outdoors store question

[southernr]

yeah but in hattiesburg all those stores are within a few minutes of each other. but even with that if you look at gander mountains prices (from what i hear, i've never shopped there) there is no competition and academy just doesn't have much of a selection in my opinion. i want to have an outdoor atmosphere as well kinda like BPS.

[hump]

Best thing to do starting out with a small shop would be go through a distributor that could fit everthing for you. You will get better service and better terms and pricing than going direct until you start doing some volume.
Farris Brothers
Hicks
Southwestern Wholesale
I can give you contacts if you like

[GordonGekko]

Correct me if I am wrong, but Bass Pro will act as a distributor of sorts to small stores I believe. Still it isn't a business I would invest in right now.

[Jeff]

With the economy in question the way it is right now, there is NO WAY I would get into a retail buisness. I have had several freinds that tried it and couldn't make it. The way I understand it is that there are VERY low margins on your products. On top of that you are competeing with Cabela's, Bass Pro, etc with their internet and catalog sales. I bet I get 3 Cabela's catalogs a week!

IMO ( I am a small business owner) to stay alive, you have to have either A)something no one else has for sale B) provide a service that no one else can do or very few can do, C) be open when no one else will D)Have a true competitive advantage.

You can't win with beating prices as you have too many large volume people to compete with. So then you have to have fair prices but not cheaper than everyone else. You have to base your operation on getting things like ammo on a regular basis that is becoming harder and harder to get. I would be very hesitant to take the leap if I were you. However that being said, being a succesful small buisness owner is one of the things my wife and I have enjoyed the most in our lives. Good luck with whatever you do.

[Bankermane]

Jeff, correct me if I'm wrong, but there is nobody in New Orleans other than Professional and a few others that cater to that market. With their population base and Venice and the whole coastal area you would think somebody would be killing it. If it won't work in New Orleans chances are slim for Moss Point. You say Walmart and Academy don't carry much inventory anymore. There is a reason. If they were selling a lot and it was profitable the isles would be full of inventory. A small store doesn't have the buying power that the big box stores have. They can buy it cheaper than you due to their volume of purchases. I shoot maybe 40 flats of shells per year. I don't buy locally. We get a group together and buy a pallet to skip the retailer . Van's is maybe the exception. They have the best prices on guns around. Probably $100 cheaper than the competition. After you but the gun you start looking around at the other inventory and it is priced about the same as everyone else but they got you in the store. Deer prosessing aslo is a big part of their business which brings traffic to his store. That's just my opinion and experience watching retail in general. i would be surprised if at some time tyou can download a gun from itunes or Amazon.

Don't worry. Unless you're financing with cash on hand i doubt many banks would look at it and the suppliers would start you out on COD. That's just a sign of the times.

[Seymore]

A very high percentage of new businesses are not in business 5 years after opening. Almost all new businesses don't make a profit for a few years after opening. Not trying to discourage you but those are the stats. That said if it is something you want to puruse I'd recommend you look for help with a business model and plan from USM or somewhere. Here in Tupelo we have a regional business incubator that is funded with grants and country funding to help people start new businesses. I'd look into it so you can have all the information you can get before starting.

[Bill Cooksey]

I don't know your market or its potential, but an outdoor store is a great way to lose a bundle of money. If you can afford to do it right, you can probably afford to retire now and spend all of your time hunting, fishing and traveling.

Humps advice regarding distributors is really good if you're dead set on giving it a go with the least risk. I'd suggest contacting one of those distributors and requesting a catalog and pricing. Sit down with the book, and make a list of everything you think should be on the shelves of your ideal store. Total that up, and, if that's not enough to scare you off, compare your cost with Cabela's and Bass Pro catalog prices to get an idea of your margin should you match prices. If that's still not enough to put the idea to rest, find your ideal location and figure out what that's going to cost, and add all the normal business costs together.

Once that's all on paper, should you still want to open a store, find a good shrink.

[GulfCoast]

There is not a real "waterfowling" market down here, so you would have to go all in on fishing. Guns are seasonal items, so you don't want to tie up a bunch of money in gun inventory that will not move most of the year. Hard to compete with Wal Mart and Academy on fishing stuff.

Thinking about myself, I realize I don't buy much of anything locally. Like Bankermane, I buy shells with a group from Mobile by the pallet. I get dog stuff from Jim at hcwaterdogsupply.com in Slidell, or next day for free from GunDogSupply.com in Starkville. I don't fish anymore, after Katrina wanted my boat more than I did. I buy guns from a friend with an FFL. For duck hunting stuff, little I don't have, I get from Mack's or Cabelas. I wonder if I am that way because there is no local store around here, or if its just more convenient to pick up the phone and order rather than fight through the immigrants at Wal-Mart.

I do not know why ANYONE would pay Gander Mountains prices for anything. And the new Dick's down here in Biloxi is just as bad. They had a box of Remington Heavy Dove loads for $17.99. Yes, you read that right.

[Roach]

I'm with you Gulfcoast. It's too convienient to get on the internet and order, have it shipped to your door and you don't have to deal with the thugs at Wally World.
I bought six guns this past year and only one was at a retail store (Vans) and I spoke with Van and he sold me a gun for $200 less than I could have ordered it from Guns America.
The internet will continue to put a lot of small businesses out of business. It's just to easy.

[Duck Nawteek]

Well I know for fact depending on which type of gun you are looking for someone with an FFL (like Me) can beat a retail price by $100 without even looking it up..Now that's on Firearms, Ammo not so much.... With the way the economy is I would do alot of research before I jump in and get my feet wet....Just my opinion though...

[H20fowlkiller]

Since I live in Gautier, I have thought about this also, If it were me I would go to a certain bow store in Vancleave and ask about going into a partnership with them. I know they will be closing there current location down in the near future do to the fact there is a Evacuation route that will go right through there back door. Ask what there view is on moving down to OS since majority of there business comes from below I-10. They could handle the hunting and you could handle the fishing. The biggest problem is everyone now sells a certain amount of outdoor equipment. The Boot store sells Yeti Coolers, Camo, and now Kayaks, Wayne Lee's sells anything he can get his hands on. And neither store has to rely on outdoors for there money maker, so they can mark them down to decent prices.

[ducknbuck1]

Being a manager at a hunting store I will tell you that it is a very very seasonal business. I mean you will do a little hear and there during off season, but it drops a pretty good bit from say August - Jan. You can get set up with alot of wholesellers. There is Sports South, Bangers, Ellett Brothers, Henrys, Farris Brothers, RSR, Jerrys, Lipseys, and the list goes on and on. If you are going to carry guns, first thing I would do is work on getting your FFL. It will take a little time to get all of that paperwork approved. But you have to make your money on clothing, boots, optics, and accessories. You have to be in the small ball park as everybody else in your area on guns. Normally you will put 15-18 points on a firearm. But you will probably have to personally back all the lines of credits for a while.

Start up cost all really depends on you. I mean If I were to start my own company and I wanted a decent selection of rifles, shotguns and pistols I would be looking at at least 30k to 40k in just guns. Then you move on to optics, mounts, rings, cases, then any other accessories you plan on selling. I am not trying to tell you all the negatives, and talk you out of it. I am all about somebody persuing their dream to own their own company. I just want you to have some inside thoughts from somebody in the business now.

Your hunting will come basically to a hault, because the ONLY way and let me repeat THE ONLY way you can run it successfully is if you are there on hand day in and day out. If you have any questions, holla at me.

Richard

6019405634

[Trip]

I've always thought that a store open at say 4:00AM during duck season would be a money maker. Have some coffee and maybe some biscuits & sausage made up and guys could grab a box of shells or a license and fill there thermos up before hitting the duck hole.

[Sbroadus]

I can tell you as a business owner with 18 yrs in retail, it is a hard road but can be done. Like others have said you must do something to set you apart from the other. Most times that is service and believe me people will take advantage of that. Like some of the others have also said your biggest competition today is the internet. Today it is all about price for most people. They want it and they want it cheap. There are some exceptions to this also. My biggest word of advice is if you want to have any chance to make it is you need to have a years worth of money to cover your fixed expenses in the bank when you open the door. That is where most businesses fail. They have enough money to open and that is it. That will not work.

[TODO]

I got an idea. Open a pawnshop! Then carry all your hunting/fishing stuff along side the pawn stuff. The pawn would keep everything going in the off season.