On a visit to the Charlotte/Kannapolis/Concord area to visit all of the NASCAR Team…read moreGarages/Headquarters, we made an additional stop to check out the selection of die casts at the Lionel Retail Store. The Lionel Store is located in Concord Mills Mall, so it shares a parking lot with all of the other tenants of the building. At the time we visited on a Thursday afternoon in July, the mall was crowded but not too bad. We were able to secure a parking spot somewhat near an entrance. The store is located near the food court, and is relatively easy to locate via a map. As stated, we were in town looking at NASCAR Teams and NASCAR-related things. So, we were only looking at NASCAR items and die casts in the Lionel Store. Therefore, this review is solely focusing on that aspect of the store, and does not apply to the trains that Lionel also carries. The store has a wide range of 1:24 scale die casts from 2023 through more recent releases in elite, standard, and other various finishes. The selection is decently organized throughout the store, but it would be helpful if it was sorted by driver. Instead, it is mainly sorted with the elites in one section, older die casts on a table, a few vertical racks of various variations of die casts (elites, standards, etc), and walls with both elite and standard. The back wall had various race win die casts in 1:24 scale. All of the 1:64 scale die casts were either at or behind the counter. Given that this is the store of the manufacturer for the die casts, there is a vast selection and variety that you will not find at your local box stores. That alone is a pro of stopping here and checking out the cars available. During our visit, there were several sales going on for the die casts and NASCAR items. The 2024 1:24 scale die casts (previous year models) were 30% off of retail price, and the 2023 1:24 scale die casts (two years ago's models) were 50% off of retail price. There was also a bargain bin of various 1:64 die casts to look through. The staff at the store were helpful, and gave recommendations for newer 1:64 scale die casts that they thought would either retain or increase in value. Overall, visiting the Lionel Retail Store was a great experience. It can be somewhat overwhelming shopping here, given the organizational style for the die casts. It is hard to simply browse and pick die casts that just catch your eye, but still manageable. The variety alone is enough to entice any NASCAR die cast fan to stop here and take a look.

This review is for the store in the Concord Mall, it seems like some other reviews are for the…read morefactory store. My son is obsessed with trains, so I was excited to stop in here. He's only four, so he is not ready for Lionel trains yet, but it was still fun to browse around. They had a ton of different options and some fun showcases. Right now they were displaying their light up holiday tracks, which were super fun. This store has a huge selection of Nascar cars as well, makes sense based on the store's proximity to the Speedway. I ended up getting me son small railway signs for his wooden tracks at home. I would have loved to see more accessories for purchase that didn't require a Lionel train. But, I also get that, it's not the purpose of the store. Employees were friendly and happy to help if you needed it!