Featured Hobby Shop: Hobbystuff Depot

We have a special treat for the next hobby shop feature.  It's a great store that will be new to many of you: Hobbystuff Depot.  Owner Justin Deng set up shop in Calgary last year, bringing Hong Kong pricing to Canadian modellers.  You’ll definitely want to check out their website, but first, meet the man behind the scenes:

RMMC: As an on-line retailer, you’re unique in Calgary’s modelling scene.  How did Hobbystuff Depot get started?

HSD:  It began back in 2009, in China.  We got involved in this industry because of a trading opportunity and that led us to research the hobby industry more.  We decided that it was a good business opportunity, so we opened Hobbystuff Depot.

We’ve been expanding ever since.  In 2010, we moved to Canada, bringing our inventory with us, and we get new shipments from China all the time.

RMMC: Did you grow up building model kits?

HSD:  No.  I really didn’t know about models until we were asked to export them.  I would love to start building because I’m amazed at what can be done, but the website keeps me so busy, I don’t have any time.

But I love looking at all the kits.  There are so many great models; it can get hard to resist the temptation.

RMMC: A lot of brick and mortar stores are struggling because of the competition from on-line shops.  What difficulties do you face that brick and mortars don’t?

 HSD:  The brands we are carrying are more limited at the moment, which is frustrating.  Some manufacturers, like Tamiya, have strong distribution chains, and require you to have a brick and mortar store before you can order from them.  So it can be difficult expanding our product lines as an online store.

And we also have to worry about competition.  We’re competing with local hobby shops and with other on-line retailers, just like every other hobby shop.  We’re the same as other hobby shops in that sense.  We’ve still got to invest time and money building the business.  Like I said, I wish I could build models, but I’m so busy with the store, I don’t have time.

RMMC: You said you loved looking at the kits.  Which one would you build if you DID have the time?

HSD:  Oh, the Trumpeter Leopold.  It’s so impressive, and I particularly like the military kits.  But it’s got so many parts, I’d need months to build it!

RMMC: In a crowded hobby world, what sets your store apart from the other shops in town and online?

HSD:  We import items by ourselves and skip the middleman, which means we’re able to keep our costs lower than others.  Our prices are in line with the Hong Kong based shops, but because we’re located in Canada our shipping is faster and there are no Customs charges to worry about. We stock real inventory and are able to ship out orders in the same day of payment or the next business day, and that brings our customer a superior shopping experience.

RMMC: Are there any upcoming releases that have you particularly excited?

HSD:  We’re expecting a lot of kits in the next few months.  Flyhawk are releasing a big detail set for the Scharnhorst.  Trumpeter has an 80t Rail Gun and the British Harrier coming.  And we’re also hoping to bring in some new lines, such as MiniArt.

Many thanks to Justin for sharing his time with us.  Visit our Hobbystuff Depot gallery for more pics, and be sure to check out the Hobbystuff Depot website.  You can also find them on Facebook and at eBay under Mr. Hobbystuff.  They’ve got a lot of great kits at some amazing prices.  And as a special bonus: if you’re in Calgary (or if you’re going to be), you can drop Justin a line and arrange for a local pick-up to save on shipping.