Lake City Hobby & Toy

For 48 years Lake City Hobby & Toy has served the Finger Lakes region with hobby merchandise & past times.

Started in 1976 by Jim Greco, & his wife Marlene, Lake City Hobby got it's name from Marlene's mother Carmella inspired by our great Seneca Lake. Through the years & with the help of brothers, & sisters, relatives, & friends, the "Hobby Shop" has been a go to for model railroaders, rail-fans, kite enthusiasts, fans of model rocketry, slot car racing, plastic model kit builders, & children who love Thomas the Tank Engine.

In 2007 the Greco family moved to their current location at 437 Exchange Street in Downtown, Geneva NY. Their two sons Damian, & Wesley started working at the store & they added comic books, games, puzzles, frisbees, disc golf supplies, dart supplies, & expanded their toy selection.

2012 brought a new project together working with the Geneva Disc Golf Club, & the City of Geneva to install the first Disc Golf course located on Seneca Lake.

From 2012 to 2019 Lake City Hobby became a corner stone in Geneva's Downtown Community hosting artists & musicians on the corner of Castle & Exchange Streets for the popular Geneva Night Out first Friday events that took place monthly.

The Covid Pandemic brought hardships for small businesses throughout Downtown, Geneva. The Grecos maintained through 2020, & 2021 staying open to make sure that the community had what they needed to deal with the lock downs & quarantines that were happening nation wide.

2021 brought a new set of challenges when the City of Geneva underwent construction with the Downtown Revitalization Program that was awarded to the city by New York State.

The corner that the Hobby Shop is located on was right in the middle of all of the construction & road work that went on for a better part of a year.

2022 brought hardships when Jim & Marlene both came down with Covid pneumonia in January. Marlene was hospitalized for one week before coming home for what would be 3 months of physical therapy to recover. Jim was hospitalized for 2 months before entering in to a physical therapy program at Geneva General Hospital for 5 weeks. They have Thankfully both made significant recoveries, & are looking to move forward with what they have built with their community over the past 4 decades in their home town.

We are hoping to be able to refresh our storefront & renew our vision for the future. Your help would make all of the difference in this world, & steady us on our way to celebrating 50 years of hobbies & past times in the Heart of the Finger Lakes region.

We Thank God for getting us to where we are today.

We Thank you for taking the time to read our story & for your consideration.

Thank you.

Jim & Marlene, Damian, & Wesley Greco