A lot of so-called “hobby stores” have a very narrow view on what constitutes a hobby. If hobby stores are to be believed, unless you fly RC airplanes or assemble little Japanese robot models, guess what: you don’t have a hobby. This would be like calling a business a “sports store,” but when you go inside the only thing for sale is racquetball equipment.
Hobby stores don’t want to hear a single word about your cooking or golfing hobbies. They really don’t care about what you do in your free time. If you ask a hobby store clerk a question about your photography hobby, he will laugh in your face and say, “Sorry, we only sell hobby stuff here. We don’t cater to bullshit amusements like photography.” Yeah, that’s a great attitude to have. This is why I took up a fun new hobby called never shopping at hobby stores.
Hobby shops are great if you’re idea of being creative is being told exactly how to make a christening card using no creativity whatsoever. Apparently a lot of people like that kind of thing.
Hmmm, I don’t know what kind of hobby stores they have around you, but mine carries a healthy stock of generic building materials that are somewhat difficult to find in other places. While “hobby” is pretty broad, the stuff they tend to carry is things you can’t find in other stores that aren’t “hobby” stores. Your golf example for instance. Of course they don’t cater to golf hobbies, there’s entire stores filled with people who will be 100 times more knowledgeable in the subject.
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