HobbyTown USA

HobbyTown USA is an American specialty retail chain serving hobbyists, collectors, model enthusiasts, families, and recreational makers. The business operates through HobbyTown Unlimited, Inc., which is headquartered in Lincoln, Nebraska, and uses a franchise-store model. Its assortment spans traditional toys and games, hobby supplies, collectibles, model products, and radio-controlled vehicles and equipment. The chain’s stores are intended to combine the breadth of a hobby shop with the accessibility of a local retail destination, giving customers opportunities to purchase products as well as seek advice, replacement parts, and project-oriented support. Thom Walla, Merlin Hayes, and Mary Hayes founded HobbyTown Unlimited in 1985. The first franchise store opened in 1986, establishing the organizational structure that became central to the brand’s expansion. Rather than developing solely as a company-owned chain, HobbyTown grew through independently operated franchise locations using the brand, supply infrastructure, and retail concept. This model allowed the chain to establish a physical presence across many U.S. markets while retaining a local-store orientation. The company’s retail scope includes toys and games for general consumers, but its identity is particularly associated with enthusiast categories. These include radio-controlled cars, aircraft, boats, and related accessories; scale models and model-building materials; hobby tools and supplies; collectibles; and other recreational products. Product availability can vary by store, reflecting local franchisee decisions and the specialized nature of hobby retail. Physical stores also provide a venue for customers interested in hands-on activities, model assembly, racing, collecting, and other forms of participation beyond ordinary toy purchasing. HobbyTown has described itself as the largest brick-and-mortar hobby retailer in the world. Reference material reports more than 105 franchise stores in the United States, while a 2023 company count identified 106 stores in 35 continental states. Other descriptions of the chain have cited locations in more than 39 states, indicating that store counts and geographic totals have varied by reporting date and measurement. The consistently documented picture is that of a national U.S. network rather than a single regional shop. The chain also became associated with an unusual piece of internet cultural history. A photograph taken during renovation work at a HobbyTown location in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, later became the source image commonly associated with the Backrooms creepypasta. The photograph showed an empty, yellow-carpeted room with fluorescent lighting and was originally documented in connection with the store’s renovation. The space was subsequently altered, including conversion into a radio-controlled car racing track. The image’s connection to HobbyTown was identified by an online community in 2024 through archived web material. In July 2023, online hobby retailer AMain Hobbies announced an agreement in principle to acquire HobbyTown, including its Lincoln headquarters and distribution center. The available reference does not establish that the transaction was completed, and therefore the present ownership structure is left unspecified. HobbyTown remains best characterized as an active U.S. hobby and toy retail brand with a franchise-led store network and a product mix centered on participation, collecting, modeling, and recreational play.

HobbyTown Unlimited, Inc. was founded in 1985 by Thom Walla, Merlin Hayes, and Mary Hayes. The first franchise store opened in 1986, making franchising the principal mechanism through which the concept expanded beyond its original operation. The brand developed as a physical specialty retailer rather than as a pure online seller, focusing on the combination of local store service and a broad assortment of hobby-related merchandise. Over time, HobbyTown’s scope came to include toys, games, collectibles, model products, radio-controlled vehicles, replacement parts, tools, and other supplies used in recreational projects. Its stores serve both casual customers and specialized enthusiasts. The exact assortment differs by location, but the overall format emphasizes products that support collecting, building, customization, racing, and other forms of hands-on participation. This distinguishes HobbyTown from a general toy retailer, even though toys and games remain part of its offering. The chain’s growth produced a substantial U.S. franchise network. Reference material states that there were more than 105 HobbyTown franchise stores in 39 states, while a 2023 count described 106 stores in 35 continental states. These figures reflect different reporting points or geographic definitions. HobbyTown has presented itself as the largest brick-and-mortar hobby retailer in the world, a positioning claim based on its physical-store network and specialty focus. One individual store, HobbyTown Oshkosh in Wisconsin, later acquired significance outside the retail sector. During renovations in 2002 and 2003, photographs were taken and posted in an online renovation weblog. One image showed a large, apparently empty room with yellow wallpaper, carpet, fluorescent lighting, and no visible windows. The image was later circulated online as the source of the Backrooms creepypasta. The room was not preserved in its photographed form; reference material states that it was eventually converted into a radio-controlled car racing track. In 2024, members of a Backrooms-focused Discord community connected the image to the archived HobbyTown webpage through the Wayback Machine. In July 2023, AMain Hobbies announced an agreement in principle to acquire HobbyTown, including the Lincoln headquarters and distribution center. The available material does not establish whether the proposed acquisition closed or whether ownership subsequently changed. Accordingly, HobbyTown’s ownership and parent-company fields remain unconfirmed. The documented history nevertheless shows an active American franchise retailer whose identity rests on hobby specialization, physical stores, and access to products for modeling, radio-controlled recreation, collecting, and play.

• 2024

  The Backrooms image is traced to HobbyTown

  [1]HobbyTown USAen.wikipedia.org

  Researchers in a Backrooms-focused online community located archived evidence connecting the famous image to the HobbyTown Oshkosh renovation webpage.

• 2023

  AMain Hobbies announces a proposed acquisition

  [3]AMain Hobbies official websiteamainhobbies.com

  AMain Hobbies announced an agreement in principle to acquire HobbyTown, including its headquarters and distribution center in Lincoln, Nebraska. Completion was not confirmed in the available material.

• 2003

  Oshkosh renovation photographs are documented online

  [1]HobbyTown USAen.wikipedia.org

  Interior photographs from the Oshkosh renovation were published on a store renovation weblog, including the image later associated with the Backrooms internet phenomenon.

• 2002

  Oshkosh store renovation begins

  [1]HobbyTown USAen.wikipedia.org

  HobbyTown acquired a building in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and began renovation work. Photographs from the project later became relevant to the history of the Backrooms image.

• 1986

  First franchise store opens

  [1]HobbyTown USAen.wikipedia.org

  The first HobbyTown franchise store opened, establishing franchising as the foundation of the brand’s subsequent store expansion.

• 1985

  HobbyTown Unlimited is founded

  [1]HobbyTown USAen.wikipedia.org

  Thom Walla, Merlin Hayes, and Mary Hayes founded HobbyTown Unlimited, Inc., the company behind the HobbyTown USA retail network.

A nationwide, brick-and-mortar specialty retailer for hobbyists, collectors, model builders, radio-controlled enthusiasts, and families seeking toys, games, and hands-on recreational products.

• Toys

  Toys

  HobbyTown stores sell toys as part of their broader family-oriented assortment. The toy category complements the chain’s enthusiast products and gives casual shoppers an entry point into the store. Specific brands and formats vary by location.

• Games

  Games

  Games are included in HobbyTown’s general leisure and entertainment assortment. The available reference identifies games as a core product category, although it does not provide a detailed list of titles, publishers, or formats.

• Radio-controlled hobby products

  Radio-controlled models

  Radio-controlled products are a defining part of HobbyTown’s specialty positioning. The category includes model vehicles and related equipment, parts, and accessories for customers interested in operation, customization, repair, racing, and other hands-on activities. The Oshkosh store’s renovated room was reportedly converted into a radio-controlled car racing track.

• Model building

  Models and model-building supplies

  HobbyTown serves model builders with model products and supplies used in construction, finishing, customization, and display. The available sources do not specify the complete range of scales, manufacturers, or materials, but model building is part of the chain’s stated hobby and collectibles focus.

• Collectibles

  Collectibles

  Collectibles form another component of the chain’s specialty retail offer. This category is aimed at customers purchasing items for collecting and display, though the available reference does not identify particular franchises, product lines, or manufacturers.

• Hobby supplies

  Hobby tools and accessories

  The chain sells supplies and accessories that support hobby projects, including the practical needs of model builders and radio-controlled enthusiasts. The available sources do not provide a complete technical assortment, so individual tool and accessory lines cannot be identified reliably.

• 2023

  Agreement in principle for AMain Hobbies acquisitionM&A

  Background

  AMain Hobbies announced that it had reached an agreement in principle involving HobbyTown and identified the Lincoln headquarters and distribution center as part of the proposed transaction.

  Action taken

  The proposed acquisition would combine HobbyTown’s franchise retail network and distribution operation with AMain Hobbies’ online hobby business and distribution infrastructure.

  Aftermath

  The available reference states that the agreement was announced but does not confirm completion, final terms, purchase price, or the resulting ownership structure.

  Source

1. 1HobbyTown USAen.wikipedia.org
2. 2HobbyTown official websitehobbytown.com
3. 3AMain Hobbies official websiteamainhobbies.com