Throggs Neck’s Hobby Heroes to shutter after 45 years
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BY JASON COHEN
For more than four decades
Hobby Heroes, aka Bruckner
Hobbies, has been a fi xture
in Throggs Neck. Sadly,
next month it will shutter its
doors.
Started 45 years ago by
Tom Baffer, it grew into a
unique place that people could
fi nd that perfect adult toy.
Alas, with increasing competition
from the Internet and
Amazon, it slowly lost its longtime
customers. The store, located
at 3587 E. Tremont Avenue,
will offi cially close at the
end of February.
“Honestly, people just buy
everything online,” said Dan
Baffer, who runs the store
with his dad. “It’s becoming
harder to pay the bills. My dad
has had to pull money from
his own pockets to sustain the
business.”
Tom, who grew up in
Parkchester, loved U-control
airplanes and as a kid and
young adult purchased them
at a local hobby shop.
When he complained that
the store’s prices were too
high, “The guy said if you
don’t like it you can start your
own hobby shop,” Baffer said.
Owner of Hobby Heroes Dan Baffer. Schneps Media Jason Cohen
“So, the fi rst thing he did
was make our prices cheap.
My dad did this because he
loved the hobby,” Dan said.
So, he and eight friends
opened up a store at 2908
Bruckner and eventually Baffer
and his friend Larry Efrom
remained as the owners. After
many people got parking
tickets due to them being in
the store for so long, they relocated
to its current location
about 20 years ago.
Tom Baffer held down a
full-time job as a salesman to
realize his dream.
He sold cookies and wine
and today, is president of the
union for Southern Glazer’s
Wine and Spirits, which represents
the largest wine distributor
in the country.
The hobby shop became
a second home for the Baffer
family. Tom’s three sons,
Tommy, 47, Brian, 43 and Dan,
40, each began working there
around the age of 10.
“As a kid it was a lot of fun,
but I always worked,” Baffer
said.
They used to host events at
schools and in the community
and the store was always fi lled
with customers.
In fact, he and his brothers
even raced remote control cars
in competitions throughout
the country and worldwide.
But after the Internet boom
the customer base dwindled.
“We didn’t actively use the
Internet as much as we should
have,” he said.
What really hurt the business
was a fi re in 2014 that
tore through the storeroom,
causing the store to shutter for
nearly a year.
That fi re changed the projectory
of the business. Many
of the shop’s previous customers
had found other means to
satisfy their hobby needs.
“I fi gured some of the people
that were loyal would have
come back, but not everyone
did,” Baffer said.
He began to see the writing
on the wall six months ago
as less people came into the
store.
While it was quite upsetting
to announce the closure,
Dan Baffer realized it was
time for a new chapter in his
life.
For 30 years he has dedicated
his life to the business
and now he hopefully can spend
more time with his 1-year-old
daughter Samantha.
“People supported me and
my family for 45 years,” Dan
said. “My dad taught me how
to work and be a good person.”
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