From trains to planes to cars, Hobby Junction in Dorval, Que., has been a popular hangout for modelers since the ’90s. But that will soon be coming to an end.
The store will close its doors in March.
David Jenkins, one of the three partners, says he was always interested in model trains and had the opportunity to make them more than just a hobby.
“The company I used to work for closed, I lost my job and I got in touch with two friends and we decided to start our own business,” says Jenkins.
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None of them predicted the popularity of the store.
“When we first opened, we weren’t even thinking about staying that long, we were thinking maybe 10 years,” says Jenkins partner Anthony Chan. “Time passed quickly,” he adds.
The store was more than a business, it was a place to meet and make new friends.
“We thank customers for coming. It has been a good stretch. We enjoy all your company. The laughs, the little bumps to each other, you know,” says Chan.
But times have changed and over the years, habits changed. According to Jenkins, people don’t model as much and the Internet has created competition.
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Customers disagree. Ernesto Sebastian says he has been shopping at Hobby Junction for over 10 years and is sad to see it go.
“It’s just the atmosphere. The feeling you get when you come here. That is not found everywhere,” he says.
“A lot of people feel it,” says Jenkins. “They wish we could stay, but it’s something the three of us made a decision that we would do this year.”
As much as they’ll miss going to work every day and seeing customers, they agree it’s time to move on to the next chapter.
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Reference-globalnews.ca