What retail store style I'd like more of in laser-cut kits

[OldEastRR]

False fronts. The tall wooden walls built onto 1 or 2 story stores that made them look big and impressive. They convey a small city scene -- looking somehow bigger and more important than a small town one with its single-story peaked-roof storefronts. There are a few kits with such fronts but there should be more. Seems like structures available for layouts are either small-town or big city styles, no in-between versions for anything else. And banks -- there should be a bank sized like the brick DPM buildings, with a granite stone front. If you have any kind or size of downtown in real life, there definitely is at least one bank in it.  Even when the banks moved to bigger facilities, their distinctive building usually was repurposed.
(Yes, I've looked at almost every laser kit made and know there are a few false fronts, but we could use more. If you know of some in lesser-known or obscure laser kits makers list them)

[coosvalley]

Kato makes a nice granite looking bank....

The beauty of this hobby, is if they don't make what you want, you can probably find a way to make it yourself...

[peteski]

Kato makes a nice granite looking bank....

The beauty of this hobby, is if they don't make what you want, you can probably find a way to make it yourself...

IIRC, Tomix makes a similar (but different) structure. Then the Walthers Union Station could probably be kitbashed into a really large bank building.

[OldEastRR]

You guys didn't see the part where I said "small city" -- something like the  size of Downtown Deco's Metals Bank, but not so seedy. I've seen old bank buildings in fair-to-middling size cities in buildings not much bigger than DPM's Otto's Parts.

[peteski]

You guys didn't see the part where I said "small city" -- something like the  size of Downtown Deco's Metals Bank, but not so seedy. I've seen old bank buildings in fair-to-middling size cities in buildings not much bigger than DPM's Otto's Parts.

And even those tiny banks were constructed of those large granite blocks fronts you mentioned??  What did the other walls look like? Brick? Wood?  You could probably kit-bash something liek that using one of the bank building kits for the facade, and a DPM kit for the rest.

[OldEastRR]

Not every one had huge granite blocks, but they had high-class materials. Maybe  a marble panel for the first floor front, possibly columns or half-front columns on  the  ends. Anyway, I'd like to see more false-front wooden kits.
Heres a pic of both a small bank and a false-front  store, for  good measure.

http://tinyhousetalk.com/wp-content/uploads/small-towns-boa-bank-converted-to-humble-home-026.jpg

[peteski]

Not every one had huge granite blocks, but they had high-class materials. Maybe  a marble panel for the first floor front, possibly columns or half-front columns on  the  ends. Anyway, I'd like to see more false-front wooden kits.
Heres a pic of both a small bank and a false-front  store, for  good measure.

http://tinyhousetalk.com/wp-content/uploads/small-towns-boa-bank-converted-to-humble-home-026.jpg

That does look grand!  But it is something that can be kit-bashed (which I know is more difficult and time-consuming that simply buying and assembling a kit).  But at least making it yourself gives you a unique structure nobody else will have on their layout (not just another dime-a-dozen DPM building).