GBExpat
Member
About 55 years ago I first walked into Clark Bros Gunshop (just south of Warrenton, VA). I was, almost certainly, with my uncle and cousin.
I was 11, or so ... and that gunshop ... was ...
... WON-DER-FUL to behold! Old guns all over the walls, including machineguns and some large/heavy mounted firearms things that were simply beyond my ken. Neat stuff everywhere. It was cluttered in the intriguing fashion that I periodically have experienced in ancient hardware stores, y'know?
Over the course of the intervening years I have always been drawn to the Used Rack (enter the front door, hang a left and follow the front wall to the corner).
Last year my cousin (yes, the same one) mentioned that there were Bad Things occurring at Clark Bros. Some kind of Ownership Schism that he predicted boded ill for the beloved enterprise. He told me that all of that neat hanging stuff would be disappearing and the pricing structure would probably be getting even higher and more rigid.
He provided more details (he knew well at least one longtime employee there) but they did not stick with me.
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Yesterday I decided to buy another Glock 42, called Clark Bros (where I bought my first G42 ... at the recommended price, btw) and the gent told me that he had some Blue Label G42s in-stock. I told him that I would be by when they opened this morning.
It is my fault that I did not ask the price, but I was not concerned since Clark Bros has, historically, adhered to the recommended pricing for the Blue Labels.
I must confess that I was a bit shocked by the look of the shop. It looks quite stark ... even neat & orderly ... compared to the way that it "should" be.
The nice fellow that offered to help retrieved a Blue Label G42 from the rear. I asked the price and he wandered down the counter to check: $385.
The GSSF suggested list is $340 ... I showed my printout attesting to that and he just confirmed the $385 price.
I thanked him for his time and told him that at that price I was going to pass.
As I walked out of the shop, I turned and took what I realized was probably a long last look at the place that so many of us have loved and been thrilled to visit over the decades.
It makes me a sad ... ... one more Ending for me ... <shrug> Life.
I will call Trojan Arms later today to start the Blue Label G42 process with them ...
I was 11, or so ... and that gunshop ... was ...
... WON-DER-FUL to behold! Old guns all over the walls, including machineguns and some large/heavy mounted firearms things that were simply beyond my ken. Neat stuff everywhere. It was cluttered in the intriguing fashion that I periodically have experienced in ancient hardware stores, y'know?Over the course of the intervening years I have always been drawn to the Used Rack (enter the front door, hang a left and follow the front wall to the corner).
Last year my cousin (yes, the same one) mentioned that there were Bad Things occurring at Clark Bros. Some kind of Ownership Schism that he predicted boded ill for the beloved enterprise. He told me that all of that neat hanging stuff would be disappearing and the pricing structure would probably be getting even higher and more rigid.
He provided more details (he knew well at least one longtime employee there) but they did not stick with me.
=====
Yesterday I decided to buy another Glock 42, called Clark Bros (where I bought my first G42 ... at the recommended price, btw) and the gent told me that he had some Blue Label G42s in-stock. I told him that I would be by when they opened this morning.
It is my fault that I did not ask the price, but I was not concerned since Clark Bros has, historically, adhered to the recommended pricing for the Blue Labels.
I must confess that I was a bit shocked by the look of the shop. It looks quite stark ... even neat & orderly
... compared to the way that it "should" be. The nice fellow that offered to help retrieved a Blue Label G42 from the rear. I asked the price and he wandered down the counter to check: $385.
The GSSF suggested list is $340 ... I showed my printout attesting to that and he just confirmed the $385 price. I thanked him for his time and told him that at that price I was going to pass.
As I walked out of the shop, I turned and took what I realized was probably a long last look at the place that so many of us have loved and been thrilled to visit over the decades.
It makes me a sad ...
... one more Ending for me ... <shrug> Life.I will call Trojan Arms later today to start the Blue Label G42 process with them ...
