Horsham closed what to do next
07-05-2007, 08:55 AM
#151
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Larry...
if you're such a master at it....then open up a track
and for info I was not part of the shop....I volunteered my time because I could see that the track was heading for trouble.....
just as well as you could see it....
end of conversation.
if track opens...then I'll support it with my money...as I always have
if you're such a master at it....then open up a track
and for info I was not part of the shop....I volunteered my time because I could see that the track was heading for trouble.....
just as well as you could see it....
end of conversation.
if track opens...then I'll support it with my money...as I always have
Last edited by olhipster1; 07-05-2007 at 09:27 AM.
07-05-2007, 08:55 AM
#152
07-05-2007, 11:37 AM
#153
For a track to survive it has to be a hobby shop first. Meaning Planes, Heli's, Cars, Trains, whatever the people want. Not just spending on race day. A good customer base and word of mouth goes a long way. If you get the right people 10 guys can spend 10 grand easily in a month on planes or heli's or crazy hopped up revo's. If a hobby shop is gonna live or die on entry fees and race day spending it wont last long.
I have to agree with L.Fairtrace on this. The track shouldn't rely on their rc car racers and their spending habits alone.
Unless you're rich or have a money tree at home, if you're going to open an rc business\track as a self sustaining business, the first rule of thumb when opening an rc track - Don't rely on the track or race fees to bring in any revenue. You can't predict how many racers will race a week from now, a year from now or even 5 years from now. Don't even put the race fees in your financials as part of cashflow or as a key financial indicator. Initially, in terms of the track itself all you'll want to think about is breaking even over time on the cost to build the actual track (which will occur over time). Eventually the track will prove its return on investment and become additional revenue. The rc business has to find other ways to generate cashflow to break-even and then ultimately make a profit(or loss). Finding those cashflow generators isn't easy cause there are multiple variables like demographics, location, marketing, etc, etc that affect cash flow. Sometimes, it's just luck and timing that happens to make a business survive.
Last edited by Apex; 07-05-2007 at 11:54 AM.
07-05-2007, 03:20 PM
#154
I for one think this is good conversation, that can only help. Alot of the suggestions are great. Not having a negative attitude is a key to the success of any business. One major problem people have is spending money beyond their skill level. If you cant run 5 minutes clean you don't need the top 1 percent of the batteries or motors.
Oh and Anthony don't worry about Bob, he races once a year.
Oh and Anthony don't worry about Bob, he races once a year.
Oh and I was comparing 10th scale electric to 10th scale electric....not 1/8th scale gas.
07-05-2007, 04:30 PM
#155
Wish someone would post some sort of news good or bad... Just hate being left in the dark... Vagas is fast approaching and i know there are quite a few people that would love track time...
07-05-2007, 04:50 PM
#156
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When a business opens it is up to the owners to worry about all the costs that come with owning that business.............not the racer as in this case.
Problem is it is very hard to find a place that has everything a hobbyshop needs in order to survive.
One thing that others have not mentioned is every shop buys from the same few distributors and especially Great Planes and Horizon. So that means everyone is pretty much paying the same for stuff at each shop. Now add the fact one of the two largest distributors owns Tower Hobbies and the fact they sell stuff thru their hobbyshops at prices cheaper than normal hobby shops pay thru the distributor and you have a huge problem.
Lets face facts people want the best price whether it is from the local shop or online. It is alot different for hobbyshops today because of places they didn't have to worry about even 10 years ago. Today computers and online sales are huge and places like Ebay and mail order places all take sales away from your favorite hobbyshops.
I'm not sure how many worked or setup hobbyshops 24 years ago but I have and non of this stuff where huge issues back in the day. Online sales and hobby sites like an RC Tech did not exist for racers/shop owners to use to help themselves out. Now we having rising costs for everything (except are paychecks) so it is harder and harder to spend money and the first thing that goes is hobbies.
Hobbyshops must be able to support themselves, tracks cannot support a shop but only help get customers into the shop. Only about 10% or less of hobbyshop sales are from guys who race.
Problem is it is very hard to find a place that has everything a hobbyshop needs in order to survive.
One thing that others have not mentioned is every shop buys from the same few distributors and especially Great Planes and Horizon. So that means everyone is pretty much paying the same for stuff at each shop. Now add the fact one of the two largest distributors owns Tower Hobbies and the fact they sell stuff thru their hobbyshops at prices cheaper than normal hobby shops pay thru the distributor and you have a huge problem.
Lets face facts people want the best price whether it is from the local shop or online. It is alot different for hobbyshops today because of places they didn't have to worry about even 10 years ago. Today computers and online sales are huge and places like Ebay and mail order places all take sales away from your favorite hobbyshops.
I'm not sure how many worked or setup hobbyshops 24 years ago but I have and non of this stuff where huge issues back in the day. Online sales and hobby sites like an RC Tech did not exist for racers/shop owners to use to help themselves out. Now we having rising costs for everything (except are paychecks) so it is harder and harder to spend money and the first thing that goes is hobbies.
Hobbyshops must be able to support themselves, tracks cannot support a shop but only help get customers into the shop. Only about 10% or less of hobbyshop sales are from guys who race.
07-05-2007, 04:54 PM
#157
07-05-2007, 05:09 PM
#158
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Man that place has been around forever. Wow I remember going to race at T&L when I was 16.
Damn that was a LONG time ago.
Only thing if anything I can think of is it has alot of car traffic but not direct access from the highway. It has lots of parking, different types of tracks over the years, and a vast inventory that caters to many different hobbies and is well known from being around so long.
Last time I was down to T&L I saw some of the same motorcycle models from 20 years ago. !981 Honda CB750 in black on the model box from Tamiya.
Damn that was a LONG time ago.Only thing if anything I can think of is it has alot of car traffic but not direct access from the highway. It has lots of parking, different types of tracks over the years, and a vast inventory that caters to many different hobbies and is well known from being around so long.
Last time I was down to T&L I saw some of the same motorcycle models from 20 years ago. !981 Honda CB750 in black on the model box from Tamiya.
07-05-2007, 07:19 PM
#159
Orlando, How long have you been involved in rc? Casue I have been around Horhsham since day one. You question someone like me who actually knows about the hobby, and someone how has been involved in it for 15+ years, not a week. Being involved with a failed hobby shop does not make you an expert. You act like you know it all and what will undoubtly make a track work. What other tracks have you made work. Not ordering hundreds of dollars worth of stuff for a customer casue they "can't" will make any business fail. It was obvious when the hobby shop was put into the smallest room what the priority was, and that was wrong.
I WAS THE BIGGEST SUPPORTER AND FAN OF HORSHAM THEY HAD. Don't question me. You showed up 6 months ago and act like you know all. Every post you make comes off as negative to me and others. I rally every person I know every week to race. There is no bigger advocate of rc racing than me. One of my old friends that used to race with me bought a bunch of stuff at the end of last year to start racing and now he also has nowhere to race. When was the last time you brought anyone to the track if your gonna question me?
I'm being realistic here. How have all the other tracks survived around the country if you don't think its possible to survive? The building should not be supported by the track only its used for both. The track at Horsham was poorly utilized 1 day a week and was expected to support the rest of the building for the rest of the month. I tried many times to get them to race wed nights or race carpet offroad on fridays. The oval guys were basically told to F-off last year and of course never came back. All stupid decisions.
I WAS THE BIGGEST SUPPORTER AND FAN OF HORSHAM THEY HAD. Don't question me. You showed up 6 months ago and act like you know all. Every post you make comes off as negative to me and others. I rally every person I know every week to race. There is no bigger advocate of rc racing than me. One of my old friends that used to race with me bought a bunch of stuff at the end of last year to start racing and now he also has nowhere to race. When was the last time you brought anyone to the track if your gonna question me?
I'm being realistic here. How have all the other tracks survived around the country if you don't think its possible to survive? The building should not be supported by the track only its used for both. The track at Horsham was poorly utilized 1 day a week and was expected to support the rest of the building for the rest of the month. I tried many times to get them to race wed nights or race carpet offroad on fridays. The oval guys were basically told to F-off last year and of course never came back. All stupid decisions.
I have just started racing at Horsham a couple of months ago, but it was Orlando that kept me coming back and he didn't even work there. SInce then I've watch him talk to every new potential racer that walked into the shop. Everytime I was in the shop he was usually there and spending no time working on his hobby, but working on keeping the shop going (without any finacial return at all - and always loosing money when he sell something to a new guy).
The Cooper class is fun but the newbie will not learn what it takes to run touring cars. Cooper racing is closer to backyard bashing than racing stock foam Touring cars.
Orlando is not acting like he knows everything - What he posts is his opinion and most of what he says is to get racers out of their pit and help support the track so they have a place to race.
P.S. As with all my posts - they are my opinion. I'm back it rc racing after 15 years out. I have never owned a track or hobbyshop but, I have raced many things from club to professional level and I'm a business owner. A place like Horsham will not survive without every racer's support (no matter how big the sign is out by the road!).
If every racer was a half as passionate about keeping the track open and making money as Orlando, this conversation would not be happening.
07-06-2007, 04:03 AM
#161
Hi Jeff, It's Chris from Myspace. (teamtekin)
Sorry to hear your local club closed. The only thing I can suggest is try to get all the people who used to race at Horsham to all go to one club whilst something is arranged.
That way everyone can still group together frequently and come up with ideas
Hope things work out for the best!
Sorry to hear your local club closed. The only thing I can suggest is try to get all the people who used to race at Horsham to all go to one club whilst something is arranged.
That way everyone can still group together frequently and come up with ideas
Hope things work out for the best!
07-06-2007, 11:55 AM
#162
Ok straight from George who just talked to Brad, who told George to post this:
They want option A to happen - Buying and taking over Horsham RC. HRC wants them to personally inventory everything in the shop, which they feel is totally unnecessary. They made an offer which was more then generous. If Brad and Jim both don't get the track, there will be NO purchasing of the building.
If needed they will go to option B - finding a new place and starting over. Which they really do not want to do, but only as a last resort.
They want option A to happen - Buying and taking over Horsham RC. HRC wants them to personally inventory everything in the shop, which they feel is totally unnecessary. They made an offer which was more then generous. If Brad and Jim both don't get the track, there will be NO purchasing of the building.
If needed they will go to option B - finding a new place and starting over. Which they really do not want to do, but only as a last resort.
Last edited by Jason Swift; 07-06-2007 at 12:07 PM.
07-06-2007, 11:59 AM
#163
Last edited by Pat Clark; 07-09-2007 at 01:37 PM.
07-06-2007, 12:06 PM
#164
"IF" Horsham current owner is smart.. They would take a decent offer and bail while they can. Brad opening another shop w/o there help will cause what they do have to even more loose it's value. So I hope they can revolve this fast for both ends,
Brad and Jim I'm sure either way will make the racers happy.....
Brad and Jim I'm sure either way will make the racers happy.....
07-06-2007, 12:09 PM
#165
They definitely shouldn't have to, but i would being that a lot of the inventory is probably more(in the computer) than what it actually is. We all have seen "him" take stuff right off the walls and just walk out not even marking it down.