Enough with all these hard guy (and gal) outdoor sports…how about something a little more sedentary (where you can Swill and Chill)? Try Buddy’s Hobby Hut, where you can try your hand at an array of remote-control vehicles for free on their two outside tracks. The store came about when Neste Auto Glass employee Jesse James Romero (AKA Buddy), was diagnosed with late-stage brain cancer requiring surgery. “We knew we had to do something special for his recovery, so we opened a hobby store that he could work at,” says Neste owner Jeff Sexton of the 1,800-square-foot shop’s opening upstairs in 2017. “Now, he’s cancer-free and back at work.” Visitors can use their two race and rock-crawler courses out back at no charge (great for kids outgrowing their backyard tracks), and their retail offerings include R/C vehicles in different scales and skill levels, drones and R/C airplanes, as well as parts and repair.
“Bring your own car and roll away, or use one of ours,” Sexton says. “It’s way more popular than we ever dreamed, drawing people of all ages. It’s certainly not just for kids.” The only problem: Keeping the Neste workers on their window tasks. “That’s become a little bit of an issue,” Sexton says.
