Posted on 10/28/2010 2:30:25 PM PDT by DCBryan1
Well, after almost 7 years in a damn office, and 11 years prior military, I think I'm ready for a career change. I'll be 39 in NOV and current income is above average. Both the wife and I have good jobs, the problem his she loves her job, and has upward mobility potential. In fact, I could quit, and be a stay at home dad, but that's not my style.
I'm capped out, and enjoy my paychecks, but there comes a time when you get sick and tired of your job and just can't fathom another 25 years of doing the same thing, no matter what your paycheck.
I've had a sideline busines of gunsmithing and NFA horse trading/mfg. under my 07/02 FFL/SOT, and am thinking of moving that passion from underneath the house to a retail site. (would have to get a 01 FFL/03 SOT). I got the "open a gun store bug" after visiting what I would call a "near perfect" gun store/INDOOR shooting range in Scottsdale, AZ a couple of years ago.
I could probably have access to funding and could build a pretty sweet store, but the decision making process of "pulling the trigger" is complicated by the current administration regime, and starting from ground zero in the retail business. Due to recent pro-gun USSC cases, I am less redicent of going this route now.
I wanted to solicit advice from one of the best sources out there, Free Republic, not only for its Conservative and Christian values, but common sense, wide range of experience, and work ethic. (and humor).
Thanks in advance!
The first thing you have to remember is that you are going into business to make money. The 2nd thing you have to remember is the first thing. It’s a bonus if you can do this with something you like and enjoy.
You’re often better off buying out an existing business with an existing clientele — I’m betting there are a lot of Vietnam era vets who got the same bug as you who are looking to retire now and would be willing to sell out for a piece of retirement. The kicker with these places is that zoning approvals for a new range are difficult, the start-up costs are huge, and if you’re starting in an area with no established gun range then you’ve got to wait a while before you get shooters willing to come in regularly.
As for what I like to see in a gun shop:
The local shops around me are absolute disasters.
(1) Price — you’ve got to compete on basic products with MidwayUSA, Natchez, Graf & sons, and lots of other mail order places. The closest shop proudly advertises 115gr American Eagle 9mm FMJ rounds still for $32.99 / 50. Another proudly offered to sell me a glock 23 for $748 out the door. You’ve got to be kidding me. For things that are easy to get, you won’t make money. I depend on my gunshop / gunsmith to provide advice regarding firearms, accessories, and holsters and I’m willing to pay for that. If it’s something I don’t need advice on, I’m not going to pay premium prices for it.
(2) Gunshop chatter. The number one reason I go to gun shops is to talk to people about stuff that matters. Usually that’s guns and accessories. When the opinions become idiotic, I leave. This is especially true of the staff. Another local gunshop has a reputation for both high prices and an unbelievably arrogant yet ignorant attitude.
(3) Make it a place that is brightly lit, clean, and periodically send in female friends to assess the experience anonymously. I don’t think guys care that much about the inside of a gun shop. I like down at the heels places as much as that place in Scottsdale you mentioned (assuming we’re talking about the same place). But since women are a growing segment of the market and since even I appreciate a bright, well-lit, neatly stocked store where I can find and buy stuff easily, it needs to be a place that wouldn’t scare them off.
With respect to several of the local gunshops around here, women I know who have gone in to try to buy a gun have informed me that (a) they feel “dirty” walking out of there because of the leers from the moronic 55 year old slobs who man the counter, and (b) they feel dumber for having had the conversation with the gunshop staff who refuse to sell them a gun with the features they asked for and instead keep pushing .38 revolvers at them. Another female friend of me and my wife commented that the one place was so disorganized and physically unclean inside that she really didn’t want to touch anything in the store.
4. Reloading components. The hazmat fee for individual purchases makes it easy for gunshops to compete with the mail order places on components. I like to see one or two lines of reloading equipment and a reasonable selection of components. I also like seeing once-fired brass available — it’s hard to find mail order and I feel better if I can look at it anyway.
5. Holsters. I want to see at least one low-end line like fobus or uncle mikes, one mid-range like blade tech or comp tac, and some selection of common models in leather, with the ability to special order and expertise to help pick a good one.
6. Range: I need to be able to practice speed draws at the range. A range with tables between me and the target that can’t be dropped is useless. I like the ability to turn off the light on my target and get a little bit of low-light target acquisition training in. I like good ventilation systems since my brain cells and reproductive capacity are important to me. I hate having unknowledgable or officious staff butt in while I’m shooting.
On the other hand, the staff has to be able and willing to step in for safety violations. At my range in Virginia, we’d often get college kids and diplomats’ kids coming in for fun at the range. I’m all for learning to shoot and having fun with your buddies. But the staff there was incredible at maintaining a level of professionalism and safety on the range and preventing these groups from getting out of control.
I also like indoor ranges with some kind of indoor shooting league. PCC or bullseye is awesome even on a small range. It’s not action shooting, but it gives you a reason to go to the range regularly and spend money there.
That’s all I have off the top of my head. Good luck!
Great response!!
I was recently at an indoor gun range and they could certainly learn a thing or two from you.
Learn the BATFE paperwork inside and out, and get a good system for managing it perfectly in advance of selling the first gun. They went after a gun shop in NC hard, making them rack up massive legal bills, over a tiny percentage of incorrect paperwork that even the BATFE admitted was honest mistakes. That was not an isolated incident, but SOP.
Beyond that, I hate indoor ranges. The #1 reason is lack of ventilation. I do NOT want to be standing in a cloud of smoke when the range is full. You need a good system to exchange all the air for fresh at least every minute. Beyond that, think of baffles on the walls to cut down on the reflected sound.
For customers, LISTEN. The first few words and general mannerisms are important. Get to be known as the helpful guy who guides a customer to what the customer needs (most are clueless), not ignoring them or pushing something they don’t need because it has a higher profit margin. Also listen carefully to notice someone who knows what he’s talking about, so then you can switch gears to talk on his level and not insult him.
My favorite gun shops are less like soulless, sanitized retail stores, but more friendly, relaxed, home-style. It’s nice to see a couple oldtimers BSing about guns, perfectly welcome to chill out in the store doing that for hours. Wood for the interior walls and as the frames for the showcases helps give the place a rustic comfort.
Least like: Suicide types who rent guns to kill themselves. ..
Don’t tell him that, its my plan B.
Having women work in the shop is a great idea and not in a sexist way. Women are a major and growing market for this and would be more likely to take it seriously (regular training versus just popping off a few after work). As you said, having an old fart behind the counter may chase away some women. You don’t want a dank hole, you want a place people feel comfortable with.
First I would ask, what does your business plan look like?
If you don’t have one, you aren’t even close to making a decision that could affect your future.
Do you have one?
Sadly a lot of poor souls have been doing it more since Nov 2008. A lot more older folks.
What do I love? Women's only gun classes, safety classes for kids, ability to get trained in one stop shop for CHL
My local range is 24x7 via an RFID card so long as no competitions are going on. Its not a big city so it may not be feasible in many areas. They get the local police to qualify during their downtime on overnight shifts, too.
And the pussified NIMBY neighbors claiming the lead from the range is giving their hamster cancer, and crap like that.
Speaking of possible undesirables, think of giving some kind of discount to current open or concealed carriers. Thus your shop will be full of decent people packing, and robbery would be suicide. Plus you’ll be promoting the exercising of the 2nd Amendment. Win-win all around.
A computer store did this out West some years back. All the employees were packing, and a customer just had to show a CCW license to get IIRC 5% off any purchase. The armed robberies, which had been occurring regularly, ground to a sudden stop.
Open a business building private ones at peoples homes.
Oh yeah, the favoritism. Too often they always push to you what THEY like. There’s room for that for sure, as their educated opinion is generally important to help someone make a good choice, but if their choice is obviously not what the customer wants, then they should swallow their pride and DROP IT.
Sorry, not everybody likes Glock. If you’re a Glock fanatic and a customer just doesn’t like the feel of it in his or her hand, then too bad, you don’t get to sell another Glock. Forget Glock and move on to suggesting your next favorite that may be more inline with the customer’s needs.
One more thing. Most people seem to automatically think “pistol” when they think home defense. Don’t forget the shotguns.
Ooh, family friendly. That’s a great angle. Have whole-family gun safety classes so everybody’s on the same sheet of music.
Maybe stock some kid-sized guns, including pistols, and some quality air rifles too.
That’s a place I’d love to go to, and my kids would too.
1) talk to an insuance agent about what it would take for coverage.
2) talk to someone from the city council about opening up a plan. Many will no like the idea of a gun range.
3) learn about the different types of bullet traps and find out what it is going to cost for lead dust control. Also learn about sound control. Many towns have controls on noise.
4) Go visit shops / ranges in your area. Talk to gun club members and find out what is good and bad about the ranges that people go to
5) Business plan / Business plan / Business plan
Have a youth shooting program, something like the NRA 50 foot indoor smallbore one evening a week. Work with the local JROTC in the high schools. Nicest group of kids you’ll ever want to meet, get them hooked on shooting for life, and make liberal heads explode.
Of course when I was shooting in that program, the range was in the high school basement.
When I was in the retail bicycle business, everyone hated buying expensive racing tires but had to (sort of like going to the dentist). The same thing with ammo. Perhaps find a line of practice ammo and discount it heavily, and the volume will make up for the lower markup. Plus, if somebody thinks they’re getting a great deal on one item, they’ll think more positively of your other goods.
I forgot to add, instead of normal markup on the top of the line tires I just added $10 to the cost. My sales went from next to nothing to over $4000 per year.
Also, the comments about lights and ventilation are on the mark.
A few years ago, we had 2 indoor ranges near me. One was relatively cheap, but not kept clean and orderly and nice. The other was brand-new, clean, well-stocked and nice.
The clean one is still here, the other one isn’t. It helps that the clean one is owned by a local attorney, offers classes in basic safety, CCW classes, Security Guard licensing classes, etc.
Clean, well-ventilated, classes (ESPECIALLY for beginners, male or female) quality “stuff”.. defeated better pricing. Major lesson there! Look around at the local gun stores around you. Try to offer what they don’t have in their store. The successful range I talked about above was already the biggest one for over 3hrs drive.. and now they are expanding.
Another avenue to pursue is being the local “cop shop” and selling duty gear and such, or stuff that cops want to have but aren’t issued. There’s business to be had in that market, the drawback is that you can get too hard-over that way and push away customers, too. Getting too “tactical” can turn off the ordinary folks at times.
Oh, and offer fun “events” like our range here did. for instance, a post-Halloween pumpkin shoot.. pulled in people in droves!
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