Old Gun Stores in Downtown Portland...

[WAYNO]

From my past...

There used to be a world class department store in downtown Portland, Meier and Franks, long before Portland became little Beirut. This store had ten sales floors, including a toy department that would rival Duncan's on Home Alone Part II. It also had a world class gun department. If I wanted to buy a British double rifle, and the ammunition to go with it, that's where I would have gone to buy one. And you betcha everything was expensive.

The gun department went away when guns became evil. Eventually Macy's bought this store, reduced the sales floors to only three, and recently they announced the store was closing altogether.

Macy's and other high end stores should stop and think. I would never step foot in such a store when it caters only to the clothing needs of women and metro-males, where in the old days, with decent mens toy departments, I enjoyed going to such places. And maybe while I was there I'd buy a pair of jeans or a hunting coat.

These places are sinking themselves.

And another...B'Wana Junction. Also downtown. If you were going on safari, this would be a place to stop before you got on the plane for Africa.

WAYNO.

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[Vendor Hidden]

I often find myself visiting Cabela's for no reason at all.

 

[66PonyCar]

B'Wana Junction was where I bought my first Colt 1911. I worked nearby and would wander over at lunch time at least once a week.

 

[WAYNO]

B'Wana Junction was where I bought my first Colt 1911. I worked nearby and would wander over at lunch time at least once a week.

I don't even know when they went away.

There have been dozens of other gun shops in the metro area that just disappeared.

WAYNO.

 

[antonio97b]

I think Macy's is closing because the overhead of operating a store is far to expensive coupled with the prevalence of online shopping.

Not because they got rid of their gun department.

My $.02

 

[Medic!]

Guns may be more evil the closer you get to down town Portland. Who cares!

Demand is up. And stores like Bi-mart and others. Are now sellin handguns to us red-neck hicks!

 

[WAYNO]

I think Macy's is closing because the overhead of operating a store is far to expensive coupled with the prevalence of online shopping.

Not because they got rid of their gun department.

My $.02

I don't think I said that was the cause. What I said was, a struggling store that does away with "mens" stuff over a period of time, chasing the men shoppers away, will struggle even more.

Grants did it, Sears did it, K-Mart did it, Wards did it, Penneys did it, and now there's far less reason for men to drop in. Grants and Wards is gone. The other three, I only go in when I need to buy perfume for a gift, and that's not very often.

 

[antonio97b]

I don't think I said that was the cause. What I said was, a struggling store that does away with "mens" stuff over a period of time, chasing the men shoppers away, will struggle even more.

Perhaps not the sole clause, but your post seemed to indirectly point to a number of things:

"mens toy store" (I can only assume you mean firearms and accessories), hunting clothing, and jeans.

The store caters nearly 50% towards men. A bit less because I believe they tended to put home goods on the same floor. Though, I didn't go to downtown Macy's and am basing my experience on other Macy's locations.

Cabela's future in uncertain as it stands now. They were acquired by Bass Pro back in the fall the future is unknown. It's not like Cabela's isn't feeling the presence of online shopping. Luckily, their products usually demand a more tactile approach and the customers tend to be more suburban and rural where leasing is cheap. Shipping back a fishing rod is a lot harder than a shirt.

 

[MrMillspecer]

These big clothing stores make their millions off of sweat shops in China and elsware. Clothing is cheap and abundant. When we purchase firearms we support many American workers. And they hold their value. Hope I start seeing more things made in the USA.

 

[Ruger Rich]

Does anyone know the story about the B'wana Junction's owner, in particular the nasty scar on his cheek/jaw? Here's what he told me one day. After I had done business with him a few times we established a comfortable relationship, to the point where I felt comfortable asking about the rather obvious scar. He said, one day a guy walks in and puts a pistol to his head and demanded the contents of the register. He told him to get fU#$&*. The guy said he would shoot. The owner said go ahead and the guy shot creating the nasty scar. The owner, however, after being shot in the face pulled his pistol out and shot the bad guy. It's been some time ago and I think his name was George. If anyone can enhance or add to this it would be interesting.

 

[nehalemguy]

Not quite in downtown, but does anyone remember Combat Corner? The owners name was Augie if I remember correctly.

E

 

[ThemGunsThough]

When I was a kid, my Dad used to take me to a place off Killingsworth and MLK (I think it was Montgomery Wards). It is now a Multnomah County building but I remember he used to buy his revolvers there and he bought me a Daisy rifle which I thought was the coolest thing in the world.

 

[jbett98]

Monkey Wards used to be right next to I-84 & NE Grand.

 

[Certaindeaf]

I thought it was disgusting that Schumacher Furs, after being in business at the same location for 112 years in downtown Portland, was forced out of business by patchooie wearing scumbag anarchists utilizing strongarm tactics. F'ers.
Matter of fact, the same group of busy-body morons forced Foie gras out of all restaurants in Portland also.

 

[WAYNO]

Monkey Wards used to be right next to I-84 & NE Grand.

That was Sears and Roebuck. Wards was in N.W. Portland. But both places had huge sporting goods departments with a huge assortment of guns.

WAYNO.

 

[Certaindeaf]

I remember the Wards store from when I was a kid.. all those canister tube pipes going everywhere was awesome!

 

[jbett98]

Your right. The Montgomery Wards building is still there.
Anyone remember the huge Forestry Center log cabin that burned down next to Wards.

 

[WAYNO]

Your right. The Montgomery Wards building is still there.
Anyone remember the huge Forestry Center log cabin that burned down next to Wards.

Oh yes! That was as cool as the tree houses in Swiss Family Robinson.

 

[jbett98]

I toured through it as Cub Scout right before it burned to the ground.

 

[PDX1953]

I didn't know the story of B'wana Junction's owner but I thought his name was Joe because guys at work used to talk about buying from "B'Wana Joe's". I was a Field Repair Tech & had a walking territory downtown so I'd drop in whenever I could, especially when it was raining. I bought a few guns but he was always very personable even if you were there just to drool.

There was a gun store on Beaverton Hillsdale Hwy around 40th. I bought & swapped guns back & forth because I couldn't afford more than one when I had two little boys. I remember buying a S&W Model 57 back when there was a waiting period & just as I completed the paperwork a guy he didn't recognize walked in. He handed me the gun & said, "Those ten days seem like forever don't they?" Always a good guy to chat with although I saw him chew out more than one customer.

I got to know Berndt (not Burt or Brett) Johnson, the Oregon City gun section manager at Larry's Sporting Goods very well. In the late '70's - early '80's I went to his house a few times to see some of his collection. I remember he had a Schuetzen rifle hung over the fireplace but the good stuff was behind plywood doors in the basement. He had serial #2 of the Armalite 12 gauge shotgun used in Viet Nam. He had a matched set of presentation M1 Garands -.22 LR & 30-06 and they were mint. These were just the tip of his iceberg and I've forgotten about so many others. He even had hundreds of surplus rifles jammed above the plumbing pipes in the floor joist spaces.

He was quite a bit older than me - I was in my 20's - but we used to have lunch together often at a restaurant a couple of doors down from Larry's. Berndt's sons weren't interested in guns so I've always wondered how his collection was split up and what the value was. He was a walking compendium of firearm knowledge but began working at Larry's after he'd retired from other jobs.

The big box places like Cabela's serve a purpose but I walk away in disgust when I see salespeople recommend a real expensive gun to a first time owner. The pawn shop that does my transfers prices his stuff too high and there's really only one LGS in my area. I've always found his stuff priced high but got a good deal on a Range Officer Compact w/ Master Series CT grips last year. I hadn't been there in a couple of years & was just kicking tires but walked out the door happy. These days I research what I want, talk to other owners & order it online or find a seller on a forum I belong to. I've bought a few from NWF members & have always been happy.