Fresno was sad when this hobby shop closed, but now it’s coming back. Here’s the details
When the HobbyTown store in Fresno closed after 28 years, customers were saddened.
They missed not only the store, but the large outdoor track for remote-control vehicles that would draw people from all over the state for races.
Now they’re both coming back.
A new owner is reopening the store (in a slightly different location) and bringing back the track races.
The store is open now, though still in its soft opening so doesn’t have all its inventory in yet.
The store and track will celebrate their grand opening at 9 a.m. Friday, Oct. 1 with a ribbon cutting and the resumption of one of the biggest races of the year.
The new store is still on the northeast corner of Blackstone and Barstow avenues, just a little closer to the corner than the old location.
Former HobbyTown owners Kayanne and John Yung retired, HobbyTown president Bob Wilke told The Bee earlier this year. The company marketed the franchise for a while, hoping to get a new owner to take it over, but didn’t get any takers.
Some time later, the owner of a San Jose hobby shop and a hobby import/export business in San Jose, Eric Vasutin, caught wind of the situation. He’d been coming to Fresno for RC car races for years.
“It’d be really silly of me to buy a store because of the track, but I got the store because of the track,” he said.
Only, he couldn’t get the lease on the exact space that HobbyTown used to be in. A furniture store owner nabbed that lease, but Vasutin said the store has better visibility.
The new space is smaller – about one-third the size – but he says the it’s more appropriate for a modern store.
“I’m used to small spaces, so for me, the space is huge,” he said. His other store is Nor-Cal Hobbies in San Jose.
When it opens, the new store will offer products related to the RC cars, planes and boats. There will also be puzzles, models and supplies to paint them.
“There’s an incredible void that needs to be filled,” he said.
Details: HobbyTown is at 5404 N Blackstone Ave. Hours: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. 559-577-4500.
This story was originally published September 24, 2021 at 12:16 PM.
