Just curious

[poff09]

I was wondering if anyone (especially existing dealers) had ever thought about opening a gun shop INSIDE of a mall?.?.

If so what were some of your pros/cons (other than really high rent)??

Really just curious..i dont have the time or money for a venture like this, but I have wondered for awhile now.

 

[ilintner]

I was wondering if anyone (especially existing dealers) had ever thought about opening a gun shop INSIDE of a mall?.?.

If so what were some of your pros/cons (other than really high rent)??

Really just curious..i dont have the time or money for a venture like this, but I have wondered for awhile now.

I wonder if the mall companies would even allow this?

 

[wildrider666]

Some malls do not allow firearms dealers "due to insurance concerns"? WTF Fire insurance? Malls often dictate hours of operation for uniformity and seven days a week operation. SQFT price is normally very high compared to a strip mall or single structure. At a active mall foot traffic would be good but lookies do not pay the bills. We have all seen strip malls and big malls (like the one in Panama City) dry up.

 

[outside9]

I doubt they would welcome people walking through the mall with a long gun.

 

[Fanner50]

Showing my age, but back in the day when "Westwood Mall"/aka Mariner Mall was new there was a gun dealer in there. "The Day" would have been the 70's. Damn I'm old. Only in age though. In spirit and thought I'm still in my 30's.
I'm wondering if Cordova Mall ever had a gun shop in there. I can't remember. Maybe.

 

[JohnAL]

Sears back in "The Day".
Of course, everything is different in this day and time.

 

[outside9]

The difference with Sears and a normal gun store is guns only went out, no one brought guns in for trade etc.

 

[Welldoya]

Dick's is going into Cordova Mall but like Allen said, guns only will be going out, not coming in to sell or trade.
Montgomery Wards in Cordova Mall used to sell guns back in the 80s.

 

[911parrot]

Cordova and University both had a Biggs Sporting Goods and they sold rifles and pistols. That was in the 70's and I think they went out of business in the mid 80's.

 

[poff09]

Cool...thanks for the input...i also thought that mall management wouldnt allow it...until university mall brought in Academy, and since cordova will have dicks...both malls r owned by simon properties so it just made me think...i hadnt thought about the trade aspect

 

[bkitzel250]

You guys do know there are in the process of building one now in Cordova mall right? AKA dicks sporting goods...

 

[bkitzel250]

Oops didn't see the post above...sorry

 

[outside9]

Speaking of Sears, I have a old single shot Sears 20 gauge with a bird dog image and push button I've had since I was a kid. I can remember the day Sears in Montgomery, Alabama stopped selling guns.

Killed many a critter with that gun.

 

[moron1]

I remember Sears and JC Pennys having a good selection at the local mall back when I was younger. If you couldn't find what you were looking for at the mall you could stop at Kmart or just about any hardware store on the way back home. This is how it was nationwide back in the 60's.

 

[Gravity3694]

The difference with all of those stores is that they are department stores. Frankly, department stores can be placed anywhere, but many of them are just big boxes attached to malls.

 

[tinman]

Cool...thanks for the input...i also thought that mall management wouldnt allow it...until university mall brought in Academy, and since cordova will have dicks...both malls r owned by simon properties so it just made me think...i hadnt thought about the trade aspect

Malls want money so probably don't care what you sell.

As a guess, the foot traffic is the wrong sort of traffic. If you are selling shoes to women, well half the foot (probably 90% in fact) has an interest in what you're selling.

But I doubt even the highest foot traffic is likely to bring in the sales over and above having a retail operation in a strip mall or a shop front on a busy road. At the end of the day guns are a niche product.

 

[wildrider666]

When my Wife wants to make me a "Shopping Hostage" I am more willing to comply if the destination has firearms or is near one so I can redirect a bit. LOl

 

[JohnAL]

Mine says "want to go to Penneys with me?". I say "sure, as long as we can go to Bass Pro (across the street)". She says "never mind".

 

[wildrider666]

No Stockholm syndrome for JohnAl.

 

[Viking1204]

I imagine any dealer selling guns in a mall will have to have an external exit for buyers to use after they purchase a gun. I don't think they'll be allowed to walk around the mall with a newly purchased long gun in plain sight.