Iconic Hobby and Toy Shop in Connecticut Closing After 60 Years

If you have a hobby, or just looking for that friendly local store for your kids toys or games, they are becoming harder and harder to find around Connecticut.

Now we're learning that there will be one less player in the hobby store game here in the state as Amato's Toy and Hobby has announced that they will be closing their doors in February after being a local staple for the last 60 years.

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According to courant.com, the long time popular hobby store is not closing due to any economic reasons, it's basically the decision of the co-owner of the store Steve Amato, who has decided that he and his wife will be retiring and will close the business at the end of February.

Amato said that he has been at it at the store since 1974, and though he considers his customers like family, he's tired and ready to call it quits.

To put things in perspective, Amato's Toy and Hobby has been a part of the community and a go to place for toys and hobby supplies long before there was even a Toys-R-Us, and the store has survived for a few years after the national toy giant folded.

Right now, the word on the street is that a local developer plans to replace the iconic toy and hobby store with a six story, upscale apartment complex.

With its closing, this leaves the state with one less go-to hobby shop. Over the last 10-15 years, most of the local hobby and toy shops have closed and succumbed to online retailers as hobby enthusiasts have turned to sites like ebay and Amazon to get their supplies.