GREY WOLF GUN SHOP, Avon, In....GONE. jt

[bb37]

He said they will continue their online sales, but were closing the store due to major losses.

I wish them luck with the online sales. I've looked at their online prices in the past on new guns and wasn't impressed. Maybe without the overhead of a brick and mortar store, their prices will come down.

As you drive up an down U.S. 36 in the Avon area, you don't see a lot of small shop space sitting vacant (large spaces are another matter). This tells me that its a sellers market for small retail space and I can't imagine that a shop in a modern strip center facing the highway is all that cheap. So, overhead may have factor in this store's outcome.

But, you gotta ask yourself, with Grey Wolf, Gander Mountain, Fort Liberty, and Parabellum, how many firearm retailers can the Avon strip support? Add Plainfield Shooters Supply and Premier in Brownsburg and Bradis in Camby to the mix and it sure seems like we have a saturation of gun stores in the west suburbs. With C&C Midwest and now Grey Wolf gone, who goes next?

 

[Tactically Fat]

I wish them luck with the online sales. I've looked at their online prices in the past on new guns and wasn't impressed. Maybe without the overhead of a brick and mortar store, their prices will come down.

As you drive up an down U.S. 36 in the Avon area, you don't see a lot of small shop space sitting vacant (large spaces are another matter). This tells me that its a sellers market for small retail space and I can't imagine that a shop in a modern strip center facing the highway is all that cheap. So, overhead may have factor in this store's outcome.

But, you gotta ask yourself, with Grey Wolf, Gander Mountain, Fort Liberty, and Parabellum, how many firearm retailers can the Avon strip support? Add Plainfield Shooters Supply and Premier in Brownsburg and Bradis in Camby to the mix and it sure seems like we have a saturation of gun stores in the west suburbs. With C&C Midwest and now Grey Wolf gone, who goes next?

There's another one in Mooresville. There's a thread on that one right now. The OTHER other shop in Mooresville, Indy Tactical Supply, has already been permanently closed.

I'm reminded of an old adage:

Want to make a little money in a gun shop? Start with a lot of money.

 

[ghitch75]

a buddy of mine in Bloomfield shut his store down at the end of 2016.......dropping like flies.....

 

[Bradsknives]

I have to agree with others, the gun market has enjoyed nice profits the last 8 years, I would say within two years we will see more and more small shops close because they just can't buy as cheap as larger stores and they cannot compete with on-line retailers.

Exactly.....because most smaller LGS don't have the capital it takes to go direct with the manufacturers, so they have to go through a distributor. Going directly is a big commitment....back in the day you were required to commit to six figures or more annually in purchases to be direct (not sure if it is this way currently). By going direct you are removing somewhere between 4% and 7% off of the price that you would pay from the middle man (distributor). Again, I don't know if the percentages and practices are still the same today, but 15 years ago when I was involved in the firearms business, this was the way it worked.

 

[indiucky]

All this doom and gloom for us lil' yahoo's and our quaint little shoppes.....

[video=youtube;OiCb37iAMq8]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OiCb37iAMq8[/video]

 

[Tactically Fat]

a buddy of mine in Bloomfield shut his store down at the end of 2016.......dropping like flies.....

I never had a chance to stop in to that one. I'm down in "Plummer" every once in a while and would usually be through Bloomfield either on the way to or from there.

 

[femurphy77]

Probably already discussed but too lazy to read the thread but realistically it's Trumps fault. If the she-demon had been elected gun sales would be through the roof as well as prices. People aren't panic buying so the shops just barely getting by are now facing the reality of a "normal" market. Hopefully this will translate to lower prices in the field across the board.

 

[Fordtough25]

I love little gun shops, long live them! The internet is cool and cheap prices are good but nothing beats a good personable gun shop.

 

[BehindBlueI's]

Remember when there was a "we buy gold" going up every block? Lots of people chasing demand. Demand has dropped, the market will sort it out.

Retail is a tough business. It's tougher when you're not a "people person" or a salesman. The *only* reason I bother to shop local is due to relationships. If you can't build a relationship, you're fungible. I have no incentive to buy from you vs Bud's or Osage. It becomes a matter of economics only, and price wins. Unfortunately, the gun industry seems to have more than it's share of people with no concept of relationship building and decent customer service.

 

[sbatten]

Remember when there was a "we buy gold" going up every block? Lots of people chasing demand. Demand has dropped, the market will sort it out.

Retail is a tough business. It's tougher when you're not a "people person" or a salesman. The *only* reason I bother to shop local is due to relationships. If you can't build a relationship, you're fungible. I have no incentive to buy from you vs Bud's or Osage. It becomes a matter of economics only, and price wins. Unfortunately, the gun industry seems to have more than it's share of people with no concept of relationship building and decent customer service.

You hit the nail on the head. Way too many mouth breathing knuckle draggers in the gun business.

 

[Tactically Fat]

Way too many mouth breathing knuckle draggers in the gun business.

I'll have you know that NONE of my family are in the gun business!

Unless you count the one guy running a training company.

 

[frenchiectfd2203]

It would be difficult to own your own gun business and keeping it afloat. Your talking about a business that is literally a hands on business. What's our number one rule when buying a new gun.. to handle it see if it fits or feels good. The overhead on attempting to purchase all these guns would be enough to sink a major company. Now have them sit in your shelf because someone said well.. it's just not for me, or if it were a tad slimmer or fatter. For a small town gun shop to carry the quantity is impossible. On top of that you have help upkeep, accessories. I wouldn't want the hassle or to take the gamble. Hats off to my local gun shops, I wish you all well!! Eberhard and Indiana Firearms. God bless both.

 

[DoggyDaddy]

Sure, Most LGS suck.

Around Indy, I like PSS, USDS, Indy Trading Post, they are run by knowledgeable people and will to deal. I tried to help 2 other shops after their unfortunate events, both time I ran into issues with them. Not any more.

Can we get a list of the shops closed in recent years?

I haven't been out to PSS (tried to once but it was a Sunday and they were closed), but I agree with you about USDS and ITP.

 

[indiucky]

Way too many mouth breathing knuckle draggers in the gun business.

That mouth breathing of mine makes for a rough night for the wife....I sound like an elk bugling..I always figured it was genetic but it did seem to increase after I opened the shop...

 

[DoggyDaddy]

I agree. The few times I was in there looking they were more interested in chatting with the Clermont Cop that seemed to always be there. This was before and after the break-in.
Dan

That's been my experience with Elmore's in Greenwood. If you weren't a Greenwood cop, they pretty much ignored you (at least the handful of times I stopped in).

 

[DanVoils]

I will admit I've stopped in at Grey Wolf more than a few times. Dean treated me right for the most part. One incident really struck me wrong though. They had just gotten in an original Uzi, pre84 if I remember right. The price was right and I said I would take it. He told me that it wasn't for sale as one of the employees was buying it. If it wasn't for sale then why show it off to the customers? (I wasn't the only one they showed it off to.) Later I found out that it was sold for $100 less than the marked/asking price. This goes with what others said about favoritism among employees and the owner. (I was told all employee purchases with discount had to be approved by him.) I've not been back since that day. Am I sad to see the store close? Yes as it is a downward spiral but no as any store that doesn't value their customers isn't going to be around for long anyway. I'll keep going to Fort Liberty, PSS and USDS. I've never had any bad service or the like from any of them.
Dan

 

[nhgluff]

What was the price on the uzi??
we went the same day my 4th trip there they never had any good used guns I asked about it while they were showing it off got the same response an employee bought it

 

[DanVoils]

What was the price on the uzi??
we went the same day my 4th trip there they never had any good used guns I asked about it while they were showing it off got the same response an employee bought it

$700 if I remember right. It had extra mags and barrels. It looked to be in great shape.
Dan

 

[Cameramonkey]

That's been my experience with Elmore's in Greenwood. If you weren't a Greenwood cop, they pretty much ignored you (at least the handful of times I stopped in).

You mean "the ashtray"? Been in there once. In there 5 minutes to take a quick look and to pick up a Troy part they stock. So in and out in 5 minutes and I smelled like I had been in a bar. Took hours to shake the stench.

Oh, and the owner was a total *** to me. He was shooting the breeze with a regular and I walked up to ask where could find the part. He acted annoyed that I interrupted him and shooed me off to another worker.

Between his prople skills and his smelly store, I'll never go back.

 

[nhgluff]

Wow!!!
If they sold a pre ban uzi for $700 that's why they are out of business I woulda paid $1k but they said it was spoken for