I buy all online now. The two remaining hobby shops in the area have a pitiful railroad supply of items. Mostly box kits from Lionel or Bachman, or their selection of kits is old and dated.

Shaun: we didn't make it to any hobby shops in New Orleans; it was too hard without a car.

Note on my previous post: I was told that Trains on Brant has closed.

Edit: Cancel last comment. Their Facebook page is intact and mentions only a Good Friday closing.

I would shop at a LHS if there were one in my area. The closest is about 45 minutes away I usually wait for a train show/swap meet and do my shopping there. It helps that I can usually find some great deals at a train show and there are those unique/interesting items not found in a LHS. Just my two cents...
Chuck

Stuff like K&S brass and certain adhesives (ACC) I purchase at an LHS that only sells R/C cars and those little R/C helicopters that they are constantly flying around the inside of the shop all the time. It's a very loosly run operation. I was told if I didn't see it they could order it. I asked if the ordered from Walthers ... they asked, "Who?" 'Nuff said!

I have so much stuff from before I had to take a forced hiatus from the hobby, consumables are pretty much all I have bought since climbing back on the horse. I have bought four "Masterpiece" Chrysler Airflows and both a "Sylvan" Pontiac and Plymouth on-line. I must say, these being my first ever on-line purchases, I was impressed! Note that the "Sylvan" autos were ordered from GreenWay Products (CLICK HERE) and from the time I ordered to when the UPS guy rang my doorbell was only three days ... and they're in western Pennsylvania! It takes a week and a half for my medication to get here from the VA Clinic in Ft. Myers, which is a 20 minute drive away! That's some incredible service!

However, if there was a REAL hobby shop closer than the 50-some miles it is to Sarasota, I'd shop there pretty much exclusively.

biL

bil, I agree that the internet has made purchasing online very easy. And there have been a few times when I ordered something, and 2 days later it was at my doorstep. Amazing! But a couple of times, it has taken 2 weeks to get the stuff. Well, and then there was that one time with that one particular inTeRneT trAiN online ordering place where several of us at Big Blue had the issues all at the same time - weeks went by, no deliveries, unanswered emails, but of course they had run all our credit cards and charged usfor the purchases - pretty disgusting. Haven't been back there since.

Still, I do support the local LHS as much as possible. Heck, spent $1200 with them a couple weeks ago. All the track, turn-outs, roadbed, magnets, digitrax panels, etc for the layout.