Most shop owners spend too much time watching the other guy. They peek through the blinds, check parking lots, try to match pricing or inventory. They end up chasing the same hundred customers instead of building something better. That mindset keeps a store and the shooting community small.
The real competition is not the shop across town. The real competition is how your customer chooses to spend their time. Baseball games, fishing trips, backyard barbecues, soccer tournaments, and weekend chores already fill the calendar. If your store and your community events are not easier, more welcoming, and more rewarding than those options, your customer will go elsewhere.
Here are your real competitors. If you don’t have something more compelling than sports (top) or the old swimming hole (bottom), you need to look at your real competition differently.
Winning in this environment means offering more than just a fair price and a clean store (though this is important). It means making participation easy. Shooters do not want complicated sign-ups, scattered information, or a cold reception. They want to know where to go, who to talk to, and what to bring. When a shop makes that journey simple, people come back. When two or three shops work together to build that experience, they grow something bigger than themselves, they grow the community of customers everyone benefits from.
The strongest shops do not operate alone. They find natural partners. They team up for demo days, youth leagues, community events, and training nights.
When three shops host a range event and two hundred people attend, the whole shooting community wins. New shooters get introduced to the sport. Experienced shooters feel valued. Everyone sees a future.
Two shops in the Midwest did exactly that. One store focused on hunting, shotgun sports, and the Scholastic Clay Target Program. They were plugged into local conservation groups and helped dozens of families get their kids started in shooting.
The other shop specialized in long-range and competitive shooting. They stocked precision rifles, reloading gear, and optics. Their staff ran clinics on wind reading, gear setup, and match preparation.
At first, these shops viewed each other as competition. Over time, they realized they served different corners of the same community. By working together and supporting their local range, they created a joint event.
Customers who started in shotguns crossed over into rifle. PRS shooters showed up for trap league to support their kids. It became easy for people to try something new.
Together with their range partner, they made it simple for beginners to get started. They helped returning shooters reengage. They created a consistent rhythm of activity that pulled more people in, not just from their local town but from miles around. The result was not just higher foot traffic. It was deeper commitment from a growing customer base. The shops sold more gear, but more importantly, they helped create more shooters.
Customers notice when stores work together. They see it in shared flyers, cooperative promotions, and community events. They feel it in the welcoming atmosphere. They tell their friends. They bring their families. That kind of trust cannot be bought with an ad campaign.
Some shop owners still hesitate.
They worry that helping another store means losing ground. What they miss is the power of a connected community.
A single store might survive another season on its own. A group of stores building something together can last for a generation. One store alone can only grow so far. A shared network creates momentum no one can generate alone.
At Brownells, we say, “Don’t just be a boat on the tide. Be the tide that raises all boats.” That mindset strengthens the foundation of the shooting sports. It helps more people enter and stay in the game. It also turns former competitors into partners. The customer benefits. So does the business.
Every shop has already helped someone get started. Maybe it was a first rifle. A youth league sign-up. A nervous first-time buyer who left with confidence. That work matters. Now it is time to make that experience easier and more consistent for everyone who walks in the door. When stores link arms and make it simple to join, simple to learn, and simple to participate, they win more than just sales. They earn loyalty.
Price still matters. Customers watch their budgets. They look for value. A store that works with others to create simple, shared experiences offers more value than a store fighting alone to save someone ten bucks. The easier you make it to join and enjoy the shooting community, the less price becomes the only thing customers care about.
You are not in a price war. You are in a time war. You are not building just a store. You are building a place where people want to spend their free hours.
The shop across town is not your enemy. The empty calendar is. Fill that calendar with things worth showing up for, and you will not just survive. You will grow.
— Pete Brownell
