What I discovered on the web was H&R Trains located at 6901 US Hwy N. in Pinellas Park, Fl. Below is a picture from there site with their claim to fame. I was excited to be able and see this store especially since it's THE SECOND LARGEST IN THE COUNTRY!!!
Now, I like a good brag as much as the next guy, but come on - lets get real here! He is a picture of the shop from the air and note the car in the lower left to give you some idea of the size of the building.
As I entered the store with great expectations I was greeted by the silent stare of a store employee (or owner?) with narly a word of greeting, and while I roamed around NOBODY approached me to greet me or ask if I needed any assistance. And they were NOT busy - there was only one other customer in the building.
So if this building isn't exactly HUGE perhaps it's jammed with inventory? NOT!!! I actually counted the number of HO freight cars around 60! The N scale wasn't that big either. The did have the bigger scales.
I actually did purchase a freight car (reduced their inventory by about 1.6%) along with a couple of other items. When I put my items on the counter to check out the same "friendly" employee (owner) that ignored me to that point continued to be speechless for about 30 seconds (also not wasting eye contact on me!) before he finally "let" me pay.
In summary, if this is the "Number 2 train store in the country", then my little inventory at home would qualify me as "Number 3". If I had the money I'd pay for a round trip ticket for these guys to see TrainMasters - it would knock their socks off!
Rick
(Owner of THE LARGEST RICHLAWN RAILROAD IN THE WORLD!)
Gotta agree with you. Trainmaster Models in Buford, GA is a lot bigger than this store, has a bunch of employees and they all like to help you. Maybe we should put a sign on Big Mike's store saying #2!
ReplyDeleteScott,
ReplyDeleteAre you saying that Big Mike is the second biggest owner of a model train store, or that he owns the second biggest store(grin).
Mike, please don't hurt me....I was only kidding....and I've got ALOT more money I'm going to spend at your EXCELLENT store!
Rick
I was in that store a few years ago, and found ti disappointing - their big claim to fame is the railroad-themed party park on the property, mostly for holding outdoor birthday parties. The owner is (or was, at that time) a woman who had been involved with this store all her life, I seem to recall. They're a glossy operation, but not a great modeler's store.
ReplyDeletePaul