109 replies to this topic

[Phil Smith]

Josh Kirsh is opening a new facility in Teaneck, NJ. It will have a drag strip and six tracks.
 
He's looking for help, by the way, in a thread HERE. 
 
I certainly applaud Josh's efforts, but getting enough customers to make that big of an operation profitable, or simply break even, seems like insurmountable challenge.
 
Are there currently any shops that big that are doing OK? If not now, has there been any in recent history?

[Bill from NH]

Modelville Hobby in Ashland, MA, has multiple tracks for 1/32 and 1/24, as well as for HO. They don't have a dragstrip, but slot car drag racing has never been popular in New England.

[Phil Smith]

For some reason I thought they had closed. Good to hear they're still open!

 

Drag racing is pretty popular around here. I don't drag race but I hear they get big turn-outs on race day.

[MSwiss]

Modelville Hobby in Ashland, MA, has multiple tracks for 1/32 and 1/24, as well as for HO. They don't have a dragstrip, but slot car drag racing has never been popular in New England.

 

Modelville is a unique situation.

The owners have visited me and they make it real clear that their ability to have a mega-facility is based on the love of slot racing, from the owner of the building they are in, Peter Lentros, one of the true patron saints of slot racing.

[MattD]

I read that this new facility will have 6 tracks.    I had the same thought as all you guys, how?    I figure there will be 2-3 HO or plastic 1/32 tracks, a dragstrip, and maybe 2 wood tracks for large scale.   If the plastic tracks are small, you could probably put all 3 in the foot print of one wood track.   Now you are down in sq ft quite a bit. 

 

 Maybe they will start small and see that 6 tracks is not practical.   Maybe this will never come to fruition.  I see it has been mentioned that they are looking for someone to run the tracks.   Possibly there is no experience here to see just what they are getting into.     Looking for someone to run the tracks does not seem like a good omen.   If I had to rely on hired help to manage, maybe I should have them hired first.

 

I could be wrong with all my assumptions.   They could have great experience and knowledge, and be able to  build a facility like Playland in SF was, and make big money doing it!

[MSwiss]

Dale, you are commenting like you are privy to his portfolio.

 

In one the deleted posts, he mentioned he wasn't going to the bank to borrow money.

 

He might own a building that is vacant.

 

If you do a search of his content, every one is inquiring about a track for sale.

 

And I think it's a good omen he is looking for a slot car guy to run it.

 

He probably has a great job, or owns other business(s) that take up his time.

[slotcarone]

The building is 9000 Square feet in a high traffic area.. Hope it comes to fruition! We need more raceways in the area.

[Noose]

Well I am in New Jersey and Teaneck is not far from me. I will be sure to visit it and see it. There is also another hobby shop that now has a track in Woodland Park - again about 20 minutes from me. I am supposed to visit and see the site and meet the owner.

[MSwiss]

Hi,

 

I am looking to hire a hobbyist to work at my slot car business in Northern New Jersey. If anybody knows of anybody please contact me. 

 

Thanks.

Josh Kirsh

 

Well I am in New Jersey and Teaneck is not far from me.

Are you, or have you ever been, a hobbyist?

 

Do you know anything about slot cars?

 

If the answer is "yes", you should go work there.

 

You can keep yourself busy and maybe get some insight on why I'm as surly, as I am.

[Noose]

Do you know anything about slot cars?
 
If the answer is "yes", you should go work there.
 
You can keep yourself busy and maybe get some insight on why I'm as surly, as I am.

No thanks. My WORKING days are over LOL.

[MSwiss]

There is also another hobby shop that now has a track in Woodland Park - again about 20 minutes from me. I am supposed to visit and see the site and meet the owner.

I'm 98% sure that's the ex-Eric Gehrken basement Hillclimb.

[MattD]

Mike, I covered my a** by saying my assumptions may be wrong.      We'll see how this all comes about unless it is all forgotten in a couple months.

[Noose]

I'm 98% sure that's the ex-Eric Gehrken basement Hillclimb.

Make that 100%.

 

Confirmed with Eric this past weekend.


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[MSwiss]

and be able to build a facility like Playland in SF

Any idea how long Playland existed?

 

BTW, I think a big-multi track could survive.

 

But it would have to be, at least on the weekends, a place that catered to birthday parties.

 

That's why I'm posting a lot tonight.

 

I'm trying to muster up the energy and ambition, to get back to manufacturing and mail order, after 5 parties on Saturday and Sunday.

[MattD]

Mike, I know Playland opened in 65 (a great time to open a track in Ca).   I think I have read it closed in 70-71.   If those dates are right, then they had about 5 great years during the fad phase of slot car racing.   

 

They had a wonderful location in an amusement area with skating, a beach across the street and who knows what else.   A big metro area, an abundance of teenage boys with a dollar or two in their pockets.

 

All those factors really helped their success.

[MattD]

Saved this from a post several years ago and it is a nice tribute to Playland.

http://mksgrist.wixs...del-car-raceway

[MSwiss]

So, '65-'69.

 

4 years is a good run in that era.

 

I would of guessed 2-3.

 

Back in those days, I don't remember slot car birthday parties, or even rental cars.

 

While I know a few guys have mentioned them(rental cars), here on Slotblog, my raceway, or any other I went to, didn't have them.

[MattD]

http://mksgrist.wixs...del-car-raceway

 

I saved this from a few years ago.  It is still online and is a great tribute to Playland with pix of the slot center and a nice history of the whole place.

[slotcarone]

When Chris Santomero opened Fishkill Raceway in 1991 they had rental cars and parties. I don't remember either of them happening much earlier than that. I had my son's party at a track in Danbury Ct probably in 1989 or 90.

[gjc2]

This is excellent news, I’ll be sure to visit. Hopefully this will inspire others to open raceways.

[Bill from NH]

When Le Mams Raceway opened in 1967 at Brunswick, ME, they used the GRC Indy cars for rentals. They didn't hold birthday parties, nor did they feed racers at their race events. Located on Maine St, they had 6 or 8 eateries within a quick walk.

[Phil Smith]

As far as other scales go, does any 1/24th scale track also have an active HO track? At the local tracks that have had both scales I never saw much interest in HO.

[tonyp]

When I started racing the shops all had rental cars and rental controllers. My home track started out renting the K&B cars and later switched to the GRC junk. I must of changed 100 motor mounts on them as that would always break. No birthday parties as the tracks were always full for the first year and a half, then they started folding like a house of cards.

[John Streisguth]

Northern NJ had a "boom" of tracks opening in the 1990-1992 time frame.  There were probably at least a dozen.  The one closest to me also sold sub sandwiches!  But except for Zeppelin, they had all closed with 2-3 years.  Zeppelin survived because the owner was smart about diversifying what he sold.  The slot cars actually was a part of that, as originally it was an R/C business.

[Justin A. Porter]

Haven has, at times, had more than one track. At the most, we had a 145' Dadds Kingleman, a scale 1/4 dragstrip, and alternately a 60' four-lane Magnabraid hillclimb or 65' oval. 

Right now we have a four-lane HO scale track and our Ogilvie Hillclimb. We've considered an additional track but each time I come to the same conclusion. A slot car track is a big wooden hole in the middle of your retail space. You pour money - in the form of upkeep and specialized labor hours - into it for comparative pennies on the dollar in revenue. 

Have a track because you love the sport and if you want to last then for goodness' sake minimize that monstrosity's footprint as best you can. I have a lot of respect for Mike McMasters having built his floorplan effectively around a King because those beasts positively murder your space compared to an Orange or Hillclimb.