Bad Fast Hobbies: How It All Started
I grew up in Sloan, Iowa and first got started racing radio controlled cars at 16. I purchased my first hobby-grade RC car from Kay Bee Toys at the Southern Hills Mall. It was a Tamiya Grasshopper, and it came pre-built, which was pretty rare in those days. A year later, I purchased and built my first kit car, a Team Associated RC10. In early years cars were simpler; they were controlled by a mechanical speed controller and a stick radio. I enjoyed racing both my Grasshopper and RC10 in Omaha and Lincoln, NE. I raced there on a weekly basis, and I placed well in many of the races. I first started thinking about the Bad Fast Hobbies concept in 1988.
Building a Dynasty in Amarillo, TX with Outback Hobbies
Moving Back to Sloan, IA with Outback Hobbies
Skipping ahead about ten years, I worked for a computer company in North Sioux City, and an opportunity to open a small hobby store inside another retail store in Sioux City, Iowa presented itself. I had the resources and knowledge, so I made a deal with the store owner to open inside his store. Harkening back to my time in Amarillo, I wanted to call it Outback Hobbies. It had a small carpet track in the back of the store, and I become the Track Director and held weekly Tuesday night and Saturday afternoon races. Outback Hobbies was open every night after I got off work from the computer job, as well as Saturdays. The business was growing, and things were looking good. Unfortunately, the owner of the store I was in didn’t see a return on his investment of having Outback Hobbies share space inside his retail store – I was asked to vacate the property.
Outback Hobbies at KD Station in Sioux City, IA
Another Set Back at the KD Station
Not so fast…. The property owners call a meeting that morning and inform the rest of the tenants and me that the city had red-tagged the building and everyone had to vacate the premises within 30 days. Devastated wasn’t even enough to describe how I felt.
Bad Fast Hobbies in Sloan, IA
Finally, on 02/15/2015 Bad Fast Hobbies opened its doors! To get a refresh from my previous attempts, I decided it was time for a name change. My favorite saying is “Bad Fast,” so I took that saying and added hobbies to the end.
BAD FAST HOBBIES is born!