How many people can say the first date with their boyfriend or girlfriend turned into a family business?
Corey Winter, a Bristol resident, can.
Ten years ago, he took his then-girlfriend, Jackie, to a hobby shop on their first date. That was the night Jackie bought her first RC car and found herself hooked on radio controlled racing, known among fans as RC racing.
Apparently she found herself hooked on Corey as well, since the two later married.
“It is an excellent hobby,” Corey said of his hobby-turned-business. “I was at a flying event one day with a buddy joking about opening a hobby shop. It started as a joke.”
Corey, who’s been flying RC airplanes for more than 20 years, was working in a collision center and had always dreamed of owning his own — until he was injured at work.
Today, he and Jackie own the Ultimate RC Hobby Shop and Raceway at 801 Cedar Ave. in Croydon. The business has a pit area with full electricity and a place to set up tools to work on the cars, which can cost hundreds of dollars.
About three years ago, the couple opened a hobby shop in Bristol. But customers wanted a track to race on. So, after one year in Bristol, they moved to the bigger location in Croydon, according to Jackie.
“It was very scary making the jump to a bigger place,” she said. “We wanted to do something that would be different that people would really like.”
Jim Griggs, 54, has been racing RC vehicles for 30 years. These days, he spends two nights a week at the Croydon track racing his custom-painted vehicle.
“This is my home track now,” said Griggs, a Levittown resident. “Thursday nights (when racers practice to compete on Saturdays) are priceless.”
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