A new family has picked up the mantle at one of the region’s longest-running hobby shops.
Salem Hobby Shop has taken over the storefront that for decades was occupied by Crossroads Hobbies and Crafts of Salem until owner Ronnie Black retired in April.
Black, whose father started the shop in 1963, said at the time he hoped to get a new tenant into the West Main Street space and would love to see another hobby shop open.
“I’ve been a customer here starting back when I was probably around 12 years old,” Carroll said. “I remember [racing remote control cars] around on the track in the back.”
“It’s a lot of fun,” he said. “But you can also learn a tremendous amount from being hands-on with remote controlled vehicles. There are a lot of similarities between these cars and real cars. It teaches you a lot of fundamentals about things like batteries, motors, how different electronics work together. So, it’s something fun, but it’s educational too.”
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Carroll added he had long wanted to run his own business. When the chance to take over the hobby shop arose, it seemed too good to pass up.
After discussing it with his family, which includes his wife and two children who he’s introduced to RC, he bought much of Black’s remaining inventory and leased the more than 3,000-square-foot retail space.
Salem Hobby Shop opened its doors in late July. Returning customers will recognize some of the shop’s model kits and RC cars, planes and boats.
Carroll added a small track to the sales floor where enthusiasts can race or try out new gear. When a customer popped in to look at remote control options for a new RC boat he was building, Carroll pulled out one and invited him to give it a test run with a car on the track to get a feel for its levers.
“If you were just trying to order something online for that, I think it would have been tougher,” he reflected afterward. “Here, you can actually come in and try the style you’ll be getting.”
Carroll is making plans to expand the store’s inventory, including adding model trains to the portfolio, and mapping out plans to build a tabletop course for micro crawler vehicles. He also stands ready to confer with hobbyists on the builds and help source specialty equipment.
The shop is also continuing some of its predecessor’s most popular traditions — The concrete pig in the parking lot that became a community mascot still remains standing, and fans continue to be welcome to come by and paint messages on it.
The store cat, who Black affectionately nicknamed Punk, also still roams the place and Black pops in to take care of him.
More information about the store and what it carries can be found at its website: salemhobbyshop.com. The shop, located at 1104 W. Main St., is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays to Fridays and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays.
