The Most Scrumptious Hobby Shops in Tucson

Arizona Lapidary & Gem Rough

★★★★☆ 4.1 (12)

"It's all in the name. This store features many types and varieties of lapidary (stones and gems that have been engraved, cut and/or polished), as well as rough cut slabs of stone from all over the world. It's a beautiful store that is worth a visit if only to look at some of the more impressive stones, gems and minerals and artwork made from these same stones, gems and minerals. I agree with the other Yelpers reviewing this shop -- the staff are knowledgeable and friendly. This was exactly what we needed on our first visit. We are neophytes and were looking for a gift for a young friend who wanted some representative stones from southern Arizona and needed knowledgeable help to select stones that were not only from local mines, but were beautiful to look at. We got all that we needed and enjoyed ourselves in the process. Highly recommended."

Epic Worlds

★★★☆☆ 3.4 (5)

"Very disrespectful shop owner got upset because I called him out on the fake pokemon cards he was selling. He told me " i should go home and check my cards because mine are probably fake" how you gonna run a card store and sell fake products don't waste your time go to showtime sport's cards those guys actually know what they are doing!!!!!"

Isle of Games

★★★★★ 4.5 (36) • $$

"Very nice layout, a ton of games and accessories to scratch any gamers itch. Well organized, large selection to choose from; If you cannot find your board game, good chance you did not look hard enough. Their customer service is attentive to your needs. Prices are about common (membership does add incentive)..Plenty of parking btw. Update 4/2023: Found 2 more dragons I can't live without. Staff always the best and sooooo much to select from.Update 5/13/2023:Picked up 4 more massive dragons for board gaming and painting...woot woot.Update 10/2024Picked up 2 more D & D dragons it may seem that I have an obsession lol"

The Hobby Place

★★★★☆ 4.3 (18) • $$

"Great place and reminds me of the old Classic Hobbies shop from decades ago. Very friendly staff and they have a great selection of kits, paints, etc. Highly recommend!"

Mini-Mint of Tucson

★★★★★ 5 (2)

"Hands down of of the best coin shops in Tucson. The owner is very knowledgable about coins and their history. Received excellent customer service and bought a few coins. This was my first time visiting this store, and it will not be the last. Coin prices are very reasonable and they have a wonderful collection. The auction boards are great as well. Thanks for being a great coin shop."

Kira Kira Collectibles

★★★★★ 5 (1)

"Ordered online and am very happy with my purchase. I found a hard to find item and it was perfect for my daughter. Wish I lived closer to the store but will definitely order from them again."

Glass Shoppe Coins

★★★★★ 4.5 (11)

"It's hard to sell coins when you really don't know the value. We did a sample Group of coins to 3 shops Tony was number 2 and lower by 50.00 for theBox. We really liked him, but we had to get more for the collection. Nice shop"

Arizona Coins & Collectibles

★★★★☆ 4.1 (15) • $$

"Anytime I need to sell coins, or gold or get a professional opinion, I'll definitely be coming going here. This shop is a bit hard to find. It is inside the business section on the end of the plaza. The owner is very nice and patient. He sits down with his customers and really explains the value of things. The owner is fair and I truly believe was one of the best deal in town."

Presidio Comics

★★★☆☆ 2.5 (4)

"Great spot (located in Mall) with some nice eye catching wall stock to include a Hulk 180 (graded), and other collectables. Some wall books to include variants and long boxes with a corner of $1 bins which is my favorite. Super friendly Staff (both visits) who engaged in conversation about comics & culture. This shop is one of two comic shops located in the same mall which is great for comic shoppers like myself. Definitely will check out whenever my wife drags me to the mall- LOL"

Tucson Coin and Autograph

★★★★☆ 4.1 (16)

"I have only good things to say about this place. My sister-in-law was friends with the wife of the owner. We started taking coins and jewelry for trade or cash and found out that the reputation of this place was well known at the bank (of all places!) for being the most honest and highest paying. Last week at the beginning of July 2021, I found out that one of the businessman who worked there now owns the place. Again, the reputation in my opinion is their honest, thorough and pay well for items. I was treated with great respect and will certainly be back."

Desert Fox Paintball Outfitters

★★★☆☆ 3.1 (14) • $$

"I came here with family and it was our first time here.I was impressed with the way they run this business.They had a safety meeting at the beginning and they explained the rules and how important it was to keep your mask on in the playing area.Then they drove us out to playing area.The field was very large and had lots of things to hide behind.We played more games then we thought we would.Overall it was loads of fun and we felt safe.We will be back"

Heroes and Villains

★★★★☆ 4.3 (58) • $$

"My first time back here in several years and again very similar findings to my original review. The staff were very friendly and the store is super clean and organized. The issue I have here is the same as before: there are almost no back issues to look at. Also, very few wall books or grails. I did see an absolutely beautiful copy of Incredible Hulk 181 which was a sight to behold. The price was right for a copy in this great of shape. If had the funds, I'd totally get it. A great store for new issues, but useless if you're looking to fill in your collection of back issues."

Cathey's Sewing & Vacuum

★★★★☆ 4.1 (44) • $$

"My husband and I bought our very first vacuum together back in 2012 from Cathey's on Speedway (we were dating at the time). It was a big purchase for us to buy a Miele and almost 9 years later, the vacuum was still going strong until a small park broke the on/off button of the vacuum. We took it into Cathey's to take a look and they were able to order the part for us and get it repaired. They also serviced the vacuum for us during that time. The customer service here is always excellent. I couldn't imagine buying a vacuum from a big box store. Supporting local is so important and we plan on remaining loyal customers for many years to come."

Otaku Nation

★★★☆☆ 3.3 (7)

"Pretty new to Arizona. Came from Southern California which hosts Frank and Sons ( for those who do not know what that is, it is a huge warehouse of anime, collection, card vendors). Used to go there quite often to get anime figures and cards and was quite nervous moving to Tucson, until I walked into Otaku Nation. My first visit was last week, but within one week, I have visited 5 times and brought over 5 other individuals that have the same passion I have. The first day I walked in, I was greeted by the owner. It is not every store that the owner puts what he is doing down, stands up, to greet you, and ask you what you're looking for. Jeremy ( sorry if I spelled it wrong), proceeded to develop a personal relationship with me and that is the community we need to encourage. Everyday that I have gone to this store, I have walked away with something. I'm hoping we can make this small shop into something bigger, a community that drives and supports each other. I was able to get my first Digimon TCG box here for a steal compared to what other places are marking them up for. The reason for the low pricse was probably reinforced by the idea of building a group of people that will entertain playing Digimon in this store rather than making a profit. For some of these wonderful core values that this owner has, I will come by week after week to promote this store. Thank you Otaku Nation."

Tucson Games and Gadgets

★★★★☆ 3.8 (23) • $$

"We dropped by while in town for the book festival. Wow, what a nice shop! Well-stocked with awesome staff. It was great to see so many folks playing games at the tables. We bought a couple things and mourned the fact that we were just visiting. If we were locals, we'd be regulars here for sure."

The Arcanum Sanctorum

★★★★★ 5 (1)

"Best place in Tucson for table top games like magic! This shop is filled with a wide variety of card collectables like Pokémon, Lorcana, Dragon Ball Z TCG, UniVersus My Hero Academia, and more. Great place to build and upgrade a deck. The environment is extremely friendly and welcoming. Steven was kind enough to give us a tour of his shop and taught us a couple of things about the games. The shop was filled with people on a Friday, I'm going to have to become an expert before I come back so I can keep up with the pros! Can't wait to visit again!"

Cathey's Sewing & Vacuum

★★★★☆ 4.2 (10)

"Did an excellent job with maintenance on my old Singer, and they answered my questions regarding my new machine. Highly recommend. Plan on 2-6 weeks w/o your machine yet it's worth the wait Highly recommend"

Starizona Adventures In Astronomy & Nature

★★★★★ 4.5 (21) • $$

"Starizona is reaching for the stars when it comes to customer service and expertise in providing the best in astronomy related services.The company's team of experts is highly knowledgeable and experienced. They are always happy to answer any questions and offer advice on the best equipment for a particular application or budget.Scott and Dean are two members of the Starizona team who stand out for their exceptional support and attention to detail. You could say they are a shining constellation of customer service! They go above and beyond to make sure that every customer's needs are met and that their telescopes are working like a charm.In addition to the sales and services, Starizona also hosts events such as star parties, which are a great way for people to learn more about astronomy and enjoy the night sky. These events are always well organized and offer an excellent opportunity to connect with other astronomy enthusiasts."

True Collectors - Toys & Collectibles

★★★★☆ 3.6 (7) • $$

"This is a really nice, locally owned business, with a ton of pop culture toys/merchandise contained within, ranging from Star Wars to Hello Kitty. I found the prices here to be quite reasonable, and I would recommend giving this place a visit based on what they have in stock alone.The person on duty at the shop did not provide great customer service, even though I was the only one in the shop. He didn't ask me if I needed help finding anything when I arrived. However he was professional when I asked him a few questions about their hours and ordering merchandise.Otherwise, it's a solid shop. If the quality of the customer service matched the quality of merchandise, it would be a lot better."

Cathey's Sewing & Vacuum

★★★★☆ 4.3 (85) • $$

"Very good customer service and prompt response to my vacuum problem. I would recommend Cathey's to anyone for sewing or vacuum repair or purchase."

Tucson Gem and Mineral Show

★★★★☆ 4 (14) • $$

"With so many gem shows going on in Tucson this time of the year, it's easy to lose track of which show, what, where and when. It's my second time in Tucson and my first time attending the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show that lasted from February 11-14. I love this show, with so much cool stuff to see and good deals to buy! My only wish is that they charge only a nominal admission fee instead of $13 ($11 if you print out the coupon and you need one for each person!) A $5 admission would be ideal... $13 is a bit too much on top of all the money you'll spend buying cool rocks. There is a nice education program for kids where geology undergrad students would explain geology and rocks to the youngsters who also get to take home with 12 specimens of their choice in an egg carton! They have Quartz, rose gypsum, etc. It definitely sparks kids' interests in science and rocks!The show has a variety of booths but they can pretty much be categorized in such: middle-end jewelry ($100-1000), low-end jewelry (below $100), jewelry supplies, loose fashioned stones and specimens that are Smithsonian-worthy charging astronomical prices for the top 1%; you belong to the top 1% if you can spare 80K for a slab of rock for display instead of buying a car or using it as a down payment for your house. See photos for the specimens. There aren't really any rough stones there though for cutters. I was able to get some jewelry below $50 and some loose stones for cheap! The area has at least 300 vendors and a couple more inside the stadium next to the exhibition hall. Don't worry about getting hungry either. A row of food trucks serving Mexican, Chinese, Greek food, etc. await you as you exit the hall through the side doors. Follow the smell. Parking is free but it's not a bad idea to park in the garage for $5 a day to avoid the Arizonan heat. Great time here! 5 hours of nonstop shopping!"

Showtime Cards

★★★★☆ 4 (24) • $$

"Some of the nicest people I have ever met! I ended up coming here at 630 and staying for hours. They treat you like a friend the first day you come in. I am not from here and who knows when I will be back but if I lived here I would end up spending an inordinate amount of money just cause this is the place to just hangout. I will be back next time I am here!"