Figure out the market in your area. Getting specific models and mag suggestions from here is problematic--it almost certainly won't match your locale.

For guns:
In some places/markets, you'll sell lots of Rugers and S&W Sigmas due to the price point.
In others, you'll want more Glocks and S&W M&Ps.
Not sure where the XDs or CZs fit in. Ruger and Smith are easy, because people recognize the company name.
Check what the local Walmart, BassPro, etc. carries and don't try to compete with them. Most of your customers will care about one thing--price.

For accessories:
Stick with stocking stuff for what you sell until you figure out the local market.
You might be able to sell parts and accessories, but unless it's an emergency, I think more people who actively buy stuff like that use the internet.

Maybe put up huge signs saying you'll order parts and guns for people? I always see people here saying they've been looking forever for a certain, regular production gun. I go into my LGS (Collector's Firearms in Houston) and they just order it for me. But most people don't do that--not sure why.

Try not to become a "hang out" place. It turns off other customers. If you do, take care of new customers too. I've left lots of places because they couldn't be bothered to talk to me. Collector's Firearms in Houston, while some people will scream about their prices, is great. And when my fiancee is with me and wants to see something, they talk to her, not to me, and don't talk down to her also.

As part of that, different people have different needs. One size does not fit all.

As for the constant "$10 transfers" and "lots of expensive American made stuff", you have to remember that there's a good chance you won't move that. (See the part about learning your market.) Most people with the cheap Tasco or whatever are happy with it, which is why they still have it. And that's most people. And a $10 transfer that takes 1-2 hours (receiving, logging, doing the transfer paperwork, updating the log) and might take longer, ends up costing you money, and might cost you more, when the customer comes in and says "that's not what I wanted" and walks out, disputes the charge on their cards, and leaves you holding the bag.

Good luck.

FIFY
TL;DR version of 87% of the answers here.

I'm efficient filling out forms. The staff is efficient getting my new gun out of the back room. It usually takes an average of 45 minutes of counter time to 1) make sure the gun is correct, 2) fill out the paperwork, 3) have the paperwork checked, and 4) pay. And that's without a NICS check, since I have a CHL.

QFT - not a dealer, but I've worked both sides of the counter.

Big tittied college coeds behind the counter wearing bikini tops.

There is nothing as off putting as seeing prices MORE than at an overpriced chain like Gander Mountain.

Have a few guns to touch and offer to order for $40 otd over wholesale. Have internet for researching with customers what they need. Like what sight base will let them co-witness irons.

No loudmouth know-it-alls. Customer service training for employees REQUIRED.

I know the guys who own my LGS and they are straight foward with their approach: Volume.

$20 transfers
Guns = their cost + $20
Ammo is usually cheaper through them than anything you can find online. As an added bonus they price it where cost+tax= whole dollar amount where you don't have to deal with change.

There needs to be a gun store called "Build a Blaster"   where you have in stock all parts for AR builds from as many companies as possible from low to high end.  You just pick yoir partd o ut  and take it home

I don't know about 45 minutes for just the pick-up portion (from greeting to goodbye I figure about 15-20 minutes) but there's certainly 45 minutes or more tied up in almost any transfer. By the time you add in initial contact (possibly explaining the process), faxing or e-mailing the license, receiving and unpacking the gun, logging the gun into the bound book, contacting the customer, the in-store counter time with the 4473 and NICS and then hauling out the trash and logging the gun out of the bound book, each transfer is easily about 45 minutes of total time. When you have problems or multiple sales forms it can take a bit longer. And that's not counting the possibility that the "customer" came in and finger fucked your guns before deciding what to order online. Plus, every transfer (or sale) should involve two staff members at some point so that the 4473 can be double checked.

I'm not complaining but just saying there's more involved that "just a phone call."

Sad thing like I was telling my buddy even though people like us research and buy quality item from great vendors and companies this is the kind of stuff that 95% of the bun buyers buy.  


I wish there was a store that stocked the good brands and upscale accessories,   I hate to go to a store and only see Uncle Mikes and SERPAs and cheap ass AR and low end handguns and themewanting $750 for a NIB Glock and $599 for used. I could go on and on.

Strike a deal with PSA and carry their parts.


Imagine lowers at PSA prices without transfer fees

Cheap transfers will get customers in the door and then they may buy accessories.


Saint Peter

Hire individuals based on their ability to provide cheerful customer service, not your obese Navy Seal wannabe shooting buddies who can't get a job anywhere else.

I'd rather hire someone that never shot a firearm in their life and then train them up then hire some of the surly range commando idiots that work at most gun stores.

If you have a shooting range, make sure it has excellent lighting, superb ventilation and bullet-proof lane dividers.


Saint Peter

What store, please, or town?

Saint Peter

That would be cool!!



Saint Peter

The best way to make a million dollars with a gun store is to start with two million dollars.

what I want in a gun store and what you will have to do to survive is two different things
sorry but that is the sucky truth.

I want a gun store like we had when I was a kid. it smelled like cutting oils and cosmoline from the gunsmith in the back room and
it had more used guns than new guns and knives and piles and piles of used parts

I want a store with a good selection at a reasonable price, example... local gun range/shop
I will pay a extra $5-10 for a Magpul stock if I can have it in my hands right now, I will NOT pay $30 extra
I understand they dont deal in the massive quantities to get a better price and they have over head to deal with

I will pay extra for a gun I want if they have it... I will not pay 40% more however
the local shop wasnt always like that
I quit doing business with them the day they did a Transfer on a gun for me and jacked the transfer price up because I got a better deal
on ordering one versus buying the one they had, ordered for $450 the one they had was $650

ETA: I cant knock them for being abrupt/rude if I dealt with the amount of assholes they deal with everyday I would be a asshole also

The successful stores in my area have a range, and the best one has a nice staff to go along with it. Being suburban/urban makes it hard for many people to find ranges and a place to learn, so if that's your area I think that'd be key.

One of my favorite guns stores I used to go to years ago on a regular basis had guns on consignment. People bring their guns and accessories to the store, the gun shop would appraise the value and charge 10% when it sold. They also bought guns outright and paid a little more for trade ins for in store credit.

You should stock BCM stuff and Daniel Defense rifles and a full line of Magpul and/or Tapco gear to "enhance" them. Maybe a full line of RIA and Colt 1911's, no Glocks though. And you should sell SBRs and plate carriers and offer to train attack dogs behind the shop on the weekend. If you can get a good deal on it all, you should probably dedicate at least a quarter of the floor space to a tactical mall-ninja gear and obscenely large fantasy-knife display.

And there should definitely be a saloon next to your store- I don't know if you've considered that yet. You need to buy a monster truck with the store's name & logo on it to park out front, that way everybody will be like "that guy has a monster truck! He must be really f'n cool!" You could offer to spray paint people's guns for them (driveway toss optional). Also, if anybody bitches about how long it takes for their custom order to get finished- just set all of their shit on fire... It lets people know you're a hard-ass and you don't fuck around, this will surely boost your popularity. Depending on your clientele base, you may do very well by also offering Lava Soap and various grooming supplies.

That seems to be the modus operandi for new stores in Houston. And you don't have to hire "gun" people for the vast majority of positions. This seems to make customer service better at those places.

I am an FFL that is also a pawnshop.   My recommendation is to stop thinking about opening a gunshop.  You are almost certain to fail.  

There are too many people on Gunbroker and other online sellers that are selling new guns for the same or less than your cost as a small gun shop.


Gun buyers as a group are notoriously cheap.   Many of these that are saying they will pay a little more for great service really won't.  They might pay 10 or 15 dollars more but not enough to stay in business.


Again,  your case may be the exception, but the best advise is to find a different business.

As someone who works at a shop, my two cents is this:

Don't sell any cheaply made products. Quality quality quality.

Hundreds of the $459 Bushmaster ORC's in stock.

Knowledgeable sales people, who won't treat you like you're the shit they just scraped off of their shoes.

Oh, and also to realize that there's an internet out there, and most people carry it in their pocket.

I know you have to make a profit, and I don't mind paying a bit more for something to have it right now.

I hate going in and asking for something, and they say no but I can order that for you, well, so can I.

Browse through Mad Ogre website for an ex-manager's perspective on good customer service and product selection.

two groups of questions

For those saying to hire knowledgeable people, what is your plan to screen out those experienced, but actually has proper knowledge, and won't just steer every female shooter into a j framed .357? Or are you just going to get new and untainted salespeople, tell them the way guns work, and have them not be respected by the more experienced customers?

What are the pros and cons of having a pawn shop + gun store, vs. a gun store alone? Is it better to do a gun store that pawns items, or a pawn store that has a good selection of guns? I've also been to one that rents out the pawn section so it's independently operated, which seems like an interesting business plan.

and a mostly unrelated question, what cooking appliances can be put in a breakroom?

I've had an FFL/SOT for over 15 years and have pretty much decided against opening a retail store.

Primarily because you can't make a decent living. No margin on guns and you can't compete with on-line dealers. The only thing that would push me over is by building a decent indoor range that where you can shoot rifles.(Scottsdale Gun Club style) But try that for less than several million(up to 15 million) and try to figure out how long to get into profit.

I actually own enough land to do this, zoned correctly and cannot no matter how I crunch the numbers find a way to make it work.

I sell just enough guns to keep my license active but it's a tough proposition if you want to make a decent living.

And gun customers are probably the hardest bunch to please on earth, I know cause I'm one of them.

stripped lowers for less than $60
Bolts, LPK's, etc. (lots of parts that anyone might need)
$20 transfers
decent ammo prices
decent gun prices
A deal of the week sort of thing

Don't.

This you will make millions.

run some numbers as suggested above as a preliminary part of your business plan.


For me I have the following monthly expenses, roughly speaking

Rent                        $2800/ mo
Note payment         $1800/ mo
Utilities                    $1000/ mo
Labor 2 pt Emp       $1500/ mo

 Sub total                $7100/ mo


There are other costs, but this gives you an idea.  Yes, you may be able to cut back on some of the costs, but how many transfers will you have to do at $20 each.   How many guns will you have to sell at $30 -$40 profit each to cover this over head.  

Also note that I have not paid myself anything in the above numbers and frequently do not get paid some months.

I will gladly leave a gun shopper standing at the gun counter and go across the store to wait on a pawn customer. I don't care if the pawn customer is just taking out $20 on a bluray player, they are more important to me than the tire kickers at the gun counter.

I would like someone at the counter who knows what they're talking about and understands customer service.

Gun buyers expect wholesale pricing in a premium retail environment.  No business in the history of commerce has ever made that work.  The only thing keeping gun stores open today is buyers who don't know about or for whatever reason don't want to buy on the internet.  Ten percent markup in specialty retail is financial suicide.  Walmart, with insane volume, runs a 29% gross margin.  Grocery stores, that turn inventory almost weekly, run a bit over 20%.  You are going to turn inventory once, maybe twice a year at a 10% gross profit?  It can't work.  You can't do enough $10 transfers to even keep the lights on.

The main thing keeping gun shops open is the 4473 and NICS check. If they didn't have to buy from a licensed dealer, a lot of gun folks would never go into a gun shop. They'd do all their shopping online.

Maybe a better question is what else can you sell in addition to guns? Like one poster said, you could almost open an accessory store and have as good or even a better shot at making it.

There are a lot of guys here on ARF that would pay premium for a new rail or other accessory just so they can handle it and choose between a couple. Plus there is the "I want it now" factor.

I've thought about just setting up an warehouse just stocked with parts and accessories for both rifles and handguns. That with a good selection of parts and tools so you would be a mini Brownells without the waiting and shipping. You could also supplement with ammo if you can score any deals on good sellers like .22, 9mm and 5.56

Put a good Kydex shop in your store and you can do a decent business in holsters and carriers if you made a decent product.

All this without dicking around with an FFL. If you do sell guns at least you wouldn't have to worry about making your nut with gun sales, whatever you made on guns would be on top of the other stuff that would be your bread and butter.

We had a new gun shop open up here a few months back. I was pleasantly surprised when I walked in. They had a neatly organized and clean store with courteous people working it.
I had to let it set a few months before I committed to a buy there. I wanted to see if they maintained the way it was when they first opened. Every time I went in there I was asked nicely if they could help me. Always my reply was " I am just killing time here and window shopping." They would just smile and say that was cool.
About a month ago I purchased a Sig SP2022 from them. It was a little overpriced but the guy was very nice and patient with me. I had made up my mind already but I asked him if which he would recommend between that one and FNS-9. I had already handled both and decided on the SIG but the FN was priced a little higher annd wanted to see what he would say.
He said " Those are both good guns and either would be a good choice. I personally would recommend the SIG."
I figured he would have pushed the higher priced gun but he didn't and that said something to me. Maybe he wants satisfied customers more than he wants the sale.

It is service like this that makes people come back. Also remember that word of mouth can be either great for your company or it can be what breaks you.

Put in storage lockers rentable for folks to leave "valuables" in while at work nearby.

So you want them to give you the ammo at essentially cost?

And how are they supposed to provide all of that when nobody wants to pay more than wholesale, and thinks transfers should be $10?

Sorry guys. You all want a store to have a million dollars in inventory, any accessory, firearm, or ammo you can imagine, at SGN prices, and serviced by Penthouse Playmates who give you blowjobs while your 4473 is being processed.

Some of you really need to work in the industry, it would prove enlightening.

I like your style.



 

i would say not to stock new guns at all.



cheap transfers and do orders if they want.



there is no way they can compete with online guys trying will only tie up his money.



have some used ones and such maybe if you can get some new ones that are inline with say gunbroker but if your 2-300 bucks higher and taxes good luck selling it.



 

My favorite gun stores are old, and what I like is that they have decent prices and VERY large variety in everything - targets, cleaning supplies, etc..  It seems like every new gun store that opens up has high prices, and very limited selection.

LOL

This guy gets it.

There are a lot of people in this thread that have NO idea what the fuck they are talking about.

Following 95% of the advice here would make sure you don't even get off of the ground.

Another one with good advice.  Listen to him too.