Just like authentic New York soda fountains and ma-and-pa stores, good old-fashioned hobby shops are seemingly an endangered species in NYC. But they're not dead yet. Thanks to the popularity of the maker movement, hobby shops are enjoying a resurgence as kids (and grown-ups) look for fun hands-on projects, from assembling intricate models to flying remote-control airplanes to building robots to racing model trains (the latter is one of my nine-year-old's favorite pastimes).
Although you can buy most of these kits online, visiting a brick-and-mortar hobby shop can be an inspiring experience for children who like to tinker, experiment and create. Plus they get a chance to meet their fellow enthusiasts and learn from the vets. Whether your kids are into planes, trains or automobiles, here are 10 hobby shops throughout the five boroughs where families can stock up on all their DIY model-building needs.
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