SPA Modeler

Mine was AB Charles & Son, located about 20 minutes from home by car. My Dad loved to take me because Mr. Charles had a big slot car track in the basement. He was a real old school shopkeeper. He wrapped your purchases in brown Kraft paper. This is where I first saw Tamiya, Revell, Matchbox and many other kits. Closed in 2006.

Vintage photo



How the facade looked when I would go



What was your first?

Didn't have a regular hobby shop when I was a boy. I bought my kits & supplies at Sprouse-Reitz and K-Mart growing up in Sacramento. Later I'd say Discount Hobby Warehouse in San Diego. Packed with kits, RC stuff and supplies. Lot's of built up plastic models under glass and RC planes hanging from the ceiling. Still in business.

The first hobby shop I remember going to was Rossmoor Hobbies in the shopping center on Seal Beach Bl. They closed in the late 70’s. My dad would take me there every so often, probably once a month or so, but I can’t say how often. A few kits I remember getting there were the Tamiya 1/48 Brewster Buffalo, Nichimo 1/48 B5N Kate, and the Tamiya 1/35 M113. I vaguely remember getting some of the Monogram 1/32 armor kits there as well, but don’t remember exactly which ones. I tried finding a photo of the place, but none turned up. At least no clear ones. Two models in the display cases that still stand out in my memory… one was a Monogram SB2C Helldiver, the original one with the folding wings, retractable landing gear, etc. It was built up beautifully, even having the dive flaps drilled out. The other was a forced perspective diorama of probably the Monogram 1/48 SBD diving on a 1/700 Japanese warship, a destroyer I think it was. It wasn’t a big shop, but had quite the stock of kits and display of built kits from what I remember.

Carlos! Is this your spot?

“Heritage Hobby Shop” was located in Rossmoor Center till 1979. Shop was owned by a man named Dick Tucker and was sold about 1976 to a gentleman name Bob Barbara. Shop was closed and went to a mail order business. The hobby shop was between the shoe repair service and Rossmoor Pastries on the north side of shops directly across from Rix Rack fashion and Holiday Hardware store.

keavdog wrote: ↑Sat Oct 10, 2026 4:55 pm Didn't have a regular hobby shop when I was a boy. I bought my kits & supplies at Sprouse-Reitz and K-Mart growing up in Sacramento. Later I'd say Discount Hobby Warehouse in San Diego. Packed with kits, RC stuff and supplies. Lot's of built up plastic models under glass and RC planes hanging from the ceiling. Still in business.

Great story and amazing photos, John. I did a quick search for Sprouse-Reitz, but I couldn’t find a Sacramento location; Menlo Park, Modesto, etc. Was it on Watts Street?

speedgraflex wrote: ↑Sun Oct 11, 2026 12:07 pm Carlos! Is this your spot?

“Heritage Hobby Shop” was located in Rossmoor Center till 1979. Shop was owned by a man named Dick Tucker and was sold about 1976 to a gentleman name Bob Barbara. Shop was closed and went to a mail order business. The hobby shop was between the shoe repair service and Rossmoor Pastries on the north side of shops directly across from Rix Rack fashion and Holiday Hardware store.

Yes, that looks like it. But you can’t really see the storefront in this photo. There were a few others in the LA area that I remember going to within a few years of this one. Brookhurst Hobbies in Garden Grove. Brookhurst 2 in Fountain Valley. The Bunker/Military Hobbies in Lakewood Center. Mecca Hobbies at Fox Hills Mall. But this is probably the first one.

speedgraflex wrote: ↑Sun Oct 11, 2026 12:11 pm
Great story and amazing photos, John. I did a quick search for Sprouse-Reitz, but I couldn’t find a Sacramento location; Menlo Park, Modesto, etc. Was it on Watts Street?

Sprouse Reitz was on Hillsdale Blvd in the Foothill Farms area.
K-Mart was on Madison Ave - a longer bike ride

My first foray into model kit building was Kmart. Later, I discovered Discount Hobbies in Downtown Utica, then Oneida Bike who also had model kits on Whitesboro Street - both were in the 80s. Then I discovered another on Oriskany Blvd in Whitesboro. Owned by an older gentleman and a paranoid daughter. One day as I was leaving she accused me of stealing model paints. I proved her and embarrassed her by emptying my pockets. Told her you’ve just lost a customer. He eventually closed shop a month later. Then I found K&K Hobbies on French Road back in the early 2000s. Owner closed shop a year later.

The only hobby shop left in my area is Turn4 Hobbies (formerly HobbyTown) in Clinton.

keavdog wrote: ↑Sun Oct 11, 2026 3:37 pm
Sprouse Reitz was on Hillsdale Blvd in the Foothill Farms area.
K-Mart was on Madison Ave - a longer bike ride

I wasn’t able to pull a vintage photo, but from what I gather of the history, these were Five and Dime successors in California. In Pennsylvania we had “Ben Franklin” stores that sold discontinued and discounted merchandise. I bought an Aurora ship model at Ben Franklin. I believe it was Sir Francis Drake’s “Golden Hind,” which I painted with square bottle paints (Pactra!) belonging to my Dad. I have such fond memories of riding my bike everywhere.

BlackSheep214 wrote: ↑Sun Oct 11, 2026 4:23 pm My first foray into model kit building was Kmart. Later, I discovered Discount Hobbies in Downtown Utica, then Oneida Bike who also had model kits. The only hobby shop left in my area is Turn4 Hobbies (formerly HobbyTown) in Clinton.

Turn4 Hobbies looks like a nice family run store! I’m trying to think of if I went to Kmart for hobby supplies since these stores came up twice. I don’t think there was one close enough to me. Plus with my Dad being a slot car fan I think AB Charles was already on his radar. When I looked up Utica I saw some beautiful photos; these images made me miss the East Coast and the change of seasons.