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Jan's Hobby

1435 Lexington Ave., New York, NY 10128
nr. 94th St. See Map | Subway Directions Hopstop Popup
212-987-4765 Send to Phone

Reader Rating:
4.5 out of 10
|
4 Reviews | Write a Review
Type: Specialty Shop

Map Rate & Review

Hours

Mon-Sat, 10am-7pm; Sun, noon-5pm

Nearby Subway Stops

6 at 96th St.

Payment Methods

American Express, Diners Club, Discover, MasterCard, Visa

Profile

At Jan's in Yorkville, kit packages and fittings for miniature model boats, pocket-size planes, small soldiers, and the like are stacked floor-to-ceiling, waiting for the next pair of hands to come along and bring them to small-scale life. Manager Fred Hutchins's own obsession started at the age of 5 with plastic kits from Woolworth's. By the time he was a teenager, he noticed a for sale sign in a York Avenue hobby-shop window and persuaded his folks to buy the store. That was 1973. Today, the shop, which moved in 2003 to a bigger space on Lexington Avenue, attracts hobbyists and parents eager to tear their children away from the television. Many even arrange with Hutchins to have model-building birthday parties for up to 10 kids in the store’s dusty dungeon (his only rule: no food). Hutchins and his mom, Collette, are happy to share their architectural secrets. Or catch him on alternate Sunday mornings and some week days at the 72nd Street Model Boat Pond in Central Park, where he sails his remote-control ships for all to see.

There was a person that stated that an older woman (possibly Jan- the owner) had scoffed at them for using a debit card for just a 20 dollar purchase. I don't know the person at all but by reading what they wrote I can tell you they are telling the truth. THE EXACT SAME THING happened to me, when I went to use my debit card- She told me "what's the world coming to" I asked her what do you mean, she said for said "for only $25 dollars, whatever happened to using cash. They do have a good selection I will admit but expect to pay generally more for the models and expect to have NO HELP WHATSOEVER with looking for anything you might need. You have to directly ask them that you need help before they so much as look your way.

A treasure trove for the experienced modeller

francese61 from 19078 | Posted on 7/14/09

Overall Rating: 9 (Highly Recommended)


Quality:	9
Service:	7

Selection:	9

Value:	8

I have been a customer of this store for over 25 years and I can tell you that there would be no one more helpful or knowledgable to a newby hobbist than Fred. Fred is not only a master modeller but has experience in this hobby second to none. The informal family atmosphere of the store is mistakenly labeled as "rude" in several of these reviews. Ignore the naysayers. to them I say lighten Up already!

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