Cars, Planes, and Boats (models or remote controlled)
Hobbies are taking on a new importance during the pandemic, and Warrenton Hobby Shoppe is working toward fulfilling creative new (for kids) or nostalgic (for parents) ways for families to come together. STORY AND PHOTOS BY LINDSAY HOGEBOOM
A short time ago, if you were to ask Wes McCarville and Lori Gibson how they pictured their future, running a hobby shop on Main Street would not have been on the list. But as small towns have a way of doing, the community and friendships McCarville and Gibson found in Warrenton brought them an opportunity they couldn’t pass up.
How It Began When McCarville moved to Warrenton a year and a half ago, the first person he met was Burrell Spindel. “I went to Molly’s on a Tuesday night for trivia,” says McCarville. “I [was] just sitting up there…all by myself, and he’s like, ‘Hey, do you want to come join us over here?’ He introduced himself and him and I [have been] best friends since then.” Spindel owned hobby shops for more than 30 years, including one of Fauquier County’s premier hobby shops, Virginia Hobbies Etc. At the beginning of 2020, Spindel began to experience some health issues that left him unable to continue to run his shop. McCarville explains, “He came to me and said, ‘Hey, Wes, do you want to buy the store?’” Although McCarville did not have experience in the hobby industry or as a business owner, he was interested
Lori Gibson and Wes McCarville, who have owned the Warrenton Hobby Shoppe since early 2020, cite fun, community, and friendship as core values at the heart of their business.
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{
DECEMBER 2020
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WARRENTON LIFESTYLE
}