Northern Indiana... Remember Fetlas!

[M2A2]

Ahhhhh........Those were the day's! That was every kids dream ..Milk and machine guns! Your neck would hurt from having to look on the ceiling.They had it all. What a store. I wish it was still around. great layaway program. High end guns too.They had it. You just were not looking hard enough..

 

[Indy_Guy_77]

Fetals, huh?

Was that down the road from Fetlas?

 

[edporch]

I've been in there a few times in the past.
They had SOME interesting gun related stuff, but their prices were mostly way out of line.

 

[VUPDblue]

My wife's extended family are the Fetla's of the stores namesake....

I shopped there a few times, even bought a pair of boots IIRC, pretty neat place.

 

[Andre46996]

Super High Prices!!

You couldn't pay me enough to buy any item from there that went in or on my body.

Used to stop in to look and every once in awhile before the remodel it was an OK place to find some surplus guns an ammo.

 

[Farmerjon]

Back in the late 60's or early 70's (that time of my life blurs together) Fetlas was amazing. It was before their fire.

 

[The Keymaster]

Ah, those were the days. A parking lot full of john boats, canoes, and lawn mowers. They sold just about everything. I bought my first handgun there in 1979...a Ruger Security Six. They had military surplus, hunting and fishing gear, furniture, clothing, groceries, illegal fireworks (before they were legal), and the famous FETLA BEAR in a cage out front. I remember when a fire destroyed the original building. It was funny the new one they built looked just like the old one. to M2A2 for taking me back to my childhood.

 

[cumminspwrd02]

I use to live not too far down the road from Fetlas. I use to go there as a kid with a friend just to look around the place. They seriously had everything there.

 

[BeeRian]

Man, as a kid I LOVED that place. My Dad would take my brother and me and it was just amazing to us. Guns, chinese throwing stars, nudie mags, super giant oversized pants...it was great!

I remember the first time I saw a pistol mounted laser...looked just like the one in the terminator. Everyone around just stopped and stared at it as the customer checked it out.

I miss that place...at least how it was back in the 80's when I was a kid.

 

[Regionnus Rattis]

Fetlas was nice until I bought an axe there once...first chop curled the end of the axe and he wouldn't take it back until I bi*#*ed enough. Gave me a new one that said Made in USA.

 

[LtScott14]

Miss the place as was a great place to walk and look at everything. In the 70's and 80's was a one of a kind place. I also remember the bear in a cage, and they would shoot guns behind the store, for test firing. Didn't buy much as far as groceries there, but bought many firearms on the lay away plan. Hard to pony up $500.00 for a firearm when you have kids,house, cars, insurance, etc. Gave a full year, no interest, easy terms. No one gives their customers that these days. Most gun dealers are so high priced they could offer some relief for customers beside the pay it up attitude. Never had a problem working out warranty issues, only had 1 in 20 yrs of buying from them. Wish they were back to give Slammer Mountain, some competition.

 

[M2A2]

totally funny! nudie mag! They had everything open all the time! We used to go every christmas..Remember Emmett..Walked around with his .38.. Threatend to call the cops on me..dispute about a surplus cammo netting! From WWI really enjoed that place.

 

[The Keymaster]

Emmett...forgot about him.

 

[sepe]

they had some decent prices on milsurp rifles. wish I could've bought all the mausers and sks that I saw in crates a few times there

 

[strahd71]

i bought my Sig and my berretta there...... it wasnt the prices for sure it was the fact they had everything..... actually come to think of it they might have been cheaper than Blythes

jake

 

[The Keymaster]

In the 60's and 70's it was really the only place in Valpo to buy a gun. Blythes wasn't there yet. Does anyone remember when the Valpo pistol club had the range on the second floor of a building in the middle of downtown?

 

[combat45acp]

I was very much amused and entertained by Fetla's as a kid. Stiff neck and all. If you wanted a shotgun they would have 10 in the back to choose from. Prices were good back in the day. I would say if you haven't been to Fetla's before the year 2000 or so it was pointless. The last time I was there before they closed it was totally a waste of time!

 

[rambone]

Anybody know the full story of what led to their closing? I believe cops were posing as straw-purchasers and busting local gun shops in the region.

 

[Hoosier45]

I went there a couple of times, but don't remember it very well.

But this thread makes me miss Lengle's in Wabash. I practically grew up at that place. If Don had a used gun you wanted to try, he gave you a handful of shells and let you shoot out the back door.

 

[The Keymaster]

I think Fetlas just became obsolete. It was the place you could buy almost everything before it was fashionable. I think there were probably some code enforcement changes that changed the way things were displayed. The place was an absolute firetrap for years. I am sure competition played a big part in their demise.