Store Closing!

After almost 12 years of owning and running The Smoke Stack Hobby Shop, Patti and I have decided to retire. In these almost 12 years (it will be 12 on April 1st) we have had the honor and pleasure to meet many fine people. Our customers are some of the best and most loyal that any shop owner could ask for. Many of you have become shop family and we always look forward to seeing who will stop in on any given day.

We are proud to have extended Dale Kennedy's legacy by an additional 12 years. He started this business in 1977 (!) and we took over when he decided to retire at about the same age we are currently. Like Dale, we are looking forward to spending more time with family, friends, and new adventures.

Our crew has been exceptional and many have been with us from the start of our ownership. We have watched some of them grow from high school kids into wonderful adults. And the seniors on our staff have been a wonderful source of knowledge and guidance as we traversed the slippery slope of the retail world.

We started with a medium-sized shop (about 2,500 sq. ft.) and grew into the 8,000 sq. ft. location we have today. Indoor rock crawling and operating train layouts have made us a destination for many of you. The Hocking Valley Model Railroad Club has been a wonderful addition and have thrilled many visitors, young and old.

We also dipped our toes into events - some hosted by us and some we participated in. From our annual RC Day to the Fourth of July Parade to our in-house model shows to our Lancaster Hobby Expo we have attempted to become part of the community and an active participant in Lancaster events.

We will close on Saturday, March 29th. We will re-open again briefly Friday, April 11th and Saturday, April 12th for the Hobby Expo weekend. After April 12th we will be closed permanently for walk-in traffic. Any items not sold will move to our eBay store. We will have a local warehouse and offer local pick-up for those that would like that option. Details on the warehouse will come soon.

We know that for many of you this will be hard news to hear. We have truly enjoyed our time at the shop and will miss all of you. We want to thank you for being loyal customers and supporting small business. It does not go unnoticed or unappreciated. Each sale we made helped to support a local resident that worked for us and made Lancaster a better place to live. We still have a few weeks to go and look forward to seeing you and answering any questions you might have.