Maplewood Hobby

is a no frills, straightforward shop that caters to gamers and hobby enthusiasts with equal enthusiam. You won't find slick sales pitches or sleek displays here. But you will  find a time-tested formula that's kept this place in business for 20 years—10 of them at their current Springfield Avenue location.

Most people are familiar with hobbies like building cars, planes or train models, but the novice will have a hard time fully comprehending the gaming community this store specializes in—ranging from historical reenactments to sci-fi fantasies.

"Gaming is a whole world in and of itself," explains sales associate Brian Malone, himself an avid gamer. "From creating the board games to building detailed models and painting them to specifics—it's a whole skill set. Then there are the rule books, codes of conducts and more. It gets really intense."

It also attracts quite a crowd on Friday nights for the fantasy battle game Warhammer 40K. "This place on a Friday is a beer and pretzels atmosphere for our serious gamers," says Brian. "Unless of course we have kids around—that's when the signs come in," he adds, gesturing to the "NO Vulgarity Ever!" signs strategically placed by gaming tables.

Saturday nights are devoted to historical games like the the WWII-themed Flames of War and Sunday nights are open for all genres of gaming like Magic the Gathering. The store also hosts tournaments throughout the year. While most of the gamers who attend are in their 20s and 30s, some have been as young as 10 and others as old as, well, as they darned well grow to be.

During regular hours, this shop caters to a wide range of customers and their interests with a loyal vengeance. Board games, collectible cards, historical miniature figurines—this shop has it. Robert Hart has been coming for years on his way from work in Elizabeth to his home in Sussex County. "I come for the gaming, the models and their great selection of paints," he says. "This truly is an old-fashioned hobby store. It's fun and eclectic. It's a rare place."

Pharon Dungee, a customer for over 7 years, agrees. "I've always been into building models," he said as he settled up with Brian for a package of figurines. "But the people here are really nice and the staff is really helpful. If they don't have what you need, they'll order it."

Brian explains that, in addition to the holiday rush for train sets, the store also brings in a ton of Boy Scout-oriented shoppers for pine car racing and rockets come spring. A wander through the store quickly affirms that there's pretty much nothing you couldn't build here—or at least create a model replica of—if you set your mind to it.

"If you can imagine it, we can help you build it," said Brian, as I purchased two wooden plane sets (that set my childhood memories soaring) for my children's holiday stockings.

As I was leaving I realized that Maplewood Hobby specializes in helping people  realize and materialize the creative workings of their imaginations. How cool is that?! I'll be back—soon—with kids and hubby in tow. This is truly a place with something for everyone.

And to think, I'd never been in before!

Maplewood Hobby: 1970 Springfield Ave, Maplewood, NJ 07040 | 877-381-5648