In order to participate in the GunBroker Member forums, you must be logged in with your GunBroker.com account. Click the sign-in button at the top right of the forums page to get connected.
Gun dealer takes job with Cabela's
Josey1
Member Posts: 9,598 ✭✭
Gun dealer takes job with Cabela's BY JOE DUGGAN Lincoln Journal Star
ROBERT BECKER/Lincoln Journal Star B.C. Kinsey is closing his firearms store Shooters in Lincoln and taking a position at the new Kansas City Cabela's. He is holding a 1974 Browning Diana 12 gauge. Lincoln firearms dealer B.C. Kinsey just couldn't ignore the big guns any longer. Kinsey, owner of the independent Lincoln firearms store called Shooters, will close his doors at 6 p.m. Jan. 25 after a decade in business. He accepted a position to manage the gun library at the new Cabela's retail outlet opening next fall in Kansas City. Kinsey said he initially declined employment offers from one of the world's largest retailers of hunting, fishing and camping gear. But the Sidney-based Cabela's eventually won him over by saying he would have to hunt as part of his job. "I said, 'Wait, you'll make me go on hunting trips and you'll pay me?' They said, 'Yes.' I said, 'Well, OK.' " To the disappointment of local firearms enthusiasts, Kinsey said he will not conduct a going-out-of-business sale. Cabela's plans to buy his entire inventory. Ten years ago, Kinsey left a career in office furnishings to open Shooters in a retail strip at 30th and O streets. He'd been a licensed firearm dealer for nearly 20 years and wanted to make a living from a hobby. The store sold a variety of new and used firearms in an upscale setting that featured African game mounts, wildlife art, premium hunting clothes and accessories. In 1999, he moved the store to its present location at 213 S. 9th Street. Kinsey admitted that the bigger, more diversified Scheels All Sports in SouthPointe Pavilions has hurt his business, especially in sales of "soft goods." But thanks to a loyal customer base, he said sales of firearms remained strong. In his new position, Kinsey, 50, will deal in rare, antique and custom rifles, pistols and shotguns. The gun library at the Sidney Cabela's, for example, includes a pair of James Purdy and Sons 20-gauge shotguns with an asking price of $109,000. Kinsey's business experience, client base and firearm knowledge made him attractive to Cabela's, said David Sanders, a firearm specialist with the company in Sidney. "Cabela's tries to hire professional, knowledgeable people who have a good reputation in the industry," Sanders said. "He's well-known by people who buy high-grade firearms." Kinsey said he looks forward to dealing in collectable guns without having to deal with the headaches of his own business. He won't miss 80-hour work weeks and he looks forward to taking some vacations with his wife, Jo. And, of course, punching the clock while hunting doves in Argentina or geese in Manitoba has its appeal. But there's one thing he'll really miss about Shooters. "My customers," he said. "I've got a great base of wonderful, wonderful people who keep coming back and bringing new people with them." http://www.journalstar.com/local?story_id=5628&past=
ROBERT BECKER/Lincoln Journal Star B.C. Kinsey is closing his firearms store Shooters in Lincoln and taking a position at the new Kansas City Cabela's. He is holding a 1974 Browning Diana 12 gauge. Lincoln firearms dealer B.C. Kinsey just couldn't ignore the big guns any longer. Kinsey, owner of the independent Lincoln firearms store called Shooters, will close his doors at 6 p.m. Jan. 25 after a decade in business. He accepted a position to manage the gun library at the new Cabela's retail outlet opening next fall in Kansas City. Kinsey said he initially declined employment offers from one of the world's largest retailers of hunting, fishing and camping gear. But the Sidney-based Cabela's eventually won him over by saying he would have to hunt as part of his job. "I said, 'Wait, you'll make me go on hunting trips and you'll pay me?' They said, 'Yes.' I said, 'Well, OK.' " To the disappointment of local firearms enthusiasts, Kinsey said he will not conduct a going-out-of-business sale. Cabela's plans to buy his entire inventory. Ten years ago, Kinsey left a career in office furnishings to open Shooters in a retail strip at 30th and O streets. He'd been a licensed firearm dealer for nearly 20 years and wanted to make a living from a hobby. The store sold a variety of new and used firearms in an upscale setting that featured African game mounts, wildlife art, premium hunting clothes and accessories. In 1999, he moved the store to its present location at 213 S. 9th Street. Kinsey admitted that the bigger, more diversified Scheels All Sports in SouthPointe Pavilions has hurt his business, especially in sales of "soft goods." But thanks to a loyal customer base, he said sales of firearms remained strong. In his new position, Kinsey, 50, will deal in rare, antique and custom rifles, pistols and shotguns. The gun library at the Sidney Cabela's, for example, includes a pair of James Purdy and Sons 20-gauge shotguns with an asking price of $109,000. Kinsey's business experience, client base and firearm knowledge made him attractive to Cabela's, said David Sanders, a firearm specialist with the company in Sidney. "Cabela's tries to hire professional, knowledgeable people who have a good reputation in the industry," Sanders said. "He's well-known by people who buy high-grade firearms." Kinsey said he looks forward to dealing in collectable guns without having to deal with the headaches of his own business. He won't miss 80-hour work weeks and he looks forward to taking some vacations with his wife, Jo. And, of course, punching the clock while hunting doves in Argentina or geese in Manitoba has its appeal. But there's one thing he'll really miss about Shooters. "My customers," he said. "I've got a great base of wonderful, wonderful people who keep coming back and bringing new people with them." http://www.journalstar.com/local?story_id=5628&past=
Comments