NEWS AND UPDATES

05/20/19

Important Miniature World of Trains Update™!

The Miniature World of Trains Update™ has been a project I have been working on for nine and a half years now and  it is a wonderful, profit making concept to help save the future of model railroading. Not only is it about model trains, it is about S.T.E.A.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) and much more!

About three weeks ago I announced the negotiations for the lease where to a point I announced the location next to the regional Haywood Mall. However, this past Tuesday I was informed that the owner of the building I have been negotiating with has a full price offer to sale the building. This effectively stopped MWOT™ hope and  progress for a 2019 holiday opening!

While the project has stopped forward momentum again, according to the realtor, the realtor needs a tenant so our proposal with the current owner has been given to the new owner who does not have a tenant lined up for that location as of this update. Hopefully I will know something this week.

Since  this situation has occurred, I have been exploring other location options, both permanent and temporary. The temporary location will be for the Christmas Model Train Display™  and a retail store for the 2019 Holiday Season somewhere in Greenville, SC.

For those of you that have followed the project since 2009 you know that finding suitable locations has been in issue. In 2012 the old Sam's Club lease was negotiated and then that building and land was sold right out from under MWOT™, the downtown BETA test location lease ended and the city virtually blocked the move to another location and construction began just outside the building, plus the lack of parking in the area ended that location in 2015.

The competition for locations is fierce here in Greenville, SC and the need for no less then 9,000sf to build the CMTD™  and a new MWOT™  plus have retail and training / DIY areas is hard to find in a good location with easy access and parking.  However I have already found a potential back up location if the new owner of the Congaree Rd location will not work with me.

The problem here is timing at this point.

If something can not be arranged by no later than June 15th, opening of the CMTD™  will not occur as there will not be enough time to get it created and opened by the 2019 holiday season.

However, the ultimate dream is to buy land and build but there is still not enough funding to create this wonderful project! So leasing is the only option currently.

So, please help me create this project by either investing, donating or volunteering!

The current version still needs $800,000 to create the a  new version, less for a new Christmas Model Train Display™  for just the 2019 holiday season, about $30,000 at this point to potentially generate an estimated $75,000 to $100,000+ gross revenue in just six weeks!

So please go to the MWOT™  website to help out and move the project forward! 

So, again, you can invest a minimum of $100 or donate what ever you would like to the Miniature World Of Trains™ and become part owner as an investor of what will be "the next big attraction" and a great addition to the model railroading hobby!

You could share in a projected $18M net profit in 7 years!

MORE INFO ON THE ATTRACTION OR HOW TO INVEST


BRH May Sales To Date!

At BRH May and June are typically slow months. However, so far May sales are up 100% over May 2018 with about 11 days to go! So I have been very busy at the store.

New Wholesaler Added

I have added another 25,000 items to the database to expand our product offerings.

For the last 15 years our main wholesaler has been Walthers and for about 3 years we used Horizon Hobbies (Athearn) until their customer service issues become to unbearable and we dropped them in 2013!

Now we have added Emery Distributing in Easton, Pennsylvania so that we can offer more options and product for you all to shop for at one location. You will see some duplicate items listed with potentially different pricing. The reason for this is that there will be two warehouses offering the same item(s) at different price point. The lower price may be at Walthers (Milwaukee Warehouse) but is sold out and Emery (Easton Warehouse) my be available at a little higher price or vice versa. So if you need something now, order it as a back order at the lower price or get it shipped to you in a few days at a little bit higher price. The choice is yours.

Also, with this new addition, we are now offering model kits and other hobby items that we have not offered online since 2013. These items will not be available at the retail store but can be ordered and picked up at the storefront when they arrive!

In addition to the new wholesaler, this greatly expands the in stock offerings online for Lionel and MTH!
I am still working on getting the images loaded for the new wholesaler and this will be done as time permits!

Yet another wholesaler, Heartland Hobby, the new owner of MRC and JTT products will be added to offer even more items to the BRH database. I have a few more things to do to get their offerings added and that also will be done as time permits!

So, when this is all done, BRH will have the largest model railroad database in the world!

Some of you have asked about Scale Trains. Well the owner of Scale Trains only wants to sell to you directly and will not allow any  new dealers to sell his product. Only the initial group of dealers he added when he started up are  sill selling his product. Exact Rail is another that will only sell directly to you. So no dealers.

In both cases this will cost you more money to get those product lines costing you full MSRP and the cost of shipping from one location at a time.

BRH also offers some other brands like GarGraves Track (not listed online) and we offer a great discount price on this line of O scale Track. EEC (East Coast Circuits) electronics, RR-Circuits electronic and Summit USA Models BRH purchases directly from them for you to save you money in the long run!

 BRH offers a one stop DISCOUNT location for all of your hobby and model railroading needs and will continue to do so!

Memorial Day Shipping Schedule

As you know the big holiday weekend is coming up and shipping to BRH and then to you all will be affected. Please visit the store worldwide shipping schedule page for more information



Golden Spike  Trainsets

With the 150th anniversary of the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad, the driving of the Golden Spike and 
the operation of the Union Pacific Big Boy, the romance and importance of the railroads are in the news now, BRH is offering G, O and HO scale sets to purchase today or make an advance reservation.

Limited Quantities Are Available all available at great low BRH prices!

LGB G Scale
Advance Reservation
MSRP $9,999.99
BRH PRICE $8,549.11


Lionel O Scale
Advance Reservation
MSRP $549.99
BRH PRICE $473.66

Bachmann HO Scale
Now Available
MSRP $549.00
BRH PRICE $327.47


Upcoming Preorder Deadlines

May 31: Intermountain Preorders
May 31: Micro-Trains Preorders
May 31: Walthers Preorders

Intermountain Railway

BRH received a large batch of Intermountain Railway products last week for the first time in quite a long while. All of these loco's and freight cars have been sorted and shipped to the customers that where awaiting these specific items.
No other information on when other back orders / advance reservations will arrive!

05/12/19

The Last 45 Days!

You all know about the situation with several manufacturers regarding the MAP (Minimum Advertised Price), but some other things have occurred effecting operations at Blue Ridge Hobbies. More info below.

On a personal note. My mother in law in Ohio was having some serious health issues during March and April that was very taxing and several levels. She is doing better after back and neck surgery two weeks ago and is now in a rehab facility for the next 6 weeks. So things are looking up there.

I announced the location for the Miniature World of Trains as well and sales where up as well making it a very busy time as well. More info below.

BRH April Sales

Yet another very busy month both in the retail store and online. April sales year to year up 31.5% and the best April since 2011 and the best first four months since 2014.

Year to date new customers up 14% and returning customers are up 108%. Within the last 90 days new customers up 17% and returning customers up 52%.

So again, things are looking up!

I am resetting and restocking the retail store front as time permits as well.

So far May sales are up as well.

Shipping and Deliveries

Last week from noon Wednesday (05/01/19) until 10am on Wednesday  this week I took a long weekend out of town.
The plan was to receive a delivery last week Wednesday morning to ship orders from that weekend but the delivery did  not come! Also, items received from shipments received up until Tuesday of last week where to ship on Wednesday as well. However, the USPS route driver did not show up for shipment pickup and it was to late to drop off at the post office!

So many of you saw orders and confirmation tracking numbers come in but the shipments did not move. Just showed PRINTED. Well this is why. All of those orders where basically delayed a week due to the USPS no now on 05/01!

But, as of this past Friday everything is back on track but I expect issues again as the USPS has assigned yet another  driver or group of drivers for the route. So time will tell as I figure out the delivery and pickup "rhythm" for this yet again.

Upcoming Pre Order Schedule

May 31: Intermountain Preorders
May 31: Micro-Trains Preorders
May 31: Walthers Preorders

Minimum Advertised Prices

Because of the uneven, across the board enforcement of the MAP policies from Kato, Atlas, Lionel and NCE I have had to make some changes to the BRH website.

I have had to remove all Kato locomotives, freight and passenger cars from the BRH website because it was taking an additional 2 hours each time I updated the database to change these items the MAP Pricing! I just do not have that kind of time for items that are not a very big sellers. I advised Kato of this but they did not seem to care!

All other Kato items are still on the website and I will still be selling all Kato locomotives, freight and passenger cars in store and via on line sales. You will just have to contact me to get the great BRH pricing. Just make sure you have the product numbers when you contact me.

In the case of NCE items they are enforcing a maximum 22% off MSRP for all items. An easy change update  for me. So, while the price is listed at this level, BRH will gave an additional 10% off making the discount a whopping 32% off MSRP! Just follow the ordering instructions.

As of this email we have not had updates from Atlas or Lionel on the MAP issues we have brought up to them.

BRH is here to offer you the lowest possible prices while still making a profit. As I have stated before, MAP pricing makes no sense and these five manufacturers have not explained to me what the benefit of MAP pricing is for the dealers and retail customers when the effective end price is what ever the lowest cost the dealer can sell to the retail customer.

Miniature World of Trains™

So MWOT™ continues to move forward.

But the project needs to have $800,000 in cash funding to pay for construction items for the building, layout construction and other items. I have personally invested $100,000 in the project so far to help the project along.
I have received some monetary donations and investments but the project is far far away from being able to execute the lease with the $800K in place.

So, now is the time!

The goal for phase I is $800,000 to start!

So, again, you can invest a minimum of $100 or donate what ever you would like  in Miniature World Of Trains™ and become part owner of what will be "the next big attraction" and a great addition to the model railroading hobby!
You could share in a projected $18M net profit in 7 years!

MORE INFO ON THE ATTRACTION OR HOW TO INVEST