How this works for your business

Shooting Industry, Jan, 2004

Let's say your dedicated gun shop is doing well, and you're thinking of opening another, but the locations you've scouted won't support another shop like the one you have in your present location. Combining a gun operation with an established business in another line, whether it's a variety store, a hardware store or something else, might just be the answer.

For much of America's history, guns were bought at the "general store" in smaller communities. It's a concept that can still work today.

Some businesses flow naturally into a firearm sideline. In many states, pawnshops are the classic example. The police equipment store combined with a gun shop is another.

In a typical year of traveling and teaching, I've bought ammo at a convenience store and gas station combined with a thriving firearm department in Ripon, Wis., and a combination gun shop, Bass Pro Shop and convenience store in Columbia, Mo.

Small-business success is often based on ingenuity. The basic formula remains true: "Find a local need and fill it."

It worked for Dennis Justice. It might just work for you.

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