Hobby Marketplace

Specialties

Radio Controlled hobbies, RC Cars & Trucks, RC Quads /​Drones, RC Helicopters & Airplanes, RC Boats. Airsoft, Plastic Models, Science Kits, Model Rockets, Model Trains, Hobby Tools & Accessories. Toys for the whole family. Stocking stuffers, tech toys. Robotics & Science Projects. Repair service and training. Come race your RC Car on our indoor, air-​conditioned Raceway!

History

Established in 2008.

Hobby Marketplace started with a single location in Bradenton, FL, and in 2010 expanded to a second location inside the Sarasota Square Mall. The Bradenton location has been closed now since 2013, but the Sarasota one is running strong!

Meet the Business Owner

Jim S.

Business Owner

Jim Smentowski has accomplished a feat that many aspire to, but few actually succeed in: He’s made his hobby into a career.

Smentowski has worked in the film industry before getting into robotics and RC hobbies. He has worked in the film industry, at George Lucas’ Industrial Light & Magic in Marin County, California. He worked on several films, including Mars Attacks, Space Cowboys, Galaxy Quest, and Star Wars Episode I. In 2006, he and his family relocated from California to the beautiful Gulf Coast of FL.

Since 1996, Jim has owned and operated his own online business, The Robot Marketplace, which caters to virtually every imaginable need of robot enthusiasts. Motors, battery packs, wheels, radio systems and accessories, inspection and surveillance tools, and electronic speed controllers are only a handful of the thousands of gadgets available at The Robot Marketplace, which works with more than 160 vendors and happens to be the largest supplier of robotic accessories in the world.