Is it true, or does it just SEEM like most NEW gun stores...

[Topgun]

are being bought by the profligate, spoiled children of rich parents giving junior a place to play?
It sure seems that way. Years ago, in another town I knew a gunsmith who sold his store to a "rich" kid. Who promptly began spending money like water and even got to selling guns for less than he paid. I knew the gunsmith who stayed on and asked him how it was possible and he told me that the owner just "called mom" whenever he needed another fifty grand. It was a great place to buy..........for a while........until even "Mom" couldn't stand the drain anymore.
Now I seem to be seeing more. One I know of has ....EVERYTHING....at retail + 30% ! Nothing ever seems to move, but it's a swell place to put the taxidermy specimens. And their aisles are getting wider and wider.
And another which had hundreds of new guns a few months back is getting emptier and emptier. A real shame as the "rich" junior was a total moron and a snob to boot so it was a pleasure to see him go. I thought a change would be welcome, but whoever bought it looks to be finding out that after the rent, alarm, phone, ads, etc. you still need to sell a bunch of guns to pay for all that.
What's going on? Are ....real..... businessmen just too scared of the liability of running a gun store? Corporate stores are dropping guns for liability and stockholder and "politically correct" issues.
But these "young guns" are a PITA.
Arrogant, hostile, and ignorant. Yeah, sure I see you got a bunch of guns, but how long will you have them?
They don't even carry lead .45 bullets for reloading.
It seems to be becoming a pattern.
Is it like that elsewhere?

 

[DorGunR]

I live about 5 miles from one of the best gun stores I've ever been in, It's run by the owner and one employee both of which really know their guns. Also the owner is an ace gunsmith. I can buy ammo cheaper elsewhere but I refuse to do that because I want that gunstore to be around for a long time so I buy ALL my gun related stuff there. It's a small store but they will order anything you want if it's not in stock. And they treat their customers like.............well, customers.

 

[Highland Ranger]

In my experience rich people are more careful with their money than poorer people.

Having said that, I'm sure a gun store is much like many other businesses - the numbers are against you as most small businesses fail within the first year.

Prices too high, prices too low, wrong location etc.

Yoou'd be surprised how many small business are started without even a solid business plan.

In the past few years, what you may have been seeing is some of the internet executive crowd, who when the bubble popped had some money and nowhere to go so they opened businesses in whatever hobbies they had (have fun and make money was the mantra during the internet boom.)

I'm a veteran of those wars . . . . and I think a lot of these guys just didn't understand retail. Smart yes, but retail is a whole nuther world . . . . some made it, some didn't.

 

[Onmilo]

Who BUT the wealthy can afford to buy any business?
IF you can even find a bank that will loan you the money to buy a business engaged in the selling of firearms for profit I can assure you the interest rate will be so high that for the first twenty years you will be working for the benefit of the bank.
The old way of doing it was to work from your home for several years until you saved enough to move operations into a storefront.
The Clinton Era effectively killed this manner of free enterprise with the purging of small home based firearm dealerships because "these basement dealers sell to criminals and have no regard for the law."
God bless those Democrats and their support of small business and free trade!
Remember, they are working for the little guy, the blue collar worker, those that strive to get ahead!

 

[Highland Ranger]

Depends on how you define wealthy . . . . . . the internet gang was in the $200-$250k club - they did ok, but they aren't what I would call wealthy.

In any event, fun part is that you get to sign for all those loans personally so if the business goes bust, they get your house.