New Dealer Coming to the Charleston Area!

[ACESummerville]

Thanks guys. This has all been very helpful so far. Please keep the suggestions coming. I will keep everyone updated as we get closer to implementing the Airsoft department. We should be up and running by the end of the month. Would anybody be interested in a meet and greet at the store so we can ask some questions in person? Food and beverages would of course be complimentary.

[Villid]

I would suggest, if you have the space for it, a small indoor range. Letting serious customers be able to test fire a gun in a controlled environment can be a big boost for sales.

As for items to carry, i would make sure to carry replacement parts. Motors, gears, pistons, wiring kits, shims, bearings, all the little things. Both OEM replacement and upgrade. Nothing sucks more than stripping a piston on saturday, and not gettign the new one in the mail before the next game.

[TeamBadCompany]

A meet and greet would give some of the players in the area that dont use the forums as much a chance to give you some input, i know of at least 4 guys that would be interested in having a store here that dont use forums

[VoidSuicide]

Silicon oil. Stock silicon oil. It seems to be impossible to find in a store anywhere near where I live. (Not that summerville is amazingly close, but still...)

[Dominum]

The important thing is; Who is/are your wholesaler(s)? Please tell me you at least have Jag Precision and Spartan Imports? If you have Airsplat don't expect much from serious airsofters, as you will be selling at a high price (due to your cost, their wholesale prices are crap) and they will advise you to stock a lot of junk. Not to mention they won't pack it worth crap and half of it will break in shipping. BTW, I am the owner of SC Airsoft Supply, so I know a little bit about the wholesalers.

[splatmaster]

Everyone is nailing all the stuff in stock you need, but to be successful there are few important things to remember.

Your local crowds loyalty will be where you make your money. A retailer with a group of dedicated players who come to the store to check stuff out, hang out, buy what they need and more that they don't is how a store lasts. You will make a lot of money off younger kids just getting into it, but the older crowd is who pushes the sport forward.

To that end, you will need 1-2 good techs. The guns you sell will break, and they will bring them back to you to fix and upgrade. This is also a good money making opportunity. You usually don't even need the tech on the payroll, split the repair fees with them and they will usually work as a contractor. Stock the parts and upgrades in bulk and you stand to make a good chunk of change off repairs.

Have a field nearby to point players towards. I don't know much about the lowcountry, but last I heard there weren't any real fields there supporting airsoft. The nice thing about having a storefront face is the local paintball places will probably listen to you. Try to get a monthly game going for your local guys, go out and play with them, get to know them. Get on a first name basis with your locals and they will keep coming back.

Most importantly, bend over backwards for your customers. If you mess something up(and you will, every store does) fix it plus interest. We all don't mind mistakes, we know they happen. But if you impress us with your fixing of the mistake, thats when people start telling their friends and your base grows a little more.

Just trying to help broski, I love seeing new stores open and prosper!

[idiot88]

Have a field nearby to point players towards. I don't know much about the lowcountry, but last I heard there weren't any real fields there supporting airsoft. The nice thing about having a storefront face is the local paintball places will probably listen to you. Try to get a monthly game going for your local guys, go out and play with them, get to know them. Get on a first name basis with your locals and they will keep coming back.

We do have a place where we play about at least once a month near Jedburg - http://www.southcarolinaairsoft.com/for ... f=1&t=4884

So far, Paintball Charleston has shown zero interest in airsoft.

[TeamBadCompany]

One of my friends is working on setting up a CQB field in charleston, probably within 30-45 min from the store, it might be a couple months to a year before its up and running though.

[ACESummerville]

We have received some great responses from you guys. Now we would like to give you the chance to voice your opinions in person. We will be hosting an event at the store Friday, October 21st at 7 P.M. Food and beverages will be included. Tell all of your friends, and come out to tell us what you want to see at our location. Please RSVP either to this thread, or email me at Cory@winnerman.net so we can know how many people to prepare for.

Now is your chance to make sure that our store has everything you need!

Ace Hardware
713 Old Trolley Rd.
Summerville, SC 29485
(843) 875-7234

[slickridley]

Pictures of what's available so far
(gear/equipment coming soon)
click for a bigger picture

[Avenger]

Nice! You seem to have some nice guns there

DO NOT BUY THAT WALTHER P99!!! NOT EVER!!!

[slickridley]

>DO NOT BUY THAT WALTHER P99!!! NOT EVER!!!

which one and why?

[TokenTech89]

me and a few of us from the Citadel will definitely come by the place to check it out when we return to school.

[Dominum]

I would recommend they either put them behind glass or put them on shelves in their boxes. Having them on hooks with no packaging is not a good idea.

[slickridley]

I would recommend they either put them behind glass or put them on shelves in their boxes. Having them on hooks with no packaging is not a good idea.

I suggested that he put them on a leash, but we'll see how it goes