Sharps Shooter
Member
I’m sorry to report my wife and I attended the funeral of Chuck Aikin today. Chuck owned and operated one of the last of the small, privately owned gun and sporting good stores in this area. His Dad, Lee Aikin opened the store in 1961 and turned it over to Chuck in 1981. Lee Aikin’s Sports was a mainstay of downtown Pocatello. Chuck was 52. He was killed in a motorcycle accident last Sunday.
Naturally, Lee Aikin’s Sports couldn’t go head to head with the likes of Walmart or Sportsman’s Warehouse on gun prices, but you can’t get a cup of coffee and have good, friendly hunting conversation at Walmart while fondling the latest addition to their gun inventory. Besides, once you buy a gun from one of those chain stores, it’s yours. With Chuck, if you had a problem, or wanted the trigger adjusted, the stock shortened, or a recoil pad added, he would take care of it. Chuck was not a gunsmith himself, but he had a good one who came in a couple of times a week to take care of his customers needs.
Chuck was an active member or the NRA, Ducks Unlimited, Safari Club International, Rocky Mountain Elk Association, and a founding member of the Southeast Idaho Mule Deer Association. He had hunted pretty much all over Idaho and he just recently put his African lion on display in his store from his Africa trip a couple of years back.
The Aikin family at this time intends to keep the store open. I hope they’re successful. We don’t need to loose another small gun store. We’ve already lost a good friend.
Naturally, Lee Aikin’s Sports couldn’t go head to head with the likes of Walmart or Sportsman’s Warehouse on gun prices, but you can’t get a cup of coffee and have good, friendly hunting conversation at Walmart while fondling the latest addition to their gun inventory. Besides, once you buy a gun from one of those chain stores, it’s yours. With Chuck, if you had a problem, or wanted the trigger adjusted, the stock shortened, or a recoil pad added, he would take care of it. Chuck was not a gunsmith himself, but he had a good one who came in a couple of times a week to take care of his customers needs.
Chuck was an active member or the NRA, Ducks Unlimited, Safari Club International, Rocky Mountain Elk Association, and a founding member of the Southeast Idaho Mule Deer Association. He had hunted pretty much all over Idaho and he just recently put his African lion on display in his store from his Africa trip a couple of years back.
The Aikin family at this time intends to keep the store open. I hope they’re successful. We don’t need to loose another small gun store. We’ve already lost a good friend.
