When I was a kid, I used to mow lawns for most of our neighborhood, and I would spend all of my money at Judson's Hobbies and Crafts on South Federal, although I did make the occasional foray downtown to the old Caboose location, before they moved to South Broadway. Of course, Judd has retired decades ago... I also remember Mile High Hobbies at Cinderella City (both gone now), and Trainmaster. There was also Mike at Railroad Hobbies in Lakewood, the guy who had "everything" you'd ever want. If you didn't mind waiting for him to go out to the barn and look for it... And, recently, the loss of Mizell's in Westminster, one of the better stores in the area, great prices and sales, and a huge competitor for Caboose. I got to know Gary Coleman pretty well, as I lived close and went by pretty much weekly at least, great man, and I mourned his passing... I also recall when his N-scale layout was on display for a while at a mall in Colorado Springs. He much preferred not to be "recognized" but was always graceful towards visitors who were, to say the least, surprised by his presence.
But, in all honesty, the hobby has changed significantly over time as well. Athearn and Roundhouse "shake the box" kits were my bread and butter, undec Athearn locomotives became pretty much anything, with shells, mods, MR and MRC articles, and ideas discussed over hobbyshop counters. I remember kitbashing an AHM RS-2 with an Athearn Drive into a Rio Grande RS-3...
And craftsman kits. Yeah, I build I don't know how many wooden kits, not to mention MDC's 3-n-1s.
Now, it's almost impossible to buy anything that isn't R-T-R. My boy, 11 years old, much prefers a Blue Box kit.
Robert