My fraud senses are tingling…read more I only know of Collector's Den because they place a "Charity Auction" table inside the Hyatt Regency. Big letters that read "CHARITY AUCTION" with some (fairly common) posters and memorabilia, with a "sign-up" sheet to make a bid. Designed to get people thinking "Oh, I can support a charity AND buy something fun while I enjoy my business trip/vacation!" Apparently they do this every month, although the hotel staff don't know much about it. Just one problem: There is no information about which "charity" it supports, let alone a non-profit organization tax number. It gets worse. Their web site has an "Online Charity Auction" link at the top. That takes you to a page that simply says "Online Auction," with zero mention of charity. Elsewhere, they have a link to that same page where it also just says "Online Auction." So - not really a charity auction, just a regular auction. It gets worse. Their FAQ has no information on the "charity" portion of this. But there is a "FAQ" that reads "How do I make a donation?" that simply gives steps to "make a donation" without bidding or buying anything. But again, no mention at all of what the supposed charity might be. Following the outlined steps take you to a page that reads "Donate to Collectors Den SYFOA" and allows you to enter an amount and then enter your credit card details. Wait, what? You give money to Collectors Den and NOT an actual charity? Huh? I mean, even if this were legitimate, that is horribly inefficient -- how much of your donation would actually reach the charity vs being used to pay Collectors Den's bills? So what's going on? Another reviewer from 2019 indicates that they're affiliated with Make-a-Wish (and other?) charities. But their web site simply says they can offer a service where they provide items at a lower cost for other organizations to use in fundraising auctions, so it's unclear if they're actually directly affiliated or if these so-called pop-up "Charity Auctions" benefit Make-a-wish or any other known charitable organization. I've bid in auctions for real charitable organizations. I've never seen an organization hide their details or simply say "charity auction" instead of the specific needs that they meet in the community. That's counter-productive to an organization's goals. This looks a lot like Collector's Den is using misleading/fraudulent marketing practices. I can't say for sure that's what's happening, and I really hope I'm wrong, but all signs point to this conclusion. BUYER BEWARE

First they failed to deliver one of the two pieces that I acquired through a silent auction. Then…read morewhen I drove downtown, paid for parking, etc... They refused to give me anything to protect my investment other than a plastic bag that was too small. Horrible customer service or interest in protecting you from possible theft or damage.

We love Big Four! We get all our model train supplies here! They will order anything you need and…read morewill help in anyway they can! Great resource!

A great variety of collectibles, especially auto racing related. Good sales people with a great…read moreunderstanding of their items. Very friendly!

These rankings are silly. Vintage Indy Sports is the largest sports memorabilia store in the state…read moreof Indiana. Their inventory of vintage memorabilia is like no other store. You can find very rare items priced reasonably. No place like this in the Midwest. They also have an incredible inventory of vintage cards.

Was in Indy and randomly decided to stop here to see what they had. A good change from the usual…read morespots and what's online. Interesting place, for sure. There's a carpet track front and center. There's an okay selection of parts, trucks, and various other related things. They are very clearly a Traxxas dealer, and they had all the models Traxxas makes. A good chunk of Traxxas parts and accessories, too. So, if you run Traxxas you'd be all set. Kid working was nice enough, but when I asked about non-Traxxas stuff he seemed out of his element. Is what it is. They had everything I wanted (a black Bronco Trx4m and some paint) so I left a happy customer.

My boyfriend and I stopped in Saturday night and were so disappointed that we were the only ones…read morewith masks on. No one was social distancing and no one even had a mask around their neck or mouth as if to pretend to follow the mandate. No one approached us to see if they could help or even offered a hello. We had to squeeze through a group of people to exit. We really like to support small, local businesses. We won't support this one after this experience, but obviously they aren't looking to serve all of their community.

I'm not quite sure why I've never been in HobbyTown, but I was in the neighborhood and had some…read moretime between obligations. So, I stopped in to check it out. HobbyTown is located in the long strip center adjacent to the former Weekends Only (and soon to be Vasa Fitness). It's definitely not the most active strip center, however, it seems like a good location for this type of business. HobbyTown is a franchised retail toy/hobby store with over 100 locations nationwide including three in Indiana (Granger and Evansville also have one). It's based in Nebraska. HobbyTown has a bit of a retro vibe, craft store meets hardware store meets toys like RC vehicles, RC aircraft, models, toys, games, learning toys, arts and crafts, and trains. I would probably describe myself as a wannabe hobbyist. I found myself completely captivated by the trains, RC options, and some of the models. I loved models as a kid - I was lousy at putting them together, but I really enjoyed it. They also had more board games than I expected. Parking here is pretty easy. It's not the most accessible building, however, it's not far from Concentra with a great curb cut. The store itself was pretty easy to get around, though aisles are occasionally a bit crowded. I had no difficulty and found the place friendly and helpful. The prices are pretty consistent with other hobby/toy shops. Yes, you can spend a lot here. For sure. You can also find affordable hobby options and gift options. A five-star might be a tad generous, however, I really liked the place and loved the variety of toys and hobbies. I enjoyed hanging out for a bit and got some great ideas. I'd say it's pretty certain I'll be back.

I used to go here for model train items but for about the last 8 months the shelves are nearly…read morebare. I asked an employee what was going on with the lack of restocking and he said they just can't get things since Christmas. They didn't restock before that (not just train items out of stock) so that doesn't make sense to me. The older men that work there are not very friendly at all. If you ask them something about anything they act like you're stupid if you didn't already know. They are just rude old grouchy men. So because of those issues I'm done going there. It is too bad because at one time it was a great place to go. I guess I will buy more online and look my questions up there as well. I wonder if they are getting ready to close?

Both myself and my granddaughter are fans of these stores. I find a lot of home furnishings that…read moresuit my significant other's tastes. My granddaughter can always find a few items for her room even though she has long ago run out of room to display them. She figures out a way. A lot of stuff is on sale or marked down. Even their regular prices won't hurt your wallet. Checkout service was fast, efficient and friendly. Plenty of parking spaces were available.

Love hobby lobby, it was filled and organized. Easter is out and 4th of July. The service was…read morehelpful and kept asking if I needed anything. The selection was full and lots of choices. Easter was 40% off so the value was great. Would definitely come back for the prices of everything.

They got a lotta toys here! Especially educational and child-development toys. You know, them fancy…read morekind of toys that aren't just fun but also make your kids think. I did not visit with my kids, but I know my kids would have loved this toy store. They love any kind of store where they can touch and play with the merchandise, and Toys Forever is such a place. It's very hands-on. There are toys all around that people can pick up and experience, which is very cool. Even though my children were not with me, I visited Toys Forever because I wanted to get my kids something from Muncie as a souvenir. You see, I was just passing through this fine city. My kids love things that are superlative: "The world's tallest X" or "The worl'd fastest Y." So when I saw The World's Biggest Candy Necklace near the checkout counter, I grabbed two. Done and done! The candy necklaces were a hit, as I thought they would be, and they only cost a few dollars each. There are fun things for all ages and at all price points here. The people who helped me were super friendly, and I saw that they were helping several other people find what they needed and answered questions. I love charming locally owned stores like this one.

This past weekend, I spent some time in downtown Muncie. While I'm nearly always in Muncie for…read morebusiness or a project, on this visit I actually had some time to do some exploring including checking out downtown's Toys Forever Models & Hobbies shop. Located in the historic Goddard building (originally built in 1884), Toys Forever is a locally owned hobby shop started in 2007 and launched an online presence in 2015. Examples of items carried include radio control, model railroad, plastic & scale model building, games, toys, Melissa & Doug, scientific and educational games, puzzles, and more. I found the employees to be delightful and well-informed and you could tell by kids in the shop that this is a hands-on establishment. This is in downtown Muncie with solidly available street parking and occasional parking lots. Some of the street parking does have a 2-hour limit, however, unless you park down at the Courtyard by Marriott (about 3-4 blocks away) you should be able to snag free parking. Downtown Muncie is a little hit-and-miss with accessibility - curb cuts are fine, however, some stores do have a step to get in them. This shop, however, is perfectly fine in terms of accessibility and the interior is surprisingly solid. Employees seemed very willing to assist as needed. Toys Forever definitely leans more toward classic toys/games/hobbies, with some exceptions. I've long thought about getting into trains and this story really fueled that desire. I don't live in Muncie, however, I would definitely return upon future visits and really enjoyed discovering this Muncie hidden gem.