Dick once owned all or part of the shop after he came back from Korea and learned gunsmithing. Now semi-retired, he works every day that doesn't have a "W" in it (no Wednesdays, no week-ends) and shoots sporting clays every chance he gets.
In charge of parts and service, he also gets our incoming inventory from shipping containers to shelves and racks. He has hunted grouse, quail, whitetail, and pronghorns and once took a wild boar on the run, at 60 yards, with a .45 automatic. Three shots, no foolin'.
By the way, he's not ignoring you - all those decades of shooting without hearing protection have left him, um, "hard of hearing".
Erik has been repairing guns and making guns better since he returned from Viet Nam, and he's been our chief gunsmith almost as long. He's a hunter, as well, preferring game that can't fly. Also been known to drown a worm or two.
Now semi-retired, he still joins us nine days a month, turning our customers' frowns into smiles. Killer with a trigger job, and his recoil pad installations make the guns look like they came that way.
Steve, the owner, didn't start in retail, but, since buying the shop in 1998, he's catching on. He handles all buying and all the paperwork, and still has time to sell a gun or two on the counter.
He hunts anything that breathes, from Alaska to Florida, apparently, and does pretty well at it.
A history major at Albion, he continues his interest in military history and in the battle rifles of major nations.
Joe (no, not Dick's brother) really got rolling, working on guns, during his hitch in the Air Force. Now, he helps out on Saturdays, cleaning guns "in back" and selling a bit of everything, out front.
Another hunter and fisherman. You may see him, four times a year, at the Michigan Antique Arms show at the Rock Exposition Center.
Oh, and you might speak up - working around jets is hard on the ears, too.
The other Eric got his start part-time, back in the late '80s, and thought things would stay that way - until his real job abandoned him, followed by his career of 30 years - apparently the new computers require a college degree, and he never got his.
While he had that real job, he was an enthusiastic collector, so he's familiar with a lot of different guns. Most of his collection is now gone.
Now he sells a little, stocks a little, photographs and writes copy for InterNet ads a little, and seems to be trying his hand at WebMaster, too...
Joe (yes, Dick's brother) is retired, now, and is enjoying it, somewhere he doesn't have to worry about the changes in the retail gun business...
Eden is working in manufacturing, testing components.
Pat ("Stick") is working at Michi-Gun & Tackle, over in St Clair Shores, apparently keeping out of trouble.
John and A. J. haven't been around lately, but R. W. seems to be happy with job (electrical engineering for General Dynamics Land Systems) and family; he stops in at odd intervals and we play catch-up; recently, he reminded us of another alumnus, Doug by name, whom we had quite forgotten - he's in software now, and we're not. Drat.