Good selection but a bit pricey. Was looking for HO gauge train equipment. They had the…read moretransformer I needed but it did not come with the 16 volt power supply it needed

I have visited this hobby shop more than any other for the past 30 years. It has stuck tenaciously…read moreto its downtown Reading location, which is both admirable and somewhat concerning. I suspect if it moved to the suburbs it would have more patronage, more room and could carry a broader range of supplies It generally has what I need, which is N scale model train supplies. As with most bricks and mortar hobby shops I have visited, the selection consists of the most obvious ready to run equipment, without the depth and breath of specialty goods available online. Prices are fair, without the steep discounts seen online, but without gouging. It seems to have a large selection of radio control airplanes, vehicles etc., and a good selection of plastic models. The owners are very knowledgeable however in all fields of the various hobbies.

I've never rated a hobbie shop, but this place seemed really neat. It's located right in the…read moredowntown and was walkable from the Colebrookdale railroad. There are several aisles of model train accessories, scenery, train sets and tracks of several different scale types. The prices seemed in line/a tad higher than most places I've shopped. They had an area with Thomas trains and a small end cap with a Thomas wooden train set kept my youngest occupied while we checked out the rest of their offering. They had a couple aisles of models - ships, military planes, cars etc., rocket sets, RC cars, supplies like paint and tools and some games like Warhammer which I'm not familiar with at all. I enjoyed stepping back in time while I walked around and love it that small operations like this are still around. We bought some Thomas items that were fairly priced and are happy with them. Give these guys a look if your in the area and support small businesses!

This place is therapy for me, it is like the old time hobby shops I visited as a kid that have…read moresadly vanished. They have a wide variety of models, a great paint section including Valejo, AK, Citadel, Model Painter, Mr Model, etc. The staff were very friendly and the prices were reasonable for retail. I don't know why there are not more reviews here, this place is a gem. I drive the hour gladly to be a kid again.

We discovered Monkey Fish Toys (local locations in West Chester and Chester Springs) when a friend…read moregifted us a nice toy with gift receipt. We already had a very similar toy and it was a little young for my son's development so we were very grateful for the gift receipt to exchange. They have a large selection of Legos, and the science and STEM/STEAM type kits were prolific as well. It's nice to see most everything is vetted to make a kid think as they play, and there weren't mindless commercial gimmick toys or vapid crap promoting some character/tv/movie franchise. Toys were attractively arranged, neatly on display, easy to see, and price tags were clear and present. Some toys were fairly priced, like stuffed animals and Legos (curated sets, not basic ones), but we found the STEM/STEAM and science-y stuff to be a bit overpriced. The kit we exchanged for was 20% cheaper on Amazon. Another board game was 3x the price of the identical thing at Ollie's. I always try to support local businesses, but I don't have the kind of disposable income where I can afford to pay much over competitor prices. For what my son wanted, we felt a little frustrated driving a half hour from home (each way) and paying $6 more than having Amazon shipped to our door. Yes, it was a gift credit, so we didn't "pay" ourselves, but to have gotten a comparable price plus a small $6 extra little toy would have been nice. I think this is a great store to find items unavailable elsewhere (like some of the collectible LEGO sets, and stuffed animals), or for people unfamiliar with current kids' toys (grandparents, etc.) to get good recommendations and solid choices. Paying a premium is worth it to them. They did mention a rewards program, so locals will benefit from that taking the edge off of the competitor margins. We don't live close enough to take advantage of that.

Love this shop! I come here for every birthday/Christmas present. The employees are all sweet and…read moresuper helpful. They wrap your item for free if it's a gift. Big hit with the little ones. 5 stars

I like to browse collectible stores, but unfortunately there seems to be a dearth of local places…read morethat have toys from the 90s and 2000s that I usually look for. So, Symbiote was such a lucky surprise! I didn't expect to find this figure here! I collect toys of this one specific character so I couldn't pass it up. They even gave me a small discount which was cool. Totally worth going to if you're a collector of more niche stuff, you never know what you might find. It might be the only place in the area that has a good selection from the timeframe I'm interested in.

Awesome customer service, and a great variety of collectibles. My kid loves looking at all the…read moredifferent toys, and I love seeing the toys from when I was a kid.

Barnes & Noble are currently the 'king' of the Big Box stores in the books and literature field…read more It's a great place to hang out for a bit. They have a wide assortment of new books. Plenty of journals, multimedia and other entertainment products as well. They also have a cafe in-store for patrons to rest at. My only gripe is that the workers there aren't exactly the nicest. I've been to this store many times and several of those visits including rude customer service and abject apathy.

Open floor plan is easy to navigate for all patrons, including in wheelchairs. There's an endless…read moreselection of options for everyone. It's not just for book readers. There's books and magazines of all genres, movies, games, toys, greeting cards, journals, a Starbucks to sit and relax in, a children's area, special events and so much more! Prices can be about average for most items, some in a higher price point and others (especially on sale) are great deals. It's best to price compare prior to hitting the registers. The layout can be altered frequently which makes it seem difficult to find specific items- but the staff is always there to support and provide guidance. I love that they will personally escort you through the maze of aisles directly to what you're looking for. They are knowledgeable and professional. My biggest complaint is the unkempt restrooms. The trash cans are frequently overflowing onto the floor and it's always advisable to check stalls for toilet paper availability as there are many times that it was necessary to find an alternate stall due to unkempt and poorly stocked stalls.

Great staff. Various hobbies you can start.. everything from RC AIRCRAFT. BOATS, TRUCKS,CARS…read more Plastic models from 1/700 to 1/350 military ships aircraft.. big as 1/45.. Various trains from "N" scale, and up. Toys and figurines, buildings. They also give advise to look for options on projects.. Pricing within reason to other stores on and off the internet. If

I have shopped many hobby stores. I must say this location was by far the best. Price, selection…read moreand customer service is phenominal. The staff is so knowledgeable and friendly. This is my go to store for all my hobby needs. I highly reccomend them.

I can't say enough good things about this place. The employees and management are incredibly…read moreknowledgeable and eager to help you find exactly what you are looking for. While the store itself is a bit messy you find pretty quickly that it only adds to the charm of the place. This is an old school hobby shop with a massive selection of just about everything and it's filled with people who are passionate about their respective interests. If you are into RC vehicles, there is both an outdoor and indoor track on site that you can access for only $5, and that's for the whole day. If you patronize your local mom & pop shops for the tactile experience and knowledgeable customer service then this is absolutely the place for you. Miles and miles above it's biggest competitor in the area.

The RC car guys are the rudest retail people I have ever seen. I have been shopping there on and…read moreoff since the 80's. Today was the last straw. They all act like you are bothering them. Spend your money elsewhere.

Really great hobby shop for all things trains. My father recently got my girls a Lionel train set…read morefor Christmas so we stopped in here to see what other options were available to add to our new set. They have an amazing selection of trains, including all different gauges, also miniature buildings, animals, people and everything else for your trains set. We didn't have an opportunity to stay too long so I'll be back to take a more in depth look in the near future. The staff are very helpful and super knowledgeable so come with questions and leave with answers. They also have a display with several trains set up with buttons for people to try to see what lights up or makes sound. The trains were not moving while we were there and they were kind of busy in the lead up to Christmas so we didn't ask to have them running, but I'm sure they would have turned them on if we had asked.

This is a great train store for price and service. I called them 4pm on Friday, dealt with an…read moreextremely friendly salesperson (Brie), ordered 2 items which were hard to find yet priced much lower than any web site I had searched (including E-bay) and the items were delivered to my doorstep by 9:30 the next morning! How can you ask for more than that!

I've been ordering more and more from Outback with my blossoming collection. Outback has great…read moreprices and customer service even for someone clear across the country from their location. The selection is fantastic and the online website is easy to use and navigate. Count me in as a loyal customer, and thanks Karen for all your patient help. I HIGHLY recommend this store for collectors and casual customers as well. One day I hope to be able to visit the physical store, but the online experience is great.

This place was cute yet my son was not understanding it was a toy store! Seriously had to fight…read morewith him to come here only for him to be like omg wow the second we walked in. I'm happy we finally came here after I had this place saved for awhile.

I went there on a whim with my wheelchair bound special needs client. We were thrilled as it is one…read moreof the few places on that part of the ave that we could actually access in her mobility chair. They were so nice and patient with us and made us feel welcomed. Great prices and everything is included in the price of the piece you pick. Our new favorite past time!

Absolutely awful. After painting I attempted to use a coupon card I received around last April, but…read moreeven though there was no expiration date or anything telling you it must be used by a certain date I was told by who I assume was the owner that he had no way to even enter it into the system. It was a complete embarrassment and when I asked how we were supposed to know that it was not usable he responded with an attitude and told me that we should've asked about it before we picked our items. To further add, the dog named "Gigi" absolutely killed the atmosphere with the 24/7 barking and every little kid being scared of it. When we were checking out to leave, the dog freaked out on a little boy in the shop and barked so loud for no apparent reason at this kid who did nothing to harm it 2/14/25