- Hobby Town USA in Midtown will be permanently closing in the next few days.
- The closing of Hobby Town USA marks the second store in the past two months and the third in the past two years at Capital Plaza Shopping Center.
- Watch the video to see why these closures we’re seeing are not representative of the situation for all small businesses in our region, according to the Tallahassee-Leon County Economic Vitality Authority.
Broadcast transcript:
Hobby Town USA in Midtown will be permanently closing in the next few days.
Hobby Town USA was known in the Midtown area as the place to find games, toys, and model sets you couldn’t find anywhere else.
Loyal customers of this locally owned franchise are grabbing everything they can online as stores prepare to close.
“We’ve kind of been doing it forever,” said Vanessa Broadhead | Owner of HobbyTown USA.
WTXL spent part of the day talking with one of the store’s owners, Mr. Broadhead, and customers.
“When did you decide to close? Or when are you going to close?” longtime customer Mark Beshara asked Broadhead.
“So in early April we communicated that to certain people,” Broadhead said.
Broadhead and her husband, Michael, took over the lease of the store and its franchise in Capital Plaza off Thomasville Road in 2014.
Since then, they have loyal customers like Mark Beshara.
The closure of Hobby Town USA marks the shopping plaza’s second store in the past two months.
And this is the third time in the last two years.
Another locally owned franchise, Duck Donuts, also closed in April.
According to the Tallahassee-Leon County Office of Economic Vitality, these closures we are seeing are not representative of the situation for all small businesses in our region.
“The big picture is that the local economy is enjoying a boom,” said Darryl Jones, OEV’s deputy director for minority women and small business. “As we look across the experience of our community, we see so many new businesses getting off to a good start, both for businesses that are already here but also for new businesses and the local market. It means there is a location.
U.S. Small Business Administration — Florida’s small businesses are thriving, adding more than 500,000 jobs in 2023 and contributing significantly to the state’s overall net job growth.
The region is also seeing net job growth, according to the Tallahassee-Leon County Office of Economic Vitality. However, Leon County’s unemployment rate is up compared to this time last year.
A post-pandemic customer downturn, no one buying them, and the need to take the next step are the reasons they are closing their doors now.
“It’s sad, but it’s a new beginning,” Beshara said.
Mr Broadhead said the store would have a soft close.
Sunday, May 5th. Items are marked off by up to 50%.
The store will be closed on Monday to clean up the store, and the remaining fixtures will be on sale at up to 75% off on Thursday.
We aim to hold our final closing sale on Thursday, May 9th from 11am to 6pm as the Everything Must Go Sale.
