Northern Indiana hobby shop closing its doors after 58 years
BREMEN, Ind. (AP) - When Theresa Heuberger met her husband and became involved with Bremen Hobbies 33 years ago, she didn't know what a hobby store was.
'œBefore that I had never heard of a hobby shop,'ť she said. 'œBut since then, I've learned to fly airplanes, I've learned to drive cars and I've learned how to build train sets and rockets. And I have a blast with all of them.'ť
After nearly six decades in business, Theresa and husband Andy will close the full-service hobby store at 308 N. Bowen Avenue in Bremen on Dec. 28. It wasn't a decision that came lightly and the Heubergers said some customers were angry about the announcement.
'œThere are some people that are not so happy about it,'ť Theresa said. 'œAnd we're not happy about it either.'ť
The Heubergers said their decision to close was due to personal health reasons and not for lack of interest by customers.
The business first started as a fish and pet store 58 years ago in Dale and Martha Heuberger's Bowen Avenue basement. But as their interests and hobbies changed, so did the business.
'œMy dad was interested in trains and model airplanes so it kind of followed their interest,'ť said Andy Heuberger, who took over the family business.
The Heubergers eventually moved the business out of the basement to space next door. For the next 40 years, generations of customers would marvel at the model train set first constructed by Dale before shopping for kits, paint and manuals that would inspire their own creativity.
'œPeople come in and say 'I saw that (train set) when I was a child' and now they bring their kids in," Theresa said. "Someone brought their grandkids in to see that train the other day."
While the train set will find a new home, the fate of the store is sadly falling in line with similar stores.
Local hobby stores - that is, retailers who sell model trains, planes, rockets, R/C cars and more - are becoming few and far between. Hobbyland closed its Mishawaka location in Town and Country Shopping Centre in July 2010 and Granger Hobby Stop along Adams Road closed its doors in 2016.
'œThere's not many hobby shops like this around,'ť said the Bremen Hobbies longtime general manager Tony DeRosa.
HobbyTown in Granger and Maple City Hobbies in Goshen are still around but DeRosa said other stores often focus on one particular hobby, such as R/C cars, whereas Bremen Hobbies offered a wider range of services and products. One of those services was simply listening to older customers who would often sit on one of two stools across the glass counter and just talk.
'œThere were days when I felt like a bartender,'ť DeRosa laughed. 'œGuys would come in and tell me their troubles. There were some things I wish I didn't hear.'ť
It's those customers that the Heubergers and DeRosa say they will miss most.
'œI have one guy that comes every Monday and he sits and talks,'ť Theresa said. 'œA lot of people come in here just to talk and now, you don't know when you'll see them outside of this store.'ť
The store just a mile south of U.S. 6 will remain open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. until it closes on Dec. 28. Items are discounted for sale in light of the closure.
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Source: South Bend Tribune