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San Francisco - Any Good Hobbyshop?


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Hi to all!!

is there any goog, really good, hobbyshop in San Francisco?

Thanks

Pardelhas

Hi Pardelhas,

You can try Franciscan Hobbies on 1920 Ocean Ave. Their emphasis is on trains and RC models. But they have an nice assortment of scale models. Another is the Hobby Co on 5150 Geary Blvd. Their main emphasis is on craft hobbies with a section for the scale modeler.

I hope this helps.

Good Luck.

Al.

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  • 3 weeks later...

The thing is, the best hobby shops in the Bay Area aren't in San Francisco itself.

Probably my favorite is Ace in Berkeley. Great place, lots of rare/OOP kits, very atmospheric, BART-accessible - and within distance of an excellent Chinese place (the Taiwan), an excellent Indian place (Viceroy), and an excellent brew pub (Triple Rock). Also right next to the stately UC Berkeley campus. Well worth a BART ride if you have time.

And in fact, it's probably less of a pain in the *** to get to Berkeley on BART from downtown SF than it would be to go searching for Hobby Co. on the 38 Bus.

My second favorite is Hobbies Unlimited in San Leandro, but unless you're a local you'll never find it.

D&J in Campbell is, I guess, retreating from the plastic kit business. They used to have two aisles of kits, now it's half of one aisle. Unfortunate.

But really, Ace is by far the best and most interesting hobby shop in the Bay Area, and Berkeley itself is definitely worth one afternoon of your time during a stay.

Edited by ReiRei0
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  • 3 months later...
I just wish SAN ANTONIO HOBBIES was still around! :soapbox:

Buz

Hey Buz I remember San Antonio Hobbies when I used to live 4 blocks away in Mountain View. I miss going there and seeing Yanni for my modern jet builds.

I guess he already moved on and put up his own hobbyshop along El Camino Real in Los Altos.

Eric

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Hey Buz I remember San Antonio Hobbies when I used to live 4 blocks away in Mountain View. I miss going there and seeing Yanni for my modern jet builds.

I guess he already moved on and put up his own hobbyshop along El Camino Real in Los Altos.

Eric

Yannis is like literally down the street from the former San Antonio

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4846 El Camino Real, Ste. B

Los Altos, CA 94022

Its right next to the WholeFoods. Its a small shop but he has alot of stuff, especially in the back? and he tries hard to get u stuff.

g0_command0 and Eric,

Thanks for the information, guys! The next time I'm ever in the Bay Area I'll go check it out. Thanks again! By the way how far is that shop from where SAN ANTONIO HOBBIES used to be?

Buz

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5 minutes?

Great info... so glad to hear that some form of the old S.A. hobbies is still alive.... I lived in the BA in the late 80's, and it was my favorite place to shop decals and PE stuff.

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  • 1 year later...
Now that Yannis Hobbies appears to have disappeared (at least online), are there other LHS in the Bay Area worth visiting?

Thx.

Terry

I'm not from San Fran but when I visited in the fall my friend took me to an Ace Hardware near Berkeley that literally blew my mind. One of the best model selections I've ever seen and great staff.

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Ace is without a doubt the best in the Bay Area.

There are two other really good ones, though. My LHS is Hobbies Unlimited in San Leandro. Good stuff, and a great little Chinese bakery with tasty pork buns in the same strip mall:

http://www.yelp.com/biz/hobbies-unlimited-san-leandro

J&M Hobbies in San Carlos is the other really good one. Great location, good selection, and reasonable prices:

http://local.yahoo.com/info-21315152-j-m-h...ouse-san-carlos

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  • 2 years later...

Is Ace in Berkeley still the place to go?

Yes.

Don't go to Berkeley in a car at rush hour. Or really anytime during a weekday. There is a BART station only 2 blocks away.

Some time in the future a new apartment building will be built in that location, but reportedly they will be staying.

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  • 4 weeks later...

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