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HOBBY SHOP MEMORIES Page updated 15th June, 2010. Just ONE page on the Collecting Books and Magazines web site based in Australia. Recollections Robert Mills Glenn Paton New comments This page will gather together the memories of those of us who used to frequent, or work for, the toy, hobby and sports shops of Sydney and its suburbs. In the early to mid-20th Century, it was common for so-called 'sports shops' to have a toy or hobby section within, because many manufacturers who produced toys, also manufactured sports equipment in sizes to suit children. Few such shops now exist within the metropolitan area, because large chain stores have taken over the distribution and sale of toys and sporting equipment as completely separate lines. Readers should consider this page as a 'work in progress'. Your contributions are required and I'd like to thank initial contributor Robert Mills for his interesting and wide-ranging comments. - John Note: "/" indicates a new paragraph. Recollections of Robert Mills Levensons
Hobbyco, December 1972 - June 1974 I started there part time in December 1972. Job obtained through link with a Danish family at Canterbury. The Rasmussens - who were possibly neighbours of Frank Murrell. My Grandmother had worked with Mrs Rasmussen in the late 1950’s at T and G Insurance in Sydney. / I worked Thursday nights and Saturdays between late 1972 and mid-1974. I tried to return there at end of 1974 for part time work - no go. Age now a barrier !. School students were employed as wages were age based - if they had a particular hobby interest. Specialisation was the key. Total contrast with Hobbyco operations now. / I served behind glass counters in the downstairs hobby section in George St. / First pay packet of $27.50 (I think) in cash for a weeks work during school holidays late in 72. $5 for Sat mornings. Little brown paper pay packets dispensed by Mr Rubilio. / First days task was cleaning the ceiling under stairs ! / Store rooms out back rarely had fresh air. Dank stale smells. Giant safe. / Other characters employed during my time (student staff) – Geoff Fellows, Paul Swift (Son of a Colonel at Victoria Barracks), a Scottish guy, " Beg pard" Peter Jones in 74 and red haired storeman (still there / in 1999 – then a manager). The 70’s plastic kit revolution was underway – hard to convince shopkeepers/management of need for stocking new products. It was the era of Airfix, Frog, Monogram, Italeri and the Japanese newcomer - Tamiya. Pace setter in 1/35th scale AFV’s. Looking back I now realize how unique the period was. / I won a competition at Fantastic Toy and Hobby Shop (the chief competitor) in late 1972 - scratchbuilt model using Airfix Pz 4 kit. Entry No 44. I still have it complete with entry sticker ! Constructed a Tamiya BMW R75 side car combo displayed at Hobbyco for some time. / Opening routine each Saturday - Opening/Shutting roller-door at entrance was always an effort. Took efforts of two people ! Cleaning front display cases was also problematic. Gymnastic qualities required there. A real chore. Extreme care was necessary to avoid knocking down window displays. / Lunch options – Wolfes sandwich shop nearby or a recent development – McDonalds in 1974. Not much else then. went to MacDonalds to check out the female staff mainly not the "food"! Magazine stand under stairs - split stairs facing rear wall. Rail, motorised aircraft and plastic kits all on one floor. Ships, figures, games on ground level above. Mr Winfields domain. 1 or 2 central serving areas on ground level. Pre supermarket layout with most stock behind counter or under the counter glass. Sales philosophy was look but not touch - ask if needed/wanted. Unlike the supermarket style arrangement now used. / Mechanical cash registers then. Bankcard introduced in 1974. Credit cards a novelty. Few credit card transactions taken - cash mainly. / Monogrammed Hobbyco paper (Brown Red & Green) on large heavy metal dispenser rolls. An art to cut the paper with one hand and judge the length required for wrapping the sold item. No samples survived - unfortunately. / Used a small oblong shaped wooden sales pads to write prices down/add up totals. Arithmetic was essential. Each Saturday was a competition to see who could get the highest sales total - if you were based in a section with expensive items you had a natural advantage. / George St address was near Cinema alley. Hoyts Centre 70’s kitsch and old Trocadero Building coexisted then. / Image of Mr Rubolio counting cash feverishly at registers at end of each days trading. / Fantastic Toy and Hobby shop FTHS (John De Horn Manager – station wagon with balloons) - were main rivals to Hobbyco. Branches in Park St and Bondi Junction for a time ....... 35 years on and how the world has changed. # Thanks again, Robert. All comments on the above will be gratefully received. See below. COMMENTS Recollections of Glenn Paton Enjoyed the toy shops article, a few thoughts and questions. Was Levensons in Pitt St? In the 60's I remember going to a model shop in Pitt St with a workmate who was a keen model railway modeller, I thought it was Levensons, being a non railway person I couldn't work out why anyone would pay a huge amount of money on the pretty gold model locos only to paint them black. In the late 60's there was another Hobbyshop in Pitt St I think between King and Market Sts? Again in the 60's there was another toy/hobbyshop opposite Dymocks but they were not there for long and mainly sold toys, the name escapes me. I remember Walther and Stevenson's at Town Hall, I used to love looking at the toy soldiers in the window and one Saturday morning was fortunate enough to get my own Britains 25pdr and for Christmas another time the naval gun. Hobbyco was also visited in the 60s and 70s, I remember getting a model of the Revell Hosptial Ship Haven during one of their sales, I was still at school so it must have been before 1965. I also remember that they had real old issues of Airfix models that hadn't been seen in shops for ages. In the mid 70's I was working at the DMR and used to visit with a railway modeller who purchased a VR Puffing Billy. As one of my jobs was to walk between Day St and HO at Campbell St I was tasked by my friend to pick up his monthly issues of model railway magazines. I also remember visiting the Fantastic Toy & Hobbyshop up that little lane near Wynyard. When it opened we modellers thought it was terrific as John stocked all the newer models that Hobbyco didn't seem to worry about e.g the Tamiya tanks. Captain Fantastic was a nice guy and was always willing to help out with model enquiries. Anthony Hordens also had a good selection of models, the brand I remember them having a lot of was Aurora, so maybe they were having a sale of them, I can't remember. Woollies at Town Hall also sold quite a lot of models, I remember in the early 70's that they remaindered all the old Frog kits when they went out of business, I purchased quite a few of the warship models. I wish I still had them. Later Woollies also remainded the Airfix kits when they went through one of there collapses, that time I remember getting the hovercraft, which I still have somewhere. I also visited Keith Hudson in his Goulburn St shop and as it was only around the corner I spent a good deal of time there. Both Keith and his wife were terrific people and always helpful. From memory Keith was a keen model airplane builder of the flying type but kept a huge inventory of model train gear. Very popular at the time as he was only one of the few hobby shops that stocked NSW outline models, even thought they were pretty rough compared to today's standards. It was great dealing with Keith because if you could find it in a Walthers catalogue he would order it in for you. That was really handy for the modeller in those pre internet days. Anyway
that's a few of my memories on toy and hobbyshops in the
city, the memory is going so maybe some of the info might
not be accurate.
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