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HobbyTown USA closing East Park store

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By The Lincoln Journal Star

Tuesday, Jan 13, 2009 - 01:17:47 pm CST

HobbyTown USA said it is closing its East Park store, its last corporate-owned store.

Hobbytown, based in Lincoln, has had a store at East Park for 28 years, and will stay open there until the end of January, said spokeswoman Mary Friesen.

HobbyTown USA calls itself the the largest nationwide franchise in the hobby industry.

Related Link(s):


HobbyTown USA's Web site

Its South Pointe store formerly was corporate-owned, as well, but an employee bought that franchise, Friesen said 

Economic circumstances did not force the closing, she said.

“The 10,000-square-foot store at South Pointe, it’s so impressive, we can do so much more good having everything out there,” she said. 

The expiration of the store’s lease, combined with the expansion of the HobbyTown USA store at SouthPointe Pavilions, were the main factors, in the decision to close, the company said.

“We felt that we could better serve our customers by consolidating the two locations,” said Bob Wilke, senior vice president, in a statement.  “The SouthPointe store recently moved to a new location and has more space to provide a wider selection of products in addition to in-store events“. The SouthPointe HobbyTown USA is at 3120 Pine Lake Road.

HobbyTown USA specializes in toys; radio-control toy vehicles; trains; slot cars; games; models; puzzles; rockets and kites; science and activity kits; and paints and tools.

Hobbytown said it has 172 stores open or under development in 42 states.

The loss of Hobbytown USA will create another vacancy at East Park. Linens ‘n Things also closed recently. 


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Kevin wrote on January 13, 2009 1:08 pm:
" How long until we're blighting East Park? "
Nina wrote on January 13, 2009 1:13 pm:
" Now where will my hubby hang out while I go to Catherine's? We surely bought a lot of nice grandkids' toys at Hobbytown, and the young folks who worked there were always so friendly and nice. Sad to see it go. "
Hate to say it but wrote on January 13, 2009 1:21 pm:
" HobbyTown has long been a destination in my search for hobby supplies, but over the past ten-ish years I've found too many alternatives - places which sell similar products for far lower prices. I don't know if it's HT's pricing or pricing dictated to them by the manufacturers of their products, but the bottom line is, it's far less expensive to be somewhat creative in your search for supplies rather than buying dedicated products for these hobbies. I don't want to get too specific because I like HobbyTown and I appreciate their contributions to the hobby community in Lincoln. I'll still go to the "new" store at South Pointe, but I don't know if I'll be buying much. "
Too bad wrote on January 13, 2009 1:26 pm:
" I remember when East Park Plaza used to be THE place to spend an entire day shopping and browsing different stores. Now its a foregone conclusion that the only thing that's making East Park look halfway decent is the movie theatre. "
Sonya wrote on January 13, 2009 1:30 pm:
" We've been customers of Hobbytown for many years. It is sad to see East Park going away but we agree, the Southpointe location is really a great store. "
Times change wrote on January 13, 2009 1:31 pm:
" Remember when East Park used to be "THE" mall back in the 80's? I'm thinking Hobby Town is about the last thing standing from those original days. "
Big Surprise wrote on January 13, 2009 1:39 pm:
" Welcome to the graveyard of consumerism...the Gateway-EastPark Malltoplex. Where the slogan reads, "Where Stories Come to Die!" "
RC god wrote on January 13, 2009 1:44 pm:
" Sad to see the HobbyTown at EP go. I was a customer out there since when they were down by Casual Corner. It really is a waste what the owner of the mall has done to it. "
Brock Landers wrote on January 13, 2009 1:48 pm:
" I remember always wanting to get to the Eastpark movie theater early so I could check out all the models at Hobbytown. Once they moved across the lot and the theater remodeled, Eastpark became little more than a big empty building. Now it will be even worse... I expect to see that entire area empty in a few years. The City will then look to blight it I'm sure! "
Sluggoss Punk wrote on January 13, 2009 2:10 pm:
" I don't think I've even been inside East Park since the days of Sluggo's, and that's quite a few years. "Race the Planet"... "
Rocky wrote on January 13, 2009 2:30 pm:
" I'm not surprised. The location of that store is just awful. Also, the Southpointe store has everything you would ever want and great service! "
Change often hurts wrote on January 13, 2009 3:32 pm:
" Shopping at East Park Plaza used to be like shopping in the downtown Centrum. Not the best shopping, but enjoyable and different. The Centrum was a major pre-game hangout for Husker fans. Someone got an idea to "make things better" and the entire thing goes to pot. When will people learn to leave things alone that are working? "
Good old days wrote on January 13, 2009 4:22 pm:
" I was really young during the haydays of East Park. I remember sluggos, the pet store with the coi pond, and the candy store. It is turning into a black hole just like Westfield will be very soon. "
Val Yer Pal wrote on January 13, 2009 5:00 pm:
" You whippersnappers probably don't even remember "Chick Bartlett's Hobbytown" located at the Stuart Building. The premiere place to buy models to build amd then blow up on the Fourth of July.

Funny how musing about the death of Eastpark at the hands of SouthPointe echo the same feelings years ago about the death of downtown shopping at the hands of Gateway/Eastpark... "
remember Chick wrote on January 13, 2009 5:08 pm:
" Barlett's Hobby Town by the old Stuart (Rococco) theatre? That was the place to go. Too bad to see the, kind of, original site of the "new" HobbyTOwn go away. And I too remember hanging out at Sluggo's, getting soem Val's or some Chinese. East Park was the place back in the 80s. Sad to see it go down the tube. "
Remember wrote on January 13, 2009 5:28 pm:
" Anyone remember WC Franks?!?!? That place was awesome! I used to race slot cars at the Hobby Town there. "
whatever wrote on January 13, 2009 6:05 pm:
" EastPark rocked back in the day. There is NOTHING in Lincoln that approaches the shopping entertainment atmosphere that existed back then. "
star wars fan club member 53-85FB wrote on January 13, 2009 6:31 pm:
" May the force be with the southpointe store "
JB wrote on January 13, 2009 10:48 pm:
" When East Park had a food court and Gateway didn't, East Park was a popular place. I went to a movie there recently and thought of what a wasteit was. "
Poor kids North of the border.. wrote on January 14, 2009 6:29 am:
" How many parents are going to cart their kids off to play "magic" and assorted games in the weather here in Nebraska, all the way across town, then spend another hour round trip to go get them. The strip mall at Vine and 70th had a neat place to game, but it went away too.

Too bad our kids have to be victims of this recession/depression. "
tom issaquah wrote on January 14, 2009 7:14 am:
" Chick Bartletts. Didn't they have slot car racing in the basement??. Boy that was a long time ago. "
Spike wrote on January 14, 2009 9:13 am:
" Hobbytown will be missed at EP...as a tween in my day I used to ride my bike down to EP and drop all my hard-earned lawnmowing dough on D&D books at Hobbytown, cheesesteaks at Chartruse Caboose and quarters playing Gauntlet at Sluggos...those were the days. Oh where oh where will my children misspend their youth? "
wc wrote on January 14, 2009 9:41 am:
" WC Frank's Arcade Was awesome!!!! "
Lincolnite wrote on January 14, 2009 10:51 am:
" I used to go out to East Park quite a bit when Cosmic Comics was there as well as Hobbytown. Now that Cosmic Comics is gone I seldom frequent the Hobbytown there unless the kids want to stop next door and look at puppies. I too go to the south Hobbytown when I feel the urge. "
John wrote on January 14, 2009 11:50 am:
" I remember Hobby Town when it was downtown and I also remember Great Race and Hobby Place when it was out on North 66th. Both were great hobby outlets. Not sure if Merle and Thom are both still involved with Hobby Town but they sure build a fantastic business out of a one store shop. "
former Lincolnite wrote on January 14, 2009 1:48 pm:
" it seems like an eternity that East Park was the new mall!!! Wasn't the mall downtown named The Atriumn and The Centrum? Remeber Taco de Sol down town and what was the restaraunt at East Park that was red? Farewell East Park-- the memories were great in the early 1980's. I moved to Lincoln in 1981-- anyone care to blog about former hang outs and eateries? Remember the Drum Stick? "
Wait a minute wrote on January 14, 2009 2:02 pm:
" East Park is still open?! "
btownie wrote on January 14, 2009 4:10 pm:
" I havn't been to east park since Casual Corner moved to gateway, but hey now its gone too. I like the indoor malls best in this weather. When I was a kid we used to go downtown to shop, we loved the cinnomon rolls at Miller and Pane, i bought my wedding dress there as did my mother. "
fred wrote on January 24, 2009 12:11 am:
" I cant believe hobbytown is still open. Their store looks horrible. You can buy all that stuff at walmart. "

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