ABOUT US AND OUR HOBBY SHOP

After working at several different trades (cook, nurse's aide, retail department manager, youth and family counselor, and store manager), I was presented with the opportunity to buy the hobby shop which I had been managing. I figured that I would always wonder "what if" if I didn't take a shot at it. Now, over twenty-two years later, my store is still serving customers in the Central Massachusetts area.  One of my first customers way back then is now my husband, Mike, and he is often to be found in the store, working on his models, repairing radio control vehicles, or amusing the customers. We have now entered the arena of internet shopping so that we may serve a wider area. Below are some pictures of the exterior and the interior of Hobbytime, which is located at 317 Southbridge St., Auburn, MA 01501. Our local telephone number is (508) 832-0807 and our toll-free number is 1-800-558-0807. The store is open every day except Mondays (and the occasional holiday), so if you find yourself in the area, please drop by and say hello!

Michael is originally from England, but has lived in the U.S for the past twenty-three years. (He's still trying to convince our customers that he has a "Massachusetts accent"). He's been building plastic models since the ripe old age of five, so he's a great source of tips and general information for our modeling customers.

I first started making jewelry by the "trial and oops!" method about thirty five years ago. After awhile my sources of quality beads dried up and I stopped. Years later when I opened my hobby shop, I decided to start working with sterling silver and semi-precious beads. Customers began asking for more types of jewelry, such as rings, and I was forced to add more tools to my collection and to practice more advanced techniques of jewelry making. Today I make my own designs and will do custom jobs, provided that the item can be fashioned out of wire or sheet metal. I have no casting equipment at this time. My jewelry is sold under my trademark MoonStones Jewelry.

The gel candle line came about due to a series of circumstances. One of the suppliers that I was using to stock Hobbytime started carrying a line of gel candle supplies and I ordered a starter assortment. At around the same time one of the jewelers' supply catalogs happened to feature some bone and brass boxes that looked like little treasure chests. Since I'm a sucker for little boxes, those certainly caught my eye and I just had to think of a reason to buy some! Fanfare, please! The Pirate's Treasure candle was born.

At that time it seemed that gel candles in wine glasses were all the rage and my mother suggested that I make one for a friend of the family for Christmas. Since the friend in question did not drink wine, but was often seen with a cocktail glass in hand, I developed a martini candle, complete with an olive made from oven-baked clay. As time went by, various customers started requesting candles that looked like their favorite drinks and the drink candle line expanded.

Our newest venture is our gift basket line.  I have quite a bit of inventory and would be more than happy to work with you to create the perfect gift for your special someone. You might want to look at the gift baskets shown on this site. Who knows, one of my designs might be just what you're looking for! If not, at least they might give you some ideas to come up with your own design. We will ship anywhere in the contiguous 48 states and Mike has graciously offered his time to hand deliver local orders.

You will find both on-line and off-line options for ordering. Our shopping cart payment options are Mastercard, Visa, Discover, or Paypal. For your protection, all credit card data is collected via a secure server. If you wish to order off-line, you may print out and send in our order form or call us on our toll-free number, 1-800-558-0807, from 10 AM to 7 PM EST Tuesday through Saturday.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us