How profitable are gun shops?

[PowerMacG5]

A friend of mine and I are thinking of opening a gun shop, and were wondering, given a good location, how profitable is one?

We are both gun nuts, and would truly enjoy this kind of job. Neither of us want to work for corporate america, and want to be our own bosses, so owning something kinda just fits in.

Thanks for any help.

 

[imported_Tick]

I gather it's enough income to support a couple people decently, but you don't rake in the money. I think most people do it so they can talk about guns for a living.

 

[PrinceofWands]

Originally posted by: PowerMacG5
A friend of mine and I are thinking of opening a gun shop, and were wondering, given a good location, how profitable is one?

We are both gun nuts, and would truly enjoy this kind of job. Neither of us want to work for corporate america, and want to be our own bosses, so owning something kinda just fits in.

Thanks for any help.

Startups in sw washington haven't been doing well in the last 10yrs or so. One new place that's really doing well is a bit more community based. They set up a FATS room and contract with law enforcement, security, NRA, CPL holders, etc. By building relationships instead of just selling guns they seem to be doing better than others in the same business. They also have a custom leatherworker on site, as well as a gunsmith. Now if we could just get a good range in the area, everything would be golden.

 

[JDrake]

New York has some pretty strict laws, no?

 

[imported_Tick]

Originally posted by: PrinceofWands

Originally posted by: PowerMacG5
A friend of mine and I are thinking of opening a gun shop, and were wondering, given a good location, how profitable is one?

We are both gun nuts, and would truly enjoy this kind of job. Neither of us want to work for corporate america, and want to be our own bosses, so owning something kinda just fits in.

Thanks for any help.

Startups in sw washington haven't been doing well in the last 10yrs or so. One new place that's really doing well is a bit more community based. They set up a FATS room and contract with law enforcement, security, NRA, CPL holders, etc. By building relationships instead of just selling guns they seem to be doing better than others in the same business. They also have a custom leatherworker on site, as well as a gunsmith. Now if we could just get a good range in the area, everything would be golden.

Yeah, I think you need to sell more than just guns compete with the gun shows. You need to sell service, knowledge, atmosphere, etc.

 

[PowerMacG5]

Originally posted by: joedrake
New York has some pretty strict laws, no?

I never said we would necessarily open it in NY, I just said a good location.

Originally posted by: PrinceofWands

Originally posted by: PowerMacG5
A friend of mine and I are thinking of opening a gun shop, and were wondering, given a good location, how profitable is one?

We are both gun nuts, and would truly enjoy this kind of job. Neither of us want to work for corporate america, and want to be our own bosses, so owning something kinda just fits in.

Thanks for any help.

Startups in sw washington haven't been doing well in the last 10yrs or so. One new place that's really doing well is a bit more community based. They set up a FATS room and contract with law enforcement, security, NRA, CPL holders, etc. By building relationships instead of just selling guns they seem to be doing better than others in the same business. They also have a custom leatherworker on site, as well as a gunsmith. Now if we could just get a good range in the area, everything would be golden.

We were planning on doing something similar. We would build relationships with the local PD, NRA, and whatnot. I know that just putting up a sign saying "Gunz for Sale" won't work, its standard business practice to build relationships.

 

[PowerMacG5]

Originally posted by: Tick

Originally posted by: PrinceofWands

Originally posted by: PowerMacG5
A friend of mine and I are thinking of opening a gun shop, and were wondering, given a good location, how profitable is one?

We are both gun nuts, and would truly enjoy this kind of job. Neither of us want to work for corporate america, and want to be our own bosses, so owning something kinda just fits in.

Thanks for any help.

Startups in sw washington haven't been doing well in the last 10yrs or so. One new place that's really doing well is a bit more community based. They set up a FATS room and contract with law enforcement, security, NRA, CPL holders, etc. By building relationships instead of just selling guns they seem to be doing better than others in the same business. They also have a custom leatherworker on site, as well as a gunsmith. Now if we could just get a good range in the area, everything would be golden.

Yeah, I think you need to sell more than just guns compete with the gun shows. You need to sell service, knowledge, atmosphere, etc.

Yeah, I know. I just generalized by saying Gun Shop, but that includes everything related to one. So servicing, gunsmithing, accessories, knowledge, friendly service, etc...

 

[JulesMaximus]

Not very I suspect.

 

[thirdlegstump]

Sell Peace, not guns.

 

[PowerMacG5]

Originally posted by: deathkoba
Sell Peace, not guns.

This thread is not about anyones personal feelings towards guns, please leave.

 

[FelixDeCat]

Originally posted by: deathkoba
Sell Peace, not guns.

Isnt ironic that a man named deathkoba is advocating peace and not death? And BTW guns ARE the best peacemakers! :thumbsup:

 

[pontifex]

depends on your stock too i guess. if you have guns that people want or hard to find guns, then you probably would do well.

 

[BuckNaked]

I enjoy shooting, and take it fairly seriously, but I can't say I have ever found a gun shop I feel comfortable in. A high number of them are lacking in common sense business skills, and they tend to be 'closed off' to customers who aren't regular customers, or tend to be rude, uninformed and somewhat ignorant of trends in the business.

I think if you were to start a business and try to cater to people who are new to guns, or have no real experience with them, you could tap into a largely neglected customer base. Offer shooting lesson, especially to women from a truly knowledgable and qualified instructor, ongoing instruction, that type of thing, you might do fairly well.

I don't think its a business I would want to go into though...

 

[venk]

you never know what the government will due to the 2nd ammendment (hell they already trashed the first, maybe it's time to move on) so long term it is risky.

 

[Compnewbie01]

I think it mostly depends on the state. You would definately have more customers if it was a gun friendly state and not one with strict laws like New York or California. Also, I would think that the real way to make money is to also have a shooting range and sell the ammunition/rent the stalls. At least my local place seems to make more money doing that than selling actual guns.

 

[venk]

Originally posted by: Compnewbie01
I think it mostly depends on the state. You would definately have more customers if it was a gun friendly state and not one with strict laws like New York or California. Also, I would think that the real way to make money is to also have a shooting range and sell the ammunition/rent the stalls. At least my local place seems to make more money doing that than selling actual guns.

dont forget shooting classes, big money maker there.

10 people x $20 hr = $200 hr for minimal work and most places charge much more than 20/hr.

 

[ultimatebob]

To be honest, I haven't stopped at an actual "gun store" in years. I get all my shooting supplies at either Walmart or the local sporting goods stores like Dick's or Cabelas.

 

[Schadenfroh]

Originally posted by: deathkoba
Sell Peace, not guns.

Munitions are more profitable than peace.

 

[Lalakai]

would have to say it's difficult

overhead it bad due to the fact of needing large enough supply to cover the very diverse "desires" of customers. Plus you can rarely have a stand alone gun store, without some support element: ammo, clothing, accessories.

I worked in a large gun store for 5 years, and was one of the store's used gun buyers. They routinely had more then 3000 guns on hand; with the bulk of their profits coming from selling used firearms, and their soft goods sales; new gun sales didn't add much to their bottom line.

think carefully about it, get alot of advice, get your ducks in a row, and be prepared to put in alot of your own hours. Good luck

 

[K1052]

Usually not very unless paired with a range.

Being friendly, helpful, and not trying to gouge your customers every time goes a long way to building a favorable rep. Many gun enthusiasts, myself included, will pay a little extra when a shop consistently displays the above attributes.

 

[venk]

Remember, just about any kind of retail setup up these days follows the credo of "give away the razor, sell the blades".

 

[ultimatebob]

Originally posted by: venk
Remember, just about any kind of retail setup up these days follows the credo of "give away the razor, sell the blades".

That doesn't really work for gun shops. The guns themselves cost around $500 each, but most ammo is under $20 for a mid-size box. The pros can reload their own ammo, too.

 

[PowerMacG5]

Originally posted by: ultimatebob

Originally posted by: venk
Remember, just about any kind of retail setup up these days follows the credo of "give away the razor, sell the blades".

That doesn't really work for gun shops. The guns themselves cost around $500 each, but most ammo is under $20 for a mid-size box. The pros can reload their own ammo, too.

Theres a huge initial investment to reloading ammunitions. If you are a casual shooter, its a waste of money.

Lalakai, as I said, we wouldn't simply be selling guns, we would sell guns, ammo, targets, etc...

 

[acemcmac]

If you ever open up, PM me. I'll buy from you if you don't try to rip me off.

 

[imported_Tick]

After some thought, think the way to go would be to be super agresive with customer service. Someone walks in, they get a warm hearty welcome, a 'how can I help you?', and a smile. Also, you need to make sure that you are totaly no intimidating to new customers. That is, have people on the floor, as well as behind the counter. Make it brightly light, with lots of windows. Make it open and light with no display racks taller than sholder hight. Have all your sales people wear a polo shirt and slacks, and require high grooming standards. Make sure they know what their talking about, and make sure to have adequate signage.