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I saw on Reddit this evening that M. B. Klein is closing 12/15. The Reddit poster states as his source a post on the NMRA Facebook page. Since I am not a member of the NMRA I cannot see anything on the NMRA Facebook pages. I have learned to take what I see on Reddit with a grain of salt.
I know M. B. Klein has been having a big sale for awhile now and suspended their rewards program.
Anyone else hear about the closing?
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Frankly, I would be shocked if that were true, but nothing should surprise me any more in this hobby.
They closed up their retail store back in 2020 - I used to drop by there about once a quarter, and have gone to all internet sales (with the option to pick up at their warehouse).
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I have connections to some inside sources - some guys who USED to work for M.B. Klein part time. The part time status gave them the ability to get employee discounts which helped cut costs for them. Sorry, Tom, but my last message was not completely accurate.
Word has it that the Timonium, MD headquarters has been shuttered, and new owners have bought out the Klein family. The old man passed away over a decade ago, and the daughters don't really want anything to do with the business. Everything on the property has been moved to somewhere in the Midwest (Nebraska maybe?). The good news is that the business is still operating through modeltrainstuff.com, but that's not to say that the new owners won't change their price structure (which was pretty hard to beat). It also means locals like me won't be able to place an order and then have the option to go pick it up from the front desk.
The website still has the Timonium address listed as the headquarters, but I would suspect that's about to change.
I still have memories of one of my first visits to their Timonium showroom in the early 2000's, when this guy by the name of Brantley saw me pondering a display of diesels and asked "How are your TRAINS????" If there was one example of a what the general public thinks of model railroaders, Brantley was probably the poster child, but his heart was in the right place.
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Once again, bad rumors and bad intel.
M.B. Klien (and even their internet sales company, Model Train Stuff.com) is no more. I'm hoping to get some money back from gift certificates given to me this Christmas (website says I SHOULD receive a refund). I need to find a new "go to" for all things model railroad where price isn't through the roof.
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It's sad that they quit. I occasionally bought some items from them and a;ways checked their price any time I bought an Item. My local hobby shop is 30 miles so most of my purchases are on line. My most recent purchases have been from Yankee Dabbler and the price has been fair and if I need to talk to them they take the time to answer my questions. I hate to see the shops go out of business but fewer and fewer folks are getting involved so the customer base is dwindling and with rising prices folks are being more watchful of their budget.
Charlie
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From what I have seen is they were bought by Hatton's from the UK back in September. At the end of last year Hatton's went out of business and brought MB Klein down with them.
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Stinks. I don't like shopping online, but this was one site I had gotten used to browsing and ordering from.
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I too am sorry to see them go. I have 2 sites I will recommend. Yankee Dabbler, and Litchfield Station. I have talked to both on the phone and they are both reliable and offer great prices and service.
Charlie
