My local gun store

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wherestheham

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I went to my local "mom & pop" gun store yesterday. It's a small, plain, white block building that is nothing special on the outside. As I walked in the door I got a genuine "howdy" and smile from the long-time owner at the counter.

I said "I have a gun with me and I need to find a holster." He said, without moving- "help yourself, your at home here; at least you should feel like it."

I proceeded to look through all the holsters hanging off by themselves. He never even glanced up at me even though I was next to a gun counter and ammo shelf.

I found my holster, placed it on the counter, walked away, and proceeded to look around.

I then asked his volunteer helper to handle the Kahr CW-40 since I had not handled it THIS week.:D He just laughed and handed it to me for the "hundredth" time.

He walked away and let me hold the gun and drool over it. I finally decided to put some money down. The owner said, "It's a good thing, you've about worn the finish off by picking it up every time your in here.;)

I then went over and got a cup of coffee from the owners pot; which I found could peel paint off a metal door.......:what:

The day later carried me and a friend by 3 other gun stores; two in a neighboring state. Not one of them had the welcome, the feel, or the hospitality of that local store.

I found some products that were cheaper at the other stores but I told my friend. I will buy at "my" store anyway. I want to help keep them in business and I appreciate how I'm treated there.

I hope you have a store like mine!

Powder: $19.00
Primers: $32.00
Kahr CW400: $400.00

Being treated like family: PRICELESS:cool:
 
While out driving yesterday, we ran across a small gun store.
It was slightly dark and crowded.
But it had all kinds of wonders inside.
Firearms I had only read about and some I had never heard of.
The owner was friendly, informative, and always joking around and flashing a grin.
The prices were competitive to just a bit lower than most stores at the moment.
The store isnt local, its a decent drive but with beautiful scenery.
I may have found my new "pusher".
Great place to go just to browse and touch.


Jim
 
That's cool. There is one particular dealer in my area that is extremely... what's the word? Arrogant will do. They are in the business to sale guns, not to befriend, inform, or converse with anyone and they lack the tolerance of 'customers' who simply come in to look around. If you're not there to buy, you're sort of in the way. I'll have to buy from them from time to time because they have some of the best stuff around that you just can't find anywhere else. But I do have a favorite shop sort of like yours.

I'd like to have a taste of their coffee. As we'd say in Texas, "add coffee grounds and brew, add a horseshoe. If the horseshoe sinks, add more coffee grounds".:D
 
Each of the shops around here has its own very distinct personality. I enjoy two of them in particular, and they could not be more different. One is a pawn shop (not your typical pawn shop), the other is a gun and cigar shop. Each has very different styles of haggling, trading, buying and selling. The clientele in each overlaps but not entirely; some folks shop only in one and would not set foot in the other, while many of us frequent both -- depending on what mood we are in.

One thing, they've each found certain niches and side businesses and ways to stay in business even with a Wally World within a few miles. And in a poor rural area, that's saying something.
 
I met a man (ffl) at a gunshow who sold me an sks and ever since I have been buying all my guns from him. He doesn't have a store front but does work at several different shop around his area. He is about 1 1/2 hrs drive away but his personality makes it worth buying from him. I have his personal cell number and whenever th ol lady or me decide we want something we just give him a call telling him what we are looking for and he will do all the work finding the item in question. Once he finds it, he will call back and say I have it for you and give me a price that seems to me that he doesn't make a dime off of it. Once he even delivered it to me F to F . Which is again over an hours drive away for him. He is an Older man who is retired from Fed. work so I think he just like to pass his time by helping others out.
Because of his drive and personality he always get the first phone call when I need to buy something.
 
I love my local store. Like they say on Cheers... Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name.
 
ahhh.. a good local shop we are genuinely pleased to patron :) Its the America some cherish, and others still dream of experiencing. I'm too young to 'remember when'.
 
What, you mean you don't have to argue with ignorant retail folks who tell you that the .40 caliber is the best caliber for stopping power and can kill wild animals and that the 10mm is an obsolete piece of garbage. You can actually get treated like a respectable individual and not get a dirty look when you ask to look at the .454 Casull they have for sale. That they think you shouldn't own any rifle that isn't an AR and that FALs and CETMEs are junk piles.

Yeah it would be nice to have a small, plain jane mom and pop setup nearby. I figure after thirty or more years of hard work, having a small law firm and alternative dispute firm, and a few small businesses. I'll be able to open a simple indoor range, have a small gun shop (but be prepared to order items for customers), and my little harbor freight supplied machine shop where I hang out working on custom builds of my own machinations (a .30 carbine in a bastardized 1911, but far superior to the AMT .30 carbine automag), and an AK that fires .44 Magnum. Plus host classes for CCW, NRA certified courses, and how to reload (granted folks who bring ammunition into my shop will get charged two bucks for every fifty rounds, got to stay afloat if you aren't selling ammo). But alas, that's not for some time.
 
I ran across the same with places to eat. The mom and pop/greasy spoons are more friendly and usually better food/prices
 
When I was much younger they tended to overlook me some. They weren't rude, they just didn't know me well enough to kill some time with me.

Now, some of them will go out of their way be extra friendly (maybe I'm a nicer person now.) And it's not just because I buy 28 ga. ammo. One store 100 miles west of here stayed open an extra 15 minutes on a Saturday night so one of the owners could show me his African safari scrap book. I know he was selling safaris, but it was more like a travelogue than a sales pitch and the hired help was getting paid to stand around.

These are the same folks who gave me some Beretta shotgun tapes to watch at home one Christmas and handful of Beretta keychains and S&W pins and stuff. I bought a Winchester. ;)

John
 
There is one particular dealer in my area that is extremely... what's the word? Arrogant will do.
Click to expand...

An arrogant gun dealer in Colorado. Hmmm, that wouldn't be northeastern Colorado, would it? :D
 
i have one of those, my gun shops owner knows me by name. there are a couple of gunshops in the area. one the owner only likes you if your willing to buy a 1200 dollar rifle each time you walk into the store, the other two are way out of my way. so i go to little tiny shop in the back of an old retired mans house where only about 20 or so guns are. but this guy treats me like an adopted son, so he is the only place i buy my guns and ammo from.
 
There are two local gunshops that I like, both have the same feel that the OP mentioned. One specializes more in tactical tupperware, the other is more of a hunters' kind of place, but both have earned my business because they treat their customers well. Also, the hunting oriented place has $2K+ shotguns galore, and you can touch :D
 
The store I buy all my guns from is much like this...

I went in a week before Christmas to pick up some ammo for the range, and when I walked in they had a huge spread of food cooking :) It was all game shot by the owner himself, said it was the "Christmas party" for the customers, but because of the huge snowstorm that was going on, there weren't as many people as he was hoping...

He had Elk, Moose, and Deer all stewing.

The prices are a bit higher than I would find online, but the service and customer-friendly attitude will bring me back every time.
 
Yup. Town Gun in Collinsville, Va is like this. Of course it helps when you're there ALL the time!!

:D
 
While I was at mine, a young guy came in with a high point.
Told the owner that it jammed up on him... and that sending it back to the company didnt fix it.
The owner grabbed a box of 9mm and an extra mag... took it outside... and went thru about 3 mags full... no jams.
I believe he gave him a different mag to try and sent him on his way.


Jim
 
Before Fomogo and I found this shop yesterday, we were exclusively going to one in Roanoke...GREAT bunch of guys. No matter how busy they are or what is going on they will sit and talk, show us anything. We drive the extra 50 miles to Roanoke to not have to deal with the shop in Lexington. We had been in there a few times, and Jim would get asked if he needed help while I stood at the counter and couldn't get the guy to help me. Totally different story with the shop we found yesterday and the guys at Bryansteens in Roanoke.

Caryn
 
There is one particular dealer in my area that is extremely... what's the word? Arrogant will do.
Click to expand...

I have a local store that is the same way. You walk in and the owner and his wife are in there.

Every time I have EVER asked about a gun or "special" item that I would like to buy and ask if they carry it, I ALWAYS GET THE EXACT SAME RESPONSE FROM THE WOMAN:

"WE USED TO CARRY THAT (THEM), WE DON'T CARRY THAT (THEM) ANYMORE."

I got so sick of hearing that line that the last time I went in about 20 years ago and she told me that about something like Leupold Scope Mounts, I swore I would NEVER GO BACK THERE!:barf:

It's almost like she is bragging that their store does not handle these 'things' anymore.
-:cuss:---:mad:----:barf:-----:rolleyes:---------------------------------------------------------------:cool:
 
Not to stray from the topic, but they were the ones who LEGALLY sold the pistol to Cho. I went in there a week after the tragedy and made a purchase. The place was packed. I told Dennis that there are a lot of us that understand the situation and would continue to support them. He thanked me and we talked about the whole incident. Even when all the reporters were there hounding them everyday, they still managed to make small talk with the customers.
 
My local gun shop is great. They know my name and sometimes they even call me at work if they got something in that they think that I would be interested in. I do shop another shop on occasion but the owner is always complaining about how little money he makes. On new guns I know the margins are tight, but on used guns there is room to haggle and he whines if you even ask him. My favorite shop is usually the ones telling me they can make me a deal on used stuff.:D
 
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