I live in Bowlling Green KY and bought several guns from them. They had the same wrong headed notions that Sears had. Stop selling the stuff folks came to the store to get. Guns/hardwear and just become a clothing store. Clothing makes huge profits and the guns made very little but it was the guns that folks drove 100 miles for. Last time I went there I was shocked at how few guns they were and amazed at the huge size of the clothing section. I knew that was not going to work.

 

I bought my first two Coopers from them. Shame to see them go.

Art

 

I believe they were bought out after the bigger store was built and the old man died. Downhill from there.

 

If someone can't make a go of a gun store in today's world, then there's something seriously wrong with them.

Stating the obvious here, I exclude CA from this statement.

People can and DO buy clothes from all over, including the internet. That line of product is speedway to bankruptcy.

 

Darrel’s son is supposedly opening another gun shop down the road with a new partner. He is talking like they will have inventory like Darrel had at the old shop before he passed. Time will tell.

 

Years ago they were my go to online gunshop, shame they've gone...

 

Years ago, they were an even better in person gunshop. They kept a ridiculous amount of stuff.

 

The news saddened me. I bought my first Cooper there more than twenty years ago. For a number of years I made a trip to a friend's game preserve every winter and Whittaker's was always a regular stop. It changes a lot over the years as was mentioned and when it was enlarged things really went to pot. Gun inventory dropped and everything else filled in the holes. It should be a lesson, do what you do and what you did. Change for the sake of change can be a problem. I hope they make a go of the new place, but the son never impressed me.

Rick

 

The entire first floor of Eddie Bauer's outfit used to be guns, The Bon Marche had a full service gunshop. My buddy often says he was born fifty years too late.

 

Last time I was there the gun selection was poor at best, IMHO, and reloading supplies were not much better. Sections that in the past had held rifles was all clothing. When Darrel was alive the old store was full of guns, ammo and reloading supplies, I could easily spend the best part of a day there but soon after he pasted you could see the changes in what was stocked. It ESPECIALLY went downhill after Chris built the new store.

 

I think I called whittakers many years ago asking about a Cooper. A quite rude lady helped me and said they send what is in inventory and they don’t open the box and send you any pictures of the wood. It was a wood crap shoot. And for the price of a cooper back then, I wasn’t going to roll the dice. If I’m buying a cooper I want to see the wood. To heck with them.

 

I can't imagine many, if any, gun shops that would send pics of the stocks to a buyer. That's a time consuming event & the buyer may not even buy from that at all. Then what do you have? A wasted couple of hours is what.

Now, visiting a store in person is an entirely different matter. I've laid out I don't know how many guns for a customer to look at, picking the best trigger, best wood, best fit, whatever.

Some people who complain about gun shops have never spent a single second on the other side of the counter & it shows, IMO.

My .o2