Opening a Gun Store

[451_Detonics]

That brings up a good point though - If you are starting from scratch, how much capital would it take to start up a gun shop? I would like to have a decent inventory and a good supply of ammo.

At a conservative estimate I would say a minimum of $75-100,000 to open the doors. You will need to rent a place, pay insurance, likely have to pay to have the place fortified...bars on windows, a good locking front door, etc, fixtures, security system...the list goes on.

Next you will have to sign on with a couple major distributors. These are not the ones you find online but companies like Riley's who only deal with brick and mortar stores. You need this type in order to get competitive pricing. Of course these distributors require a minimum starting order. You will be on the bottom of the list for hard to get items till you build up a history with them however.

As someone else pointed out you will have to be there to accept shipments or hire someone to accept them as your agent. This is a must if you plan on doing transfers. You also need a working cash flow, people will want to sell guns and used guns you buy are your largest profit makers. You can sell on consignment but with places like gunbroker people who can wait awhile will go there.

Today is just about the worse time I can think of to open a gunshop, product is hard to get and online sales of accessories such as ammo and scopes make it extremely hard to make money on these items. If you open I wish you good luck, you will have a very tough row to hoe.

Btw...my father and I owned a brick and mortar store for many years so I do have some idea what I am talking about.

 

[BigMatt]

The thing that makes this feasible to me is the location. If you know the area, you know that Greenfield is at least 15-20 miles away from the nearest gun shop and that one is pretty overpriced. There are a few specialty gunshops outside that circle, but really, the nearest good gun shop is Beech Grove Firearms (about 30 minutes from Greenfield) You might also know that there is a huge firearm culture in Hancock County. It is ripe for a gunstore to open there.

I think I will be able to swing the cash to get a pretty decent start on one if I can find the right distributor.

I appreciate what you're saying, and I will take it to heart.

 

[IndyGunworks]

.https://www.indianagunowners.com/fo...scussion/93081-new_gunshop_in_greenfield.html

 

[451_Detonics]

I think I will be able to swing the cash to get a pretty decent start on one if I can find the right distributor.

I appreciate what you're saying, and I will take it to heart.

Riley's is the biggest in the US and would be my first choice, they were my primary distributor for many years. Davidson's is not bad but is often out of stock.

Just remember that online distributors like J&G will sell to anyone...hard to make money on a gun your customers can buy at the same price as you can buy it for. The same goes for all online distributors that list dealer prices online.