maximumrob

Do any of y'all own a gun store now or have owned one in the past? What are some of the best and worst lessons you had to learn? If you quit it, why did you get out of it?

I know that turning one's passion in to a job can ruin the fun of it all for some folk, but that's a risk I might be willing to take some day.


Thanks!

snowdoctor

I have been half looking at a firearms/bait and tackle store now for like 6 months...I just can't seem to 'pull the trigger' on the purchase...
This is a great thread, and I eagerly await some comments...

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mojave_pistolero

I have never owned a gun store but I'd be willing to bet that some form of goverment regulations are the reason that some owners left the business. It will be interesting to see what they have to say. Good question.

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AZ Husker

I think you'll find that most can't or won't compete with internet dealers.

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mr.stuart

One of the local gun shop owners told me it is a tough go.He said Gander Mountain and Academy have so much buying power it is hard to compete.An individual shop owner could stay in business by offering one-on-one service the big stores cannot.He did say no matter how much people like him,if they can buy the same gun 100.00 less,customers will go to the big stores.The local Gander store has a gunsmith,but for me,I would rather have repairs or alterations done by someone I can have coffee with and shoot the breeze.

Mudrunner111

I did back in the 70's and enjoyed it very much. Then more regulations came in and it became more difficult to operate the business. A lot of good memories back then. Some day I just might go back and do it again even with all the new problems of todays laws.

HowardCohodas

Years ago I had an aquaintance who's hobby was starting new businesses. His standard proceedure was to find someone who was successful at it but was geographically non-competitive. He would then meet with them to learn the methods that made the business successful. He always seemed to get lots of good information because, he said, successful people love to talk about their success. This was before the internet, but I think there is still wisdom in that approach.

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alfack

A friend of mine owns a local gun shop. He said "the easiest way to make a million in the gun business is to start out with 2."

It would be fun, if you could be successful. I think these days you almost need to offer something else, like an indoor range.

wvshooter

I've never owned one but I will say I don't think it's the internet or Gander Mtn. et. al. that decides success or failure. Here's what I think is required in order of importance.

1. Plenty of start up capital
2. Level one customer service
3. Good location
4. Willingness to spend all your time at the store

These are probably the four biggies for any business. The best of the independent guns shops in my neck of the woods is in a town of about 15,000 and only about 300 yards from the interstate exit. They have a large inventory and everybody I've ever seen working there is very customer oriented, especially the owner. They do a great business.

Another one here is in a metro area of about 60,000 has zero parking, what I would call average help, (they will help you but they're not overly excited to do so) and they also do a very good business. There are two others I know of and they also do well in spite of Gander Mtn. being nearby. My experience is that GM is higher than local shops for the same weapon is just about every case. And a lot of people would never buy anything on the internet preferring to do the handshake thing.

SubNine

I support the mom and pop type gun stores over the big stores. They're more enthusiastic about the products they sell, and they know what they sell. I enjoy shooting the breeze with them, and talking guns and politics. Even if I could get a gun for 100 dollars cheaper, I'd still pay the higher price, because I trust the smaller guys more.

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