Gun Store Closings

There was a gun store in waldorf that also sold trains that closed. Cant remember the name.

Whitty Whit said:

There was a gun store in waldorf that also sold trains that closed. Cant remember the name.

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Angus McGregor's... I believe he moved his business out of state.

The bottom line is that the overall size of the gun market in Md has shrunk, and the smaller pie can't be sucuessfully cut into the same number of pieces.

In any marketplace establishments will close , and others open year in , year out. But currently lots more are closing. Several now closed are bashed , but (other than a certain range and store in Glen Bernie near Bart's ) they all also had plenty of people liking them too .

In the medimum term , the growth area will be establishments on the order of Bob's Sunoco. ( Or for those with roots and long memories, College Park Hardware.) To wit , an established succuesful , profitable, retail or retail-ish business , whose primary business is non- gun related , adding a Gun Counter or asile. The "real" business already has the zoning and usual business licenses , and pays of the overhead. The gun guy in private life owner can then dabble with guns needing on to directly break even without any marginal overhead.

You're not seeing dirt cheap Milsurps like you did a cpl years ago , because the supply of milsurp is drying up overall. Never say never , and small lots will occasionaly come onto the international marketplace , but the Second Golden Age of Milsurp is winding down. LE trade in will always happen , but they are spotty and irregular. A cpl hundred pistols is a big lot from a trade in , but individually hardly make a blip on the nationwide supply chain.

20yr ago EBR were a not tiny Niche , but far from dominate. I can personally assure you that Glocks were hot sellers from their beginning , limited only by the ability of the FFLs to get them from the distributors.

You can add Rayford Firearms to the gone list, packed up and moved to Georgia. He only did transfers and gunsmith service from his home but he was great to deal with for transfers.

Bald Fat Guy said:

The bottom line is that the overall size of the gun market in Md has shrunk, and the smaller pie can't be sucuessfully cut into the same number of pieces....


20yr ago EBR were a not tiny Niche , but far from dominate. I can personally assure you that Glocks were hot sellers from their beginning , limited only by the ability of the FFLs to get them from the distributors.

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So this would seem to require that dealers cater to market demand. And for a lot of gun stores in MD they were not in the business of catering to anyone. It was "my way or the highway." Look at how many posters on this thread have talked about negative experiences they have had will dealers. Maybe if you are having trouble staying in business you should look in the mirror. Again, I go back to Freestate as an example. How do they manage to stay in business? Clean organized establishment? Friendly helpful service? Full service facility? Use of software to track inventory and customer paperwork? Guys need to get a clue.

Today's customer, in every industry, is highly discerning and has a wealth of tools and technology to help make their buying choices. Most folks will only buy a couple of guns in their entire lifetime. It is the 'gun enthusiasts' like the folks on this board who will come back time and time again.

I just remember going into gun stores in MD over the last 20 years. For many they were still pining over that Tom Mix commemorative Colt Peacemaker. The guys selling EBR were selling them for "are you on crack?" prices. Glocks were doing a brisk business, except, a lot of shops either did not carry them because according to the "expert" behind the count they were crappy plastic guns and everyone knows you use a .45 1911 for any real shooting, OR, they were selling them for "are you on crack?" prices. This sort of nonsense has been a prevalent attitude and I would argue is the main reason for the demise of a lot of shops. It is easier to blame 'The Other' than to look in the mirror and get your own act together.

So far, I have not seen one shop closing here that I am going to miss.

Norton said:

Some of those would have closed even if we had become Texas.

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^ This.

I know two of those shops; one was created from a dubious situation and was doomed from the beginning, and the other was basically a one-man operation with weird, nearly non-existent store hours (super-nice guy, but not the best way to run a business.)

New stores with better hours, selection, and location killed them.

squirrels said:

Fixed it for you.

The gun industry is changing...becoming more mainstream, even in states like Maryland. And many shops refuse to change with it.

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Since I'm a relative newcomer to the scene here, I'm wondering what specifically about those shops you think is dooming them...

Just curious since I never really went to a gun shop before ~2011.

EDIT: Nevermind. I know what you're talking about.

clandestine said:

Bart's is closing from what I understand. The next generation of the family is supposedly not interested in running it.

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When is this supposedly happening? Maybe they'll sell the business?

Armati said:

That guy with the plate carrier at Just Guns was particularly annoying.

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The first and only time I was ever in Just Guns and saw that guy, I seriously thought I was being pranked.

squirrels said:

Fixed it for you.

The gun industry is changing...becoming more mainstream, even in states like Maryland. And many shops refuse to change with it.

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Yeah, I refer to them as "old man" gun shops.

Here in New Hampshire, there is a two story gun shop called "Shooter's Outpost", where all of the employees wear matching polos and khakis and say, "welcome to Shooter's Outpost. How can I help you, today?" It's clean, well lit, organized and well stocked. They just opened ~2 years ago. It's like going to Best Buy, just with guns.

A few miles up the street, is another shop of the "old man" type. It's not a bad shop, per se; just unorganized, stuff piled to the ceilings, old, dust-covered stock, and not a very large knowledge base on guns not made from wood and chromed steel. Over the past year or so, they have built out half their store to house AR's, and hired a younger, more knowledgeable staff (non-octogenarians) to service it. They recognized the competition before it was too late.

Still believe in Brick and Mortar for numerous obvious reasons, but online sales probably having a bigger impact as well as prices in box stores.

BRONZ said:

The Gun Rack is Gone. I didnt know that. Too bad.

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AND Constitution up the road a bit. Sad.

Whitty Whit said:

There was a gun store in waldorf that also sold trains that closed. Cant remember the name.

Click to expand...

coopermania said:

Angus McGregor's... I believe he moved his business out of state.

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He's in Pennsylvania about 1 mile from the entrance to 7 Springs Ski Resort. Gave me a great deal on a Beretta PX4 Storm .45 last summer. It was just after Beretta announced they were moving to Tennessee and I wanted to buy a Beretta as a thanks and F you MOM. Gave me a great price, threw in the Maryland required bore lock, free shipping and some other goodies.

Freds will reopen. They were fighting with insurance issues. The range is open.

BRONZ said:

The Gun Rack is Gone. I didnt know that. Too bad.

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I didn't realize that either. Bought my first handgun, and several others there, back when I was going to school in College Park. Sad to hear this - it was a nice place

tenex said:

I keep hearing about gun stores closing and I'm getting a little worried.

Here is my list of recently closed gun stores.
Correct it if I am mistaken, add to it if you know of any others.

Remember that these shops were someone's livelihood and are now gone, probably thanks to SB281. No need to spit on their graves.

REST IN PEACE

Just Guns
Belair Gun Supply & Pawn (Reopening?)
Gun Rack
Christian Soldier
Arms International
Fred's (Range Reopened)

ADDED BY THREAD

Constitutional Firearms
Moore's Gun Shop
Glade Valley Sporting Goods
Fully Cocked
Bart's
Big Brad's
Angus McGregor's
Rayford Firearms

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By my count 14 gun shops gone in the last 16 months and, say what you will, mostly they were real stores, not part-timers, not hobbyists, not backroom gunsmiths. It must be because they didn't wear matching polos.