stumbled on a Roco freight car that was perfect for a European HO set I'm working on. (Of course, it's mostly American railroads in HO and N, but that gives an idea of what you might stumble on.) For kids, there are Legos and wooden trains if you're just looking to support a local business instead of Toys R Us. read more

Good selection and knowledgeable; however, horrible return policy. I purchased a model train set, which stopped working the same day. Went back to exchange it and owner refused the exchange because I had already opened it. He would not offer any other alternative but to call the manufacturer. I could have ordered the same train from Amazon for $40 less and they would have accepted a return, so why am I shopping here? I'm all for supporting small business, but expect a higher level of customer service for the premium. read more