Like a river, life will go on, but it will have to be without another local hobby shop - Franciscan Hobbies in San Francisco, closing after 68 years. Franciscan was one of those traditional, old-fashion hobby shops: trains; RC airplanes, helicopters, and boats; plastic models; books; magazines; and all the supplies a hobbyist could ever need. Located on Ocean Avenue and one of San Francisco's street car lines, the store also had a regular clientele of MUNI and transit fans. Service was friendly and they were always happy to order anything they did not have in stock.
For me it was a regular stop passing through the city. I relied on them for magazines, paint, glue, styrene, and other supplies. I am probably guilty of sometimes buying big ticket items elsewhere, based on price. They did not embrace e-commerce and the clientele has grayed. Kids used to swarm the store and they had to limit the number of students when school let out. That has not been the case in recent years for obvious reasons. Tourists also used to flock to the store when visiting and bring their fat wallets. E-commerce seems to have stemmed that trend.
The store was started in 1946 by John Gunther, a returning GI after WWII, and is now run by his son John. A family business to the end. It has been described as a clubhouse, a man cave, and a bar without booze. We now have the ability to shop the world at our fingertips, and we even have community in places like Railwire, but it is still sad to let go of the places of our past. RIP Franciscan Hobbies.
Doug Nelson
