WEST ALLIS — For 56 years, a shop in West Allis has been the go-to destination for hobbyists who love all things model trains, planes, and... automobiles.
Model Empire on Greenfield Avenue has served thousands of customers. Its specialty has always been cars: plastic kits, metal models, and rare collectibles. However, that's all changing. After more than five decades, Model Empire is closing its doors.
“This is what we've done all these years, so it's going to be a major change," Alex Geiger, the owner of Model Empire, said.
The shop opened in 1970 by Geiger's mom. He practically grew up in Model Empire. Geiger remembers selling models as early as 7 years old. Then in 1983, he took over the business.
For the next 43 years, this shop was Geiger's life. And it became a second home for his customers, too.
"And I've heard this in the last two months over and over again, you know. 'Where are we going to go now? There's just no place like this,'" Geiger said.
The store isn't closing because of financial issues. Geiger said that business is good. In fact, during the COVID pandemic, sales soared. Instead, it was just the right time to say goodbye to the store. He had asked his children if any of them would like to take it over, but they have their own careers and weren't interested.
So, he and his high school sweetheart, turned wife of more than four decades, Roberta, are ready to close the store for good.
“Maybe there's a little less responsibility, and maybe we can do a little more with family and with friends," Roberta Geiger said.
Hopefully, they will be able to go on vacation soon. But before that happens, the Geigers have a big task at hand. They need to sell all the inventory. So Alex is going to have to put the skills he has practiced since he was 7 to the test.
But it's not just what's inside the store. There are tons of items in their upstairs storage area, downstairs storage area, and in multiple warehouses. So the plan is to sell what’s in the shop, and then continue with online sales until everything is gone. How long will that take?
“I wish I could tell you there was a point," Alex Geiger said with a big laugh. "Because I don't think we're going to be that aggressive on selling.”
They expect the shop to be open for just one more month before transitioning to online sales only.
Watch the story to see all the types of model cars Model Empire sells...
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