YORK-Scott Dayton, owner of four HobbyTown USA franchises in Virginia, has confirmed that he has signed a lease to occupy 8,300 square-feet of the 19,560 square-feet of space that former tenant A.C. Moore occupied at 5007 Victory Blvd., Suite F, in the Village Square at Kiln Creek shopping center.
“We are very pleased with this addition to the shopping center and think they are a great fit for this location,” said James W. “Jim” Noel Jr., director of York County Office of Economic & Tourism Development.
Dayton intends to move his HobbyTown USA store location at 12761 Jefferson Ave. in the Jefferson Crossing Shopping Center in Newport News to the new space after a buildout is completed this summer. The store has been located in Newport News for the past 16 years.
“We don’t have an exact date yet, but we’re shooting to make the transition for a June 2022 opening at the new location,” said Dayton.
Dayton and his wife, Kelly, opened their first HobbyTown USA store in 1999. In addition to the Newport News location, they also run franchises in Virginia Beach, Richmond, and Fredericksburg. Their son, Michael, works as the chief operating officer for all four locations.
“I’m an engineer by education, and my first career was in the military as an engineer,” said Dayton. “I like technology and I had always wanted to be a retailer, so the two things just married up. We have a lot of technical products that I enjoy, and I also enjoy running the business.”
Dayton mentioned that a lot of folks confuse their stores with Hobby Lobby, which is a craft store.
“We’re a little bit different and not as craft-oriented,” he said. “We have radio-controlled cars, planes, plastic models, model rockets, and the type of electric trains that you may have played with as a child around the Christmas tree.” HobbyTown USA also carries a large supply of STEM and other educational toys.
The new location will offer slightly more space, which means new and expanded hobby and toy product lines will be offered. In addition, an event space will be constructed for model building, remote-control events, and hobby workshops.
Dayton mentioned that he and his wife have lived in York County since the 1990s and are very familiar with the Village Square at Kiln Creek shopping complex. “I’ve always loved the shopping center and being able to put one of our stores there has us really excited,” said Dayton.
As for the remaining 11,260 square feet available for lease, Noel said The Breeden Company “has a good prospect for that space.”