"Shops in New York" Topic

Hi,

I will be visiting New York and wondered if anybody could recommend any good game/hobby/railway model shops in New York. Any hints greatly apreciated.

Red Caboose in the 40's near 5th Avenue is a great train/model shop. Lots of old product as well as new.

The Compleat Strategist is the only real game shop in NYC. It's on East 33rd (I believe).

We have two GW stores. One is on East 8th Street near Broadway.

Neutral Ground is another game store. I haven't been there is a dog's age.

Agree with nycjadie. No historical miniatures shops in New York City. Complete Strategist is on 33rd, just off 5th ave. It has only fantasy minis, but lots of boardgames. Neutral Ground is on 26th, I think, has less than Complete Strategist, only fantasy minis and boardgames.

Many thanks for the quick replies.

I think our steep real estate prices are why we have so few game shops. But we have plenty of Starbucks and mobile phone stores.

I've always thought that it's because New Yorkers have so many other things to do, like work (or avoiding work in my case).

There are multiple miniature gaming clubs, so there must be a critical mass of NY'ers in the hobby.

Haven't seen you in a long time Gaijin. Nice to see you back.

It's also small apartments that impeed gaming.

To your list of shops I would add St Marks Comics on 8th street between 2nd and 3rd. Cramped shop with tons of comics but also old toys and model kits. Good for scratch builders.

From there go to 2nd ave between 7th and 8th and on the second floor is Toy Tokyo filled with colletables and Japanese toys.

Forbidden Planet (comics, models, toys) is in the Village at Broadway and 13th Street.

Bah!
If you can afford to live in the city, then you can afford a couple extra filthy lucre a month to game

Hey does anyone know if Polk Hobbies still open? They used cover RC/planes/cars and trains. It was like 2/3 floors. Somewhere in the lower west side I belive. My memory might be a little off. I haven't been in there since sometime in the early 70's.

Polk is closed but does anyone know why and when? I was last there in early 1980's.

Kid Kyoto, the small apartments don't do it--see the Brits addiction to wargaming--but I wonder if small apts and cost of housing does affect the type of gaming people do. More 6mm and such, and less big 28mm stuff?

It isn't the small apartments – there are numerous gamers in the big apple. Though having a 4 X 6 foot gaming table in house makes me highly unusal.

The outrageous commercial rents keep gaming stores to a minimum and force New York gamers to surf the net for figure sources. Moderately successful non-gaming stores get driven out of business all the time when their already steep rents double or triple. If you don't make a bundle, get out.

Every time someone belches a luxury condo is constructed on the site.

I hate luxury condos.

B&N let the lease go at Astor Place because they couldn't afford the $130,000/month rent. It's now going to be a gym. That tells you how profitable gym memberships are.

Ah, the old routine where someone just says "New York" and everyone thinks of the city, and not the state. I love that, really I do.

There is the gaming club in New York City. I do not remember the name of the group but Dave Waxtel was a founder of the club I think. It is listed on the hmgs.org website under clubs and I think they have a yahoo group as well.
VR
James Mattes