Monday 18 July 2011

Support Your Local Hobby (Rochester, Kent) Store.........

.......or book store, video rental store, comic book store etc..........

Took the SWMBO out on Sunday (eventually) to Rochester for lunch and a wander round the old part, when to my surprise I spotted this lovely store Rochester Games and Models and would you know I had my camera with me and took a few shots for the blog (SWMBO was eyeing me suspiciously by this stage, I explained I needed shots of Rochester Castle for Ray for a project my goddaughter is doing), dropped in to say hello but the owner James Langley was away for a few days at a wedding and I asked could I take a few pictures for the blog and he said that would be great, business was good on Saturday especially for the Games Workshop items, there were Ospreys, rules sets, 28mm plastic figures, 1:72 and 1:35 kits plus loads of little extras ( bought a Rapid Fire supplement myself, always buy something even if it's only a paint).

I think the shop has potential and along with the couple of second hand book shops in Rochester it's the only thing I  visit apart from the the mixed grill I got at JD Wetherspoons (very nice but the place is starting to get tatty). What I'm trying to say is I order off the internet like nearly everybody does but I prefer to see the item or touch the item rather than wait for it in the post, I know online it can be cheaper (rarely with models but there are exceptions)  but I want to see the product sometimes or I want it now and don't want to wait for it in the post like these movie by mail services I'll just drop down to Blockbuster and rent it.

So support your local hobby store or you'll be saying where did that shop go and wondering why it closed.

Rochester Games and Models
123 High Street
Rochester
Kent
ME1 1LE
07952 230815
He should have a website soon.


It was pissing down, cats and dogs weather and I stepped in a poodle (geddit?).










Lovely gentleman filling in for James whose name I forgot to get!

53 comments:

  1. It looks like a well stocked shop and I totally agree with you, these places need patronising to survive.

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  2. Excellent, thanks for that. I was hoping to get to Rochester soon (as I was planning to see how the real castle compares to its stand-in in Ironclad).

    Have to add that Rochester's second hand book stores are some of the finest I've encountered and are worth a visit on their own.

    Should also point out that the Rochester Armory is great for all your swords, armour and helmet needs ;)

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  3. You are absolutely right Fran.
    Internet is good, but if we don't support each other, in the end we will stand alone. . . .
    T.

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  4. Rather blessed here in York, as have one large model shop and a smaller one.

    Also best of all is a good Dolls House shop, which I advise everyone to check out, should one be in your area.

    A mass of useful model making items that are useful for all periods.

    Also model shops can usually order stuff for you, so ask away.

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  5. Great looking shop, pity it's a few thousand miles away and not exactly local for me.

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  6. That's well-stocked store. It's too bad all locals aren't so well-supplied.

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  7. good post, and looks a nice little store

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  8. I went in that store a couple of months ago and they seem much better stocked now. I hope they survive and thrive.

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  9. Looks a great shop. I prefer to look at stuff in the flesh before I buy it.

    Theres a stack of stuff i've found on the internet that looks good or iI can see potential but then I'm like emmmm will it go with what i've got already??

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  10. It's exactly these kind of shops that I've always got my eyes peeled for when I visit somewhere new to me! Great idea to post when you find one!

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  11. Pretty looking shop, tidy and full. I agree on buying local. I don't remember the last thing I didn't buy in a store and I hope I'll always have small businesses to buy from.

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  12. It must be hard for brick and mortar shops like that, they totally need to be supported!

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  13. Ooh, I live surprisingly close to you if you live in kent.

    I've walked past that store, never actually been in though.

    I'll give it a try next time on your recommendation.

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  14. me want some of those planes!

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  15. Good for you for making us aware of these small retailer, they need al the help they can get these days. What's an SWMBO?

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  17. Sadly there are no hobby shops where I live. :(

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  18. All the hobby shops in my place or near by are all gone. I couldn't support all of my own ;-)
    For me it's the same I want to touch and smell the boxes before I buy them. But now most of the time I must use the internet to get a specific set :-(

    Greetings
    Peter
    http://peterscave.blogspot.com/

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  19. What a great shop! We are lucky to have a couple around here, which we check out often - along with an awesome comic shot that has a magic shop right around the corner. Unfortunately, in the way of book stores we have Barnes and Noble and now that most of the Borders stores have closed, that is about it. People do not read books enough.

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  20. I have a place like this downtown, called A Street Games. I refuse to shop at 'big box' stores, even though this dude charges a little more than wally world.

    Go go for supporting independent businesses everywhere!!

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  21. Good to see these shops doing well. I'm glad the internet hasn't killed all the small, independent stores yet.

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  22. I love places like that.

    And I support 2 of the local ones here. I even did some Christmas shopping last year from them.

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  23. Dude! I'm excited just staring at the pics. Hey, did you stop off for a Garbage Platter?

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  24. we don't have hobby shops in my country, but it does sound like a lovely and creative place!

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  25. I have a game shop only a three minute walk away from my door, but I couldn't understand anything what they were doing. It was 100 percent wtf, like a foreign language to me.

    With the help of blogs I can figure it out. I am sure there are people here who would love to have a shop like that on the next block. It's busy, too.

    I can drive to a couple more, one for games and one for railroads, but has lots of useful things. The only one aimed at historical closed for retail but still publishes books.

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  26. stepped in a poodle haha. I got it!

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  27. For me it's fishing and I always make sure to support the local shops

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  28. Eden for me .. In Antalya (Turkey) there is no modelling shop...I must shopping from web...

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  29. oh Frannnnnn!! you forgot to take the pics of Rochester castle for Holly's project, now I've got to take her and get some pics instead............he heh !!

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  30. That's great! I'd support one as well if I had one near enough to do so, until then it's pretty much all on-line for me.

    Christopher

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  31. Looks great. Our FLGS closed down shourly after I moved to the area. Nothing to do with me moving to the area... I hope :(

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  32. nice picture, nice location!!!

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  33. Wow looks great any models to intrest me 1.35 scale you know i love

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  34. I always try to shop at the local small shops around my area.

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  35. So true, I totally agree! I shop at the local stores :)

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  36. Keeping small businesses alive is such a great thing, they work so hard but the big stores can always do better, that store seems to have everything though!

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  37. I was going to teleport and pop round for a visit till I realized he might be closed for the night...8^(

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  38. I recently started to shop in local small stores and I am pleased with those. Hopefully these guys survive

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  39. I'm not welcome at my local store anymore. It's the price of being associated with one of their best customers Ex.

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  40. It is tough to keep a hobby/game store open. Inventory is a two edged sword. You have to have it to keep customers happy and returning to shop again. But the amount of money which can be tied up in the form of inventory sitting on the shelf can kill your bottom line. Few stores can afford to stock in any depth. They need a dedicated customers base placing special orders to keep them afloat.

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  41. I really liked seeing these pictures. And those shelves, my word, they be stocked.

    Thanks for sharing this.

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  42. That's a great idea to support that shop this way. Good going.

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  43. I wish the Southeast (in the states) was more walkable. Down here you have to drive most places and of course when you get there you need parking. This is why the big box stores are so popular down here.

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  44. all the comic book shops near my house closed up years ago =/ I used to frequent them twice a month when I was younger, but I guess one kid spending 15 dollars a month doesn't qualify as booming business.

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  45. The Osprey book rack, Warhammer figs and all those models... makes me wistful for the near decade I spent managing a place a lot like that.

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  46. Looks like a great little shop. Small shops always seem to allow for a small demo game here and there which can help to spread the gaming hobby. I too prefer to patronize brick and mortar stores, but all too often, they are on the card game/FoW/GW only format.

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  47. Absolutely awesome store Lurker. I'll bet you could spend a lot of hours just going through all of it. Thanks for showing your hangout.

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