If You Host It, They Will Come

Unfortunately, running a gun store isn’t the same as building a baseball park in the middle of an Iowa cornfield. Unlike in the 1989 classic movie “Field of Dreams,” there is no guarantee “If you build it, they will come.”

Instead, you’re constantly searching for new ways to lure customers through the front door. You do it with competitive pricing, a welcoming atmosphere, clever marketing, knowledgeable salespeople and a unique inventory.

But maybe there’s more to consider about this “Field of Dreams” idea — at least for any store with a range. Instead of solely using it for hourly lane rentals, give your customers something to do by offering competitions and leagues, including bowling pin matches and practical shooting sports.

Building Community

To be clear, it’s unlikely these events will be big moneymakers. But they can help transform your gun store into a gathering place for shooters — boosting your brand while giving customers something exciting to be a part of, contends Jessica Ulrich, co-owner of Marksman Indoor Range in Waterloo, Neb.

She has watched this dynamic play out at her own range, particularly with female shooters after Marksman started offering events and leagues tailored to women.

“These gals didn’t know one another and now we have this community of about 60 women,” Ulrich explained. “They all know each other by name. They meet for dinner and go hang out after the events.”

While building a shooting community, you’ll also become a more involved member of your local community.

At Alabama Firearms Academy in Boaz, Ala., Co-Owner Jared Meeks sees matches and shooting events as an important element of the store’s presence in town.

“We’re trying to build a family-oriented environment,” Meeks stated. “We’re trying to show that we’re more than just a shooting range. We do a lot of corporate events, retirement parties and graduations.”

Depending on where your range is located, shooting competitions like USPSA and IDPA may also offer customers something they can’t experience anywhere else, according to Joey Mizufuka, sales manager and instructor for Centennial Gun Club in Centennial, Colo.

“There’s no other venue I’m aware of in Colorado that allows you to practice running, gunning and shooting from different positions,” Mizufuka said. “From my indoor-club perspective, people get kind of bored standing static in the lane.”

What Competitions Offer

For many shooters, competitions add an element they simply can’t get with a lane rental at most ranges — which often restrict drawing from the holster and fast shooting. Throw in shot timers, scoring and competing against friends and you have a recipe for fun.

“It’s one thing to come in and shoot a paper target, but it’s completely different to add competition into it,” Ulrich said. “It brings back the excitement, which in turn gets them coming back to shoot the paper targets.”

Marksman offers an array of competitions, including a sanctioned IDPA match and a bowling pin match. They also do six-week bull’s-eye leagues, including one during the day.

“We just started doing it this year to cater to people who work nights or are retired. We found a lot of success in it,” she said.

Alabama Firearms offers .22-caliber bowling pin matches and a regular USPSA match on Monday nights. With an eye toward developing future shooters, they recently started gel-blaster parties in the range’s shoot house. The events are for kids aged 8 to 16.

“I think it’s important for the people who own ranges to try to get the community involved,” Meeks suggested. “We need to keep the shooting sports alive because I feel like it’s not something people are teaching their kids anymore.”

Don’t Expect To Get Rich, But …

If you are looking for an immediate boost to the bottom line, these competitions are unlikely to be the answer. Instead, it’s the sort of thing you do with the future in mind.

Colorado’s Centennial Gun Club offers several competitions, including USPSA, bowling pin and a .22 rimfire steel challenge match. 

“I can tell you it’s not a moneymaker by any means, but it’s something we’ve always offered and it’s popular,” Mizufuka said. “And you do get a lot of foot traffic.”

This leads to some add-on sales, particularly ammunition. Centennial also sees additional sales of .22 handguns and rifles for competitors involved in rimfire matches. More challenging are the USPSA competitors who often shop online for guns purpose-built the game.

The store still carries some popular competition guns, including the CZ Shadow II, but has pulled back from the top end of the market.

“We don’t stock the high-end competition guns; it’s not our market or demographic,” Mizufuka explained.

In Nebraska, Ulrich says her matches and leagues generate modest revenue. There are extra sales in the form of ammunition and magazines. And they can sometimes capitalize on the way many competitors are constantly on the lookout for their next gun — particularly those that fit rimfire competitions (Volquartsen is a popular manufacturer).

The games are also effective at funneling more business back into the range.

“The events make a little, but where we’re really making money is the people coming back to practice,” Ulrich said. “Three or four days a week, we’re seeing these league members in here honing their skills.”

Keys To Success

When thinking about hosting a match, we can refer once again to that famous line from “Field of Dreams.” Except that simply building a match offers no guarantees customers will show up, at least not in the numbers needed to make your efforts worthwhile. A lot of work goes into making these events successful.

For Ulrich, it’s about meeting the needs of both the novice and the expert, while making everyone feel comfortable. It’s particularly challenging for inexperienced shooters.

“The hardest part for them is walking in the door that first time for an event,” Ulrich said. “If we can make them feel welcomed, appreciated and excited about doing it, then we know they’ll be back.”

There are many ways to accomplish this. Start with a new-shooter meeting to make sure everyone understands the basic rules. You also need patient range officers who can communicate with novices in a way that won’t make them feel ridiculed.

“When we’re running events, we make sure the newer shooters aren’t up first,” she noted.

She also suggests learning everything possible about competitions before hosting any at your store — even if there’s a plan to invent something new for your customers. This can help you understand the importance of using range commands common to most competitions. To avoid confusion, competitors at your events should be hearing the same commands they do everywhere else.

But you shouldn’t stop at simply watching competitions at other ranges. Get in on the action yourself, Ulrich advises.

“You learn so much about being a host by being a participant,” she said. “You’ll find yourself saying: ‘I wish they would have done this, or I wish they would have done that.’”

Alabama’s Meeks believes it’s important matches foster a sense of community. 

“You want an environment where people pitch in to help and where the best shooters join in the action. You can also broaden the appeal by making it a family-oriented thing, with things like bad language discouraged,” he said.

And don’t be afraid to experiment.

“Do a trial. If it doesn’t work, try something else,” Meeks added.

Also, keep in mind that whoever you pick for match director will set the tone, suggests Mizufuka, in Colorado.

“You have to interact with people. That’s a big part of it,” he said. “Especially with newer shooters, you want to make sure they’re comfortable.”

Another important consideration is the volunteers who will help you set up and tear down stages. They may even help design stages or work as range officers during matches. Cultivating a solid crew of volunteers who are willing to sacrifice their own time can go a long way toward creating successful matches.

“That’s what will make or break you,” contends Mizufuka, who serves as the USPSA match director at his range. “I couldn’t do everything on my own, so without my volunteers, this wouldn’t be successful at all.”

Keep in mind you shouldn’t be measuring the success of the events by your evening’s cash register receipts.

“It’s more about generating traffic and keeping your current customers, members or clients happy to have somewhere to shoot,” he concluded.

Read More Shooting Industry August 2024 Issue Now