New Gun Shop in Germantown/Gaithersburg

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    Jul 13, 2014
    78
    My partner and I are planing to open a gun store in Germantown / Gaithersburg area. I am interested to see if this will be well received in the forum community and if there are any recommendations people would be willing to share.
     

    cww

    Active Member
    Jan 28, 2010
    539
    And get to know you local friendly compition, what their niche is, what their prices are, etc - there are several around some of which are IPs.
     

    ar15dave

    AR15Dave
    Jun 10, 2008
    2,224
    Monrovia, MD
    Where are you thinking of opening it? Store only or range and store? Hunting and gaming oriented, modern rifle/pistol oriented or both? Gunsmith onboard?

    Dave
     

    Smacduff99

    Active Member
    Feb 17, 2012
    135
    West Virginia
    Friendly atmosphere is always a win. More people becoming interested in shooting and self defense these days. Our sport can be intimidating for people new to firearms, a welcoming environment will go a long way toward success IMHO.
     

    Clifjr

    Active Member
    Feb 2, 2014
    966
    Germantown
    Wish you all the luck! I’m a Germantown resident and I would be a potential customer. Will this be a store front or something ran from a home? I remember a gun store up in Hyattstown some years ago that didn’t last too long but I do wish it was still there. There was also a range that tried to open just a year or so ago that never made it just north of Clarksburg. Hopefully you’ll will have better luck!
     
    Jul 13, 2014
    78
    Where are you thinking of opening it? Store only or range and store? Hunting and gaming oriented, modern rifle/pistol oriented or both? Gunsmith onboard?

    Dave

    We are planning to have a variety of firearms. New, used, ammo, accessories, ...
    Not really specializing in anything.
     
    Jul 13, 2014
    78
    +1.

    Just don't try to sue the forum if it doesn't happen by the following morning. That isn't good business.

    :lol2:

    Good luck, and welcome.

    Thank you. We have done a lot of internet and Gunshow business in the last 2 years. Now we are graduating to a brick and mortar store.
     

    JBinDC

    Ultimate Member
    Aug 29, 2012
    1,252
    MoCo - Silver Spring
    Always nice to have another MoCo option... Based on your general location mentioned, maybe you could pull some business from the folks headed in and out of the Izaac Walton League up that way. Good Luck, and be sure to become an IP! --JB
     

    Bay1224

    Member
    Jan 31, 2018
    4
    I agree; when I started with guns as an adult going for my CCW, it was intimadating. I don't come from a family of gun enthusiasts.

    Gun shops tend to talk their own lingo.

    I started out buying online but I try to buy locally when to makes sense. For example, a couple of moths ago I went to buy another 357. I knew what I wanted and the dealer had it in stock. When I said "you know I can buy this at Bud's for a couple of hundred less", rather than telling me the advantages of buying from him, he blew me off with "Bud's doesn't have rent!" and stormed off. He lost a customer for life.

    My suggestion; treat everyone with respect and as a potential customer for life - speak their language, gain their trust.

    Good luck!
     

    Jimbob2.0

    Ultimate Member
    Feb 20, 2008
    16,600
    I would say the keys to success are:

    - Friendly status
    - Social areas so friends of a gun culture can mingle (Freestate does this well)
    - Good selection and inventory catering to a variety of needs. For example all new is fine but a C&R section brings in a lot of lookers and traffic can lead to business.
    - Responsive friendly non surly staff. There have been a few gunshops in the area where the staff treated customers like the customer owed them something. Not naming names.
    - Transfers at a reasonable price. No gunshop likes transfers for things they can sell, they edge into profits but they also bring volume. I cant tell you how many times I have had a transfer and walked out also with something on the shelf.
    - Get unusual things. Every gunshop has Rem 870s etc. Get things to draw attention.
    - Develop volume discounts on specific runs. If you can do a Marlin (example) sale do a Marlin sale and give deep discounts to get volume, try to couple it with inventory to encourage customers to walk out with more than one piece.
    - Be an IP here, its frustrating that long standing shops like Atlantic Guns and Gilberts don't have a presence. Not sure if its cost, time etc. but an IP presence works.

    Prepare for strong competition from United and Engage. They have great customer bases. Engage in particular is exceptional.
     

    SigDog

    Active Member
    Feb 11, 2013
    173
    West Virginia
    Congrats!
    Get on here as an IP and post a lot...in store sales, what's come in and especially used stuff that comes in.
    I've ended up in four different IP's shops that I had never been to before because they had guns posted that I happened to be looking for.
     

    outrider58

    Eats Bacon Raw
    MDS Supporter
    Jul 29, 2014
    49,810
    We are planning to have a variety of firearms. New, used, ammo, accessories, ...
    Not really specializing in anything.

    Not telling you how to run your business, but it might be advisable to consider a specialty to some degree. Of the two stores mentioned(there are more than those two, I'm sure you are aware), one, you could say, has a specialty. Others(unmentioned), while they cater to all firearms enthusiasts and hunters, also specialize in certain aspects. It help keep traffic coming through the door. Good luck in your future endeavor. MoCo and Md could always use another LGS. :)
     
    Jul 13, 2014
    78
    Thank you guys for advice. I will definitely keep the forum informed. I am sure we will develop some sort of specialty with time while keeping the variety. We are planning to do transfer and we will be very competitive on those prices. From the seller's prospective, ;) there is way more to sell to the client than just a gun itself.
    Just curious what kind of accessories people would like to see in the local gun store.
     
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