Opening a Gun Store

[EBWhite]

Other than cars, my favorite hobby is guns. I am also a student and want to do something else that is productive. I am studying for a degree in business. I go into turners and other gun stores and they are always packed with people but lack customer service. I have two areas where they lack gun stores, one is southern part of the anelope valley and the la crescenta/tujunga/glendale area. There are no gun stores in the area and feel they would be good locations to sell handguns and mid-range priced guns. From guys with FFL's. How hard is it to get a license to operate? I'm guessing you need a nice safe, place with zoning approval, and lots of insurance

How high are operating costs? Is it really worth it in the end?

EbWhite

[MrMcCoy]

I work as a business broker in SoCal, and I'd be happy to share a few pointers with you and discuss your business plan to help you decide the whos, whats, whens, wheres, and whys. If you'd like, PM me and we can chat it over.

I'm all for entrepreneurship!

[accordingtoome]

I have talked to some Gun store owners from AZ and ATL and they have a tough time of it. Theres a store that just opened up in 626 called ammo brothers.. www.ammobros.com and they have been cutting through red tape for months and still do not have a license for firearms. good luck man

[Ford8N]

Some things about gun stores.


Do not try to compete with Walmart.
There is a serious lack of gun stores that sell "evil black gun" parts and kits.
Don't have "deer in the head lights" look on your face when someone says FAL, AK, AR or G3.......
Don't start lecturing about "why do you need one of "those" type of guns...".
Always have cases of cheap Wolf ammo on the floor.
Actually know the gun laws. Not what you read in the news papers or "heard from this guy...".
If you advertise that you are selling something, actually have it.
Do not try to compete with Walmart.

[PanzerAce]

I would add a +1 to Ford, with some changes.

Dont try and compete with Walmart, except in the variety of firearms (Any one wanna see if they will DROS a Stag-15 *rolls eyes*). And also, ammo is good, very, very, good. And if you succeed and I am ever in the area, Ill drop by to fill up on .223 and 7.62x54R

[crs1]

My $0.02...

If you are going to be a gun store, then be a gun store. Know your product, sell your product, offer insight into variations and why...Thats what we all want as gun owners, but reality is different...Turner's is a fishing store that sells guns...I place them one step above Big 5. They are both great sporting goods stores but don't expect special service when it comes to guns...didn't use to be that way, but you can thank the politicians for that...In Los Angeles, there are very few gun stores, but of the few that sell just guns/ammo, I like Retting's in Culver City. They know their products and if the guy helping you doesn't know, he will get someone who will. I had a great experience with Ammo Bros. too, for ammo, and I hope they stay around. There use to be another store in Fountain Valley called Ammo Depot, but I don't know what happened to them since I moved from the area. They had great service, were always able and ready to answer questions and give helpful advice.

On the business side of things, Turner's is still in business because of the way the stores are run. If they don't have something in the store, its because it wont sell to the masses (who they cater too). The tactical (black rifle) segment of the gun population is a small percentage that wouldn't increase their bottom line enough to make it worth it. And with all of the anti gunners in California, why become a target? I have bought a few guns at Turners, but they were on sale, and I knew what I wanted before I got there. I would expect that most of the people on this board are that way. As I see it, you just can't have the perfect gun store in California, but I would support and respect anyone who had the stones to give it a shot...Who knows, maybe you can make it work, and if you are the only one, then business will be great.

[grammaton76]

On the business side of things, Turner's is still in business because of the way the stores are run. If they don't have something in the store, its because it wont sell to the masses (who they cater too).

I'd have to say that the only time I darken the door of Turner's, is when their weekly sale ad has something I want ($4.59/box for 5.56mm white box wasn't bad - broke in my SU-16 and ARs with it), or if I suddenly find the need for some cleaning supplies.

Other stores, I like to browse around in.

But on the gun store thing, you don't see that many stores with a lot of C&R rifles up, and I think there's a reason for it: you can't really compete that well with mail order, and anyone who's really serious about C&R rifles will have a C&R license. That means you've got the mail order houses as competition, which suddenly becomes even worse than competing with Wal-Mart.

Now, if you can be functionally an internet company that has a storefront (or join the armies of primarily-gun-show dealers), you might be able to be a little more competitive. One of the things that's nice about ammobros, for example, is being able to browse their ammo selection online, then drop Dustin an email saying "hey, bring a case of this to the Del Mar show and I'll buy it from you Saturday around 1pm".

That's actually probably the first question you should be asking yourself: when you say you want to open a gun store, do you really want to open a STORE, or would you be happy hitting the gun show circuit and dealing online? It'd keep your expenses down, but you wouldn't be getting much foot traffic.

[glen avon]

be advised, the best way to make a small fortune in the gun biz....



is to start with a large fortune.

[saki302]

be advised, the best way to make a small fortune in the gun biz....



is to start with a large fortune.

No argument there. For some enterprising individual with a lot of capital, there is a big void left by the passing of all the 'great' Los Angeles area gun stores- B&B, B&E, Arrowhead, Gold coast..

If something like B&B sprung up again with the good everyday pricing and selection, you'd sweep up all the enthusiast sales handily..

But you need a lot of money to do so..

-Dave

[BigMac]

I used to have lots of wolf ammo.. I cant buy the stuff any more..

All I can say is plan on working two jobs if you want to have competative pricing. I don't know what retail space there costs but I'm selling ALOT of guns just to pay the rent.

[Omega13device]

I would imagine liability insurance runs pretty high too, but I'm just guessing here.

[crs1]

I thought B&B was great, I always got good prices there...What put them down? Legal issues right?

Anyone remember back in the day all of the Gun Store ads in the LA Times Sports Section on Sunday? --I miss those days

[HillBilly]

.....

On the business side of things, Turner's is still in business because of the way the stores are run. If they don't have something in the store, its because it wont sell to the masses (who they cater too). The tactical (black rifle) segment of the gun population is a small percentage that wouldn't increase their bottom line enough to make it worth it. And with all of the anti gunners in California, why become a target? I have bought a few guns at Turners, but they were on sale, and I knew what I wanted before I got there. I would expect that most of the people on this board are that way. As I see it, you just can't have the perfect gun store in California, but I would support and respect anyone who had the stones to give it a shot...Who knows, maybe you can make it work, and if you are the only one, then business will be great.

I wont apologize for Turners, because there are definate shortcomings, but I think we have to keep in mind what they business is...OUTDOORSMAN. True, they sell alot of non hunting firearms, but I think their original idea was more slanted towards the hunting part of the hunting and fishing industry. Big 5 is the Big Lots of sporting goods stores...I can see how anyone whould rank them with Turners. Also, every turners I have been into in the last couple of months at least has some "black rifles"...cali FALS, CA bushmasters, Socoms, SU16's, etc. I can't expect a chain store with a lot to lose to sell stripped lowers which are still of undertermined status...its just not their business model. And as we all know, business is business.

[Turbinator]

Face it, most of us are cheap - so, don't be too surprised, you know what kind of crowd you're going to be facing when or if you open up a store. Personally, knowing the margins on the guns and the hassles you have to go through, I wouldn't really bother. But hey, kudos to you if you pull it off - we do need more FFL's who are willing to transfer CA on-list guns in from out of state at low prices.

Turby

[stator]

I do not think "customer service" is a key differentiator anymore for revenue growth. Thus, it is probably not wise to build a business model around it. Most just want a stocking dealer with internet prices. They want to walk in and handle the merchandise without waiting in line and then expect to pay near internet prices. If the price is too high, they will just walk out and go to the non-stocking dealer where his FFL business is secondary.

We are coming full circle because most bought firearms through catalogs a long time ago when FFL licenses did not exists. The only bad part is that we are stuck with the FFL requirements.