Since we've been in lock down, it seems that everyone is coming up with new hobbies. Whether it's baking bread, gardening, puzzling, or roller skating, people are seeking something to pass the time.
Although, some hobby's seem to be a passing fad, slowly fading into a select niche group.
User aliensockmonkey went to Ask Reddit to find out:
"What's a hobby that's dying in popularity?"
Maybe the industry is dying, or maybe they're things we grow out of as we become adults. Either way, some of these hobbies aren't sticking around much longer.
Here's a few hobbies that are falling by the wayside.
Model trains may be a thing of the past.
"Model trains."
"There is a store in our town square that has been there for like 50 years that specializes in model trains. (It's called a train and toy store, but there are almost no toys there). The store is interesting to walk around in, if you are not claustrophobic, but he must not sell very much because he can't pay the rent anymore. He is closing and moving out of town to some building he owns. Again, the stuff looks cool but I have never seen anyone buy anything."
"Yes these types of stores are closing like crazy in my area. I've had a few model train shops close up within the last year. Also people are buying this stuff online now so there is no need for these stores, if this is what people want to buy."
- SaraAB87
"My dad is big into model trains. He has had a train table pretty much his whole adult life after taking his trains with him when he moved out of my grandparents house. In a way, the hobby is doing well. In another, it isn't."
"The above poster is right that online sales are very much a thing and if you are looking for deals train shows are also a thing where items can be bought and sold and have strong popularity (at least in our local area)."
"On the other hand, these trains-which are essentially toys- are so darn expensive. The new stuff has a bunch of tech in them that makes them really cool, but they are delicate and pricey. They are essentially older people play things. No parent is gonna buy their 10 year old a $400 starter set."
"So how does this hobby survive past the current generation? I'm not sure it will."
- DJLJR28
With the rise of email comes the fall of stamp collections.
"Stamp collecting. It used to be a huge thing but not anymore. Probably because of the rise of email/very few people send letters anymore."
"They have them at estate sales all the time for super cheap."
- lelakat
"I have my grandfather's collection, and don't have any strong feelings for them. Been trying to find a collector for a few years to give them to. No one wants them around me."
- isalacoy
In a similar category of hobby...
"Pen pals."
"As a teenager, I loved writing letters to new people and receiving letters from all over the country and the world. Everything is instant now, but nothing beats that feeling of getting a letter in the mail that is specifically for you, that is not a bill, ad circular and comes from someone that genuinely wants to brighten your day."
- De_Nilla
Maybe we shouldn't give up on pen pal's just yet though!
"No jokes when I was 16 in the 90's, I got a pen pal in Rio de Janeiro through a famous band's fan club, we wrote to each other for 9 years then she moved to my country (very far from Rio) and we ended up getting married haha. For real."
- fourbums
Ham radio, a place to connect.
"Ham radio."
"I remember as a kid listening to my dad's radio and him always having a good time and genuinely enjoying a good rag chew."
"I got my license and tuned into some of the local repeaters. Found some nets with the most depressing things I've ever heard. People talking about their terminal illnesses or how prescription costs are killing them."
"Ham radio is in an interesting place right now, because the people most interested in it are getting quite old on average. However, software defined radio is incredibly cheap and opens up whole new avenues for radio. I can listen to whole GHz's of the radio spectrum with this $25 USB TV tuner, which is really enjoyable."
- Miyelsh
Collecting quarters.
I remember collecting these as a kid, but it didn't last long.
"Collecting all 50 US state minted quarters. I remember there used to be TV commercials selling you fancy cardboard with holes in them to help you collect them all, LOL."
"Ohh how times have changed."
"I once did this for fun. I got hundreds of dollars worth of quarters from the bank, and I bought a bunch of different cups. I put each state's name on each cup, then I started sorting the quarters into the different cups. It was crazy time consuming, but when it was all said and done, I managed to put together about five different complete collections."
"I went into the project thinking it was going to be an easy way to make some money. But nope. They don't sell for hardly anything. I ended up giving some of the quarter collections away as gifts, but when you factor in all the time and energy, it wasn't worth it at all."
Some things we out grow.
"Model Rocketry."
"When I was a kid, we all built and glued and fired off model rockets with rocket engines and stuff."
"This comment made the smell of those rockets come right back to me and now makes me want to get back into it. I loved those as a kid."
If you're finding yourself board at home, maybe pick up a pen and start writing to a pal. If you're feeling youthful, share a memory with someone and build a model rocket.
Maybe stay away from coin collecting, though.
"Want to "know" more? Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again. Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here."
- People Explain Which Things Absolutely No One Looks Cool Doing - George Takei ›
- People Break Down Which Hobbies Get More Expensive As You Go - George Takei ›
- People Break Down Which Once Popular Hobbies Are Now Dying Out - George Takei ›
- People Describe The Most Boring Hobbies A Person Can Have - George Takei ›