Al’s Hobby Shop

Just called the listed phone number — and it’s disconnected — 2÷11÷15 —
So yeah, guess they are gone…
I don’t see any entries here indicating when folks found it to be closed?

Everything here is significantly cheaper online… The employees are snobbish which is pretty surprising and unwelcoming. If you are thinking about buying something here at least check online first to see how much you will be overpaying…

used to frequent this place years back, when i was getting into nitro RC vehicles. i was in a whole, support local and seek help from the pro’s kind of mindset. but honestly this place was always super overpriced compared to shopping online. and the service i got NEVER made up for the difference (sometimes HUGE mark ups too.).
i was a newbie in my first year dealing with small engines. so i brought a truck in, was told it will be a couple days. long story short after 2 and a half weeks i ended up just saying give me back the truck, because they couldn’t fix the engine. the engine was brand new and needed some kind of tuning and probably sealing. their tech couldn’t figure it out and they showed zero remorse when i picked it up. happily accepting full payment for the job. believe it was $ 60. and the last money i spent there.
prior to that incident, i’d walk in the store basically just wanting to kill an afternoon. learn something and pick up a part or two for my vehicle and getting all my fuel from this place. i probably spent over a grand in two months, and never really felt like they showed my anything more than just a whatever. a lot of times it was hit or miss. you’d either get someone who was friendly, or someone who looked at you like a noob who didn’t know anything, like why are you wasting my time?
overall, i’d suggest you check the place out but your mileage may vary.
i would really suggest looking for a track /​forums /​real life friends into this hobby before getting into it. having friendly people who can help you is going to make a HUGE difference.
if you can shop online you will end up with far superior parts, at a WAY cheaper price than retail. this retail spot doesn’t give you that extra 20% value. return policy is honestly better at places like amazon and hobby shops online too. sorry guys.
al’s hobby just kinda seemed like 85% salesmen, with a few people who were genuinely interested in people getting into the hobbies.

Chicago used to have some good hobby shops: Stanton’s on Milwaukee, Hobbymodels on Devon and Western (I know I know, that’s ages ago) but not anymore.
Al’s is pretty much heaven when it comes to guy type hobby stuff (not like frikkin Hobby Lobby, give me a break).
Cars, planes, trains, boats, helicopters they gots it ALL. Plus parts, paints, decals, magazines/​books, gas and oil, batteries and chargers, and tools for everything they sell and if they don’t gots it they will gets it for you. (I dun rilly tawk like this I swear…)
Al’s fulfills my need to revisit my childhood with its slotcar racing track in the basement.
I love going there and schmoozing with their staff… who are all aficionados of what they sell. They seem to fix a lotta stuff for people for free too.

Unfortunately Al’s Hobby Shop has caused me much heartache and has seriously almost ruined Christmas for a 8 year old boy. After placing our order online, and receiving no notice I got scared and called 2 weeks before Christmas to confirm my order. I was notified that the order I made wasn’t available. No one called to notify me of this nor did they send an email. After coming up with a solution purchase I was given a discount and ensured my new order would be here in time for Christmas. Still upset but thankful to have a solution I believed in the man I spoke with at Al’s and felt confident my new order. Unfortunately not the cause. Two days before Xmas and I call again to confirm and come to find out my order was never shipped because of an assumption based on the shipping staff. Well no rc truck for my son. Santa has let him down and Al’s will forever have a sour taste in my mouth for the way they handled themselves during this holiday. Poor follow up poor service and in my opinion no regard for the little boy who’s heart will be broken come Christmas morning. Shame on you Al’s Hobby Shop.

Very good shop. Adam helped me out bigtime with my r/​c plane. Love going there even though I drop major cash every time I walk in the door! They have very fair prices, I just picked a very expensive hobby.

Nice place. The leader in the Chicagoland retail hobby business… period. Nice selection, I am always treated well and the guy who handles helicopeters is always so helpful (to bad I stopped flying). Again, very nice place for R/​C vehicles. oh and the annual Fun Fly is superb.

BJ is one of Al’s train experts. He fixed my 50 plus year old HO train with a shrug for a very reasonable cost. Looking forward to another 50 years of use! A great store. I will be sure to go there for any parts or service.

I have been going to Als for over a year and a half… All I can say is they are hands down AWESOME… I bought my Traxxas XO-​1 and 1 SQ Quadcopter there and I own a vorza, jato, ofna lx2, and tmaxx… They have supported me with parts and service bar none. they share their experience and knowledge, Chip has patience and explains things if even it is a $ 2 item. I cannot recommend them enough. I will support them no matter what because they deliver superior customer service … Honest, reasonable prices most time same or better than the internet, they order quickly and i have yet to pay for shipping even when they rush. Give them a try… you will see why Als Hobby Shop is second to none…

Been driving here from Glenview for years. Knowledge, selection, is the best in Chicago. Own two planes, and building a third, and they are always willing to help. Yes, sometimes you have to wait to get some «free advice», but if you can’t, I’m sure Hobbytown can sell you some glue!

it is hit and miss when it comes to service here. Sometimes they are busy and under-​staffed. Some of the staff has no idea how to handle one customer at a time. I literally waited an hour for Mike to finish up with me because he started helping 4 other people after he started with me and all 4 people were out of there before me even though I was there before them. All I had to do is have him find a few parts and pay for them. Anyways they have a decent selection and knowledgeable staff, just show up when it is slow.

I own a Traxxas model RC, bought here, and they are awesome on any service needed on it and extremely friendly. They will walk you through any fix if you want the challenge on your RC. Been going here since I was young.

I’ve been out of the R/​C hobby for 30+ years and just re-​entered. I remember Al’s from way back when. I ran across a gift certificate prize I won thirty years ago for twenty dollars and they happily accepted it without an issue so I bought another $ 50.00 worth of items. It’s good to be back, thanks for the great service throughout the late sixtys, all of the seventies and today. I will return with a new list soon.

Al’s hobby shop is best hobby shop so far ! They are all very helpful and if they dont have an item or part in stock they will get it with in a few days !!!

Helpful staff, reasonable prices, & not like other hobby shops where they’ll try & rip u off :)

Al’s Hobby… Eh not another rotor strike! you just spent @$%# there last week! Don’t you already have 3 Helli’s that cost… Gimme your credit card your cut off Mister!
This place is an RC paradise for sure. If you are into Helli’s, Planes, Cars, and boats this is the place for you! Al’s has been a family owned business around many years and the staff is awesome. They really know the RC hobby in and out. If you do decide to venture into the RC hobby be forewarned it is expensive! When accidents happen (when, not if!) Al’s knowledgeable staff will get you going again with the parts you need usually at the most within a week. Many Helli and plane parts are on hand in stock. Al’s niche is the RC (Radio Controlled) Hobby, But they have a huge train department as well as other interesting and cool things to keep the child in us all alive and well. Al’s also hosts local events to promote the hobby.

Chip is a god! The rest of the staff here needs to be revamped! I had a rather serious problem that took some time to solve. Chip was very helpful but he was the only person there anyone wanted to deal with and because of this he was and is very busy. I spent quite a bit of time just playing phone tag with him and the some of the other staff members. This shop is in serious need of another Chip or more staff members that care about quality of service. Without Chip I would seriously stop shopping here I can get better prices online but Chip’s knowledge and care is priceless.

This place has a plethora of rc hobby vehicles. Tons of parts and accessories. But what they lack is a personality and hospitality. I talked to one kid who wouldn’t look at me and mumbled most of the time, I couldn’t understand what he was saying. The second man i talked to was great. He knew what he was talking about, and answered all my questions. He even looked some stuff up on the computer to show me. He was great in his info but he was just to easily distracted. At one point he was talking to a co-​worker, when i cam in to buy a buggy. He then started answering phones and going back and forth with the co-​worker. At this point, i just bought my nitro fuel line from another employee and left. The reason i went here was because it is a LHS and i want to support them. I would think the reason one would want to go to a LHS is because of the service, well i get better service online. So in the future i will go there for parts if i need them, but for larger purchases i will look online for better deals. I wish this wasn’t the case. I wouldn’t mind spending a few extra dollars to support a local hobby shop but with their service it doesn’t compute to me to do so.

This place is an RC fans dream, sadly the reality is that it is a REALLY expensive hobby. I am limited to the cars and helis that I can find for cheap at toy stores, but if you are hard core, this is your place. They have more remote controls than some places have vehicles. They carry boats, helicopters, planes and of course cars. There is also a good model section and a decent trail section. This is a hardcore place that can impress even the casual hobby fan. The model my son bought as well as everything I recognized from similar stores were all competitively priced. The place was packed with some folks spending real bucks and we were still treated well despite our small purchase. A good place, especially if you never grew up and have some serious FU money.

Very good hobby shop, Bought a r/​c helicopter and did my homework on some planes and boats I want to buy in the future, The staff (10 – 12 very knowledgeable older people) answered every question I had, They are real pros with anything radio controlled or trains, Wow, The selection of trains is unreal, Didn’t have time this trip but will make time in the future.