Radio-controlled vehicles such as this 1/5-scale monster truck are a staple at Cyclone Hobbies in Columbus (photo by Damaine Vonada).
Whenever Cyclone Hobbies manager Kyle Belman fires up a mini-drone, Harley, the shop’s friendly Yorkshire Terrier, immediately jumps to her feet. As soon as the drone is airborne, Harley gives chase, excitedly scampering after the radio-controlled (RC) vehicle as he deftly maneuvers it around the shop. “Harley gets a lot more exercise chasing drones than she ever gets running after a ball,” says Belman.
He grew up flying RC airplanes and helicopters with his dad, Keith Belman, a Consolidated Electric Cooperative member who resides near Marengo. Their RC expertise is what prompted Keith Belman and Stuart Gray to start an exclusively RC hobby shop in the showroom of Sound Ideas, Inc., their professional audio business, in 2007.
Cyclone Hobbies soon mushroomed into a popular destination for radio-controlled aircraft, cars, trucks, and boats, and today the hobby shop and Sound Ideas occupy adjoining storefronts in a Columbus strip mall.
Even though Cyclone Hobbies sells products that use modern technologies, Gray notes that much of its success stems from old-fashioned customer service. “We communicate with customers and try to educate them before we’ll even start up a drone,” he says. “Since everything we sell is hobby grade versus toys, people are going to have lots of questions, and they’re going to need answers.”
Indeed, for independent hobby shops like Cyclone Hobbies, sharing information is essential to competing with big-box and online retailers, especially for something as complex as drones, which come in all shapes and sizes and with a variety of blades, lights, and controllers.
“When you buy local,” says Keith Belman, “you get parts, service, and support.” Another advantage is experiencing local flavor, whether it’s the shop owner’s personal attention or unexpected pleasures like meeting Harley and her canine companions — Leo, a Pomeranian, and Daisy, a deer head Chihuahua — at Cyclone Hobbies.
In a digital world, hobbies also can offer an antidote to smartphones. Folks are buying everything from traditional model kits to slot cars to RC vehicles because they want kids to get off the couch and pursue pastimes that involve real objects and interactions with real people. According to Kyle Belman, RC cars are one example of a great family hobby. “They get everybody outdoors,” he says. “People with all skill levels can use them.”
Want to learn more about what’s in store at Ohio’s hobby shops this holiday season? Here’s a closer look at Cyclone Hobbies and a few other locally owned hobby retailers:
Cyclone Hobbies, Columbus
The shop’s RC inventory ranges from $25 drones that fit in the palm of your hand to a gas-powered, 1/5-scale Monster Truck that can go 30 mph and sells for about $1,200. Technological advances have made motors, tires, and other RC vehicle components interchangeable. “Part of the fun is figuring out what you can do to make something go faster or farther,” says Kyle Belman.
John’s Hobby Shop, Mansfield
Although owner John Sutter is a Firelands Electric Cooperative member who lives in the lovely countryside near Lucas, his full-service, general hobby shop is in downtown Mansfield near the city’s family-friendly Richland Carrousel Park. Sutter, who has an industrial arts degree from Miami University, started the shop nearly 40 years ago, and it’s an authorized Lionel service center. “People from around the U.S. send me trains,” he says. Sutter also repairs cameras and sells and develops film, but he is proudest of his customer service. “I always go the distance to get people what they want,” he says.
Junction Hobbies and Toys, West Chester
When Don Oeters was a kid, he became enamored with the American Flyer trains his dad put under the family Christmas tree. Now he owns the world’s largest indoor train display — EnterTRAINment Junction, a railroad-themed amusement center that includes Junction Hobbies and Toys. While the 5,000-square-foot store carries nostalgic and educational toys such as Thomas the Tank Engine, it caters to railroad hobbyists with an excellent assortment of G-scale, HO-scale, and N-scale trains. “People who like model trains,” says Oeters, “are really happy to find a full-fledged train shop that has all the supplies, scenery, and accessories they want.”
Wings, Wheels and Waves, Massillon
This general hobby shop in downtown Massillon is known for its huge selection of military model kits and miniature games such as Flames of War. Owner Mike Guest even provides a table where customers gather to work on projects and play with toy soldiers and weapons. In addition to acquiring the MCW Automotive Finishes that match car manufacturers’ colors, Guest has created a line of military paints. “We mix all of our own colors,” he says, “and they’re specific to actual ships and aircraft.”
Damaine Vonada is a freelance writer from Xenia.
