Cedar Rapids Hobby Shop Going Out of Business

The owners of a Cedar Rapids hobby shop say they plan on closing their doors soon.

That shop is Hobby Town located in the Town and Country Shopping Center along First Avenue in Cedar Rapids. The store is set to hold a private sale on Wednesday starting at 9 a.m. and then open to the public at 9 a.m. on Thursday, according to the Cedar Rapids Gazette. Regular store hours will then be 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and noon to 4 p.m. on Sundays until everything in the store has been closed. The Gazette reports that all merchandise will be discounted up to 50% off.

Niels and Musetta Christiansen opened Hobby Town back in 2016. Their store sold all kinds of hobby items including remote control cars, trains, and airplanes, as well as games, rockets, models, puzzles, kites, paint, and more. In a press release to the Gazette, the Christiansens stated,

This has been a very emotional decision and the hardest one we have had to make in our career. What I will miss the most is the awesome people that came into the store, especially the kids...seeing the sheer joy in their eyes.

Hobby Town actually replaced another hobby-based store, Box-Kar Hobbies, in the Town and Country Shopping Center, according to the Gazette. Rising costs and inflation were the reasons that the Christiansens made the difficult decision to close the store. Model and radio-controlled plane and car enthusiasts will now find it more difficult to find the supplies they need.