Old Gun Stores in Downtown Portland...

[Captain O]

Talking about old "burger joints" There once was a place in Corvallis, OR on 9th street, known as Seaton's Barbecue Pit. (All the Corvallis High School kids used to go there). In the late '60's it changed hands and became Kimo's Burgers.

A nice, old, hamburger stand called Dari Delish (1680 Columbia Boulevard) still stands here in St. Helens. It is a bit expensive, but the food is good. I still appreciate the old-fashioned food and the music they play from yesteryear. (1950's - early 60's). It's almost 8/10 of a mile walk from where I live but it is worth the trip and marvelous from spring through autumn. It gets 4.5 stars out of 5. I understand why.

Good stuff, Maynard!

 

[Koda]

And then the old is sometimes replaced with the new....
Amid the big box stores like Cabelas and Sportsmans there is a realatively new small "mom-n-pop" local gun store in my neighborhood. I stopped shopping at Sportsmans for gun stuff and just go there. Just like the old days.

 

[PDX1953]

.........Before ya know it, kids will be able to go to school on a computer.....

This is already happening & it's a good thing in most instances. My friend's daughter in Idaho was being bullied and I'm surprised she didn't kick the ever living fecal droppings out of them because she's tougher than nails. She's also an amazing shot thanks to her Dad.
She decided to finish HS online & graduated early so now she can start college, take virtual classes & get an excellent education.

My insane delusional bi-polar b**** ex-daughter-in-law moved into a real rough area of Sacramento thinking she could send my Grandson to HS in the area they moved from (different school district.) My son lives in an area of Sacramento with one of the highest rated HS's in the country but out of spite she refuses to let my grandson go there. So - he attends a bad HS & he's one of the only white kids there. He has the option of on-line school but for now he's toughing it out but IMHO on-line school would better. He also has the discipline to do the on-line work which is a major stumbling block for some kids.

 

[Koda]

I wonder if people back the 1800s used to lament about the good ol days?

 

[etrain16]

I wonder if people back the 1800s used to lament about the good ol days?

I think every generation laments the loss of the 'good old days'

 

[Koda]

I think every generation laments the loss of the 'good old days'

Whew... That means its all going to work out for the better.

 

[teflon6string]

I never bought a new Western Field wep at Montgomery Wards, but I've owned a few over the years. Stevens and Mossberg to name a couple. Anyone know how many different brands were re-badged and sold as WF?

 

[Certaindeaf]

I wonder if people back the 1800s used to lament about the good ol days?

I remember my Dad telling of when he was a kid he could go to the movies, get candy, popcorn and a soda and having enough remaining to buy a Cadillac convertible and a couple a whores.. all for 5 cents.
lol

 

[WAYNO]

I never bought a new Western Field wep at Montgomery Wards, but I've owned a few over the years. Stevens and Mossberg to name a couple. Anyone know how many different brands were re-badged and sold as WF?

Wow. Hawthorne, Ted Williams, J.C. Higgins, Ranger, Coast to Coast, Foremost, J.C. Penney, New Haven Revelation, all department store and hardware store brands. The list is nearly endless. These guns were made by Winchester, Marlin/Glenfield, High Standard, Savage/Stevens, Mossberg, Colt and more. Here's a list of many of the major brands that labeled their guns for other retailers.

NRA Museums:


WAYNO.

 

[Ironbar]

Well, truth be told I called around to all the local gun stores looking for my Benelli shotgun, but none of them had one, and none of them could obtain one either except for Fisherman's Marine.

Cabelas had one, in stock, and I snapped it up because as of January the prices on the M4 are going up 7%.

 

[Medic!]

Well, truth be told I called around to all the local gun stores looking for my Benelli shotgun, but none of them had one, and none of them could obtain one either except for Fisherman's Marine.

Cabelas had one, in stock, and I snapped it up because as of January the prices on the M4 are going up 7%.

Bought my M4 shotgun used from a gun store.
A customer had bought it days before then returned it.

I broke it down and looked it over before putting down my money.
It was ''Clean as a whistle''.

Ya cant do that on the interweb.

 

[Skier]

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.

Good point. I hadn't even thought about it, but maybe that's why I have so little interest in shopping these days. There aren't even interesting departments that I can wander into these days while my wife is looking for other things...

 

[best defense]

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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I worked across the street from Meier & Frank back in the early 70s, and as far as I know, they did not sell guns then, so you must be even older than I am.

I agree, why would anyone want to buy stuff form Macy's They are only in business to sell over priced clothes to the children of YUPIES.

 

[best defense]

I found an interesting little place behind the bomber restaurant in Milwaukee Oregon (Yeah, I know the plane is gone but the restaurant is still there) The shop is in what looks like a Quonset hut. Anyway, they have a bunch of WW ll stuff an a small museum in the back. The name of the place is The War Front. They have a FFL and offered to do transfers for a fee, so if you buy something online, I suppose they could handle the transfer and do the background check. They are not open all the time, so it would be a good idea to call before you head down there.

 

[K-22]

I remember Bwana Junction very well. It is so sad to see the "little gun shops" in downtown Portland go "the way of the wind".

Joe Lee owned and ran Bwana Junction.
Best,
Gary

 

[garyhan]

My first firearm came from Western Auto. Their store brand name was Revelation. Foster's sporting goods had the greatest variety when i was a kid. I remember racks of '03 Springfields and M1 carbines, as well as almost any sporting gun you could want. In addition to the normal brands of ammo, they also carried Kynoch in many varieties. Trader Gunsmoke downtown had a dewat Chauchat in the window. Freeway Sporting Goods, House of Muskets, and Yellow Front Surplus all bring back good memories. "The old days are gone forever" as Victor Mclaglen said in "She Wore a Yellow Ribbon".

gary

 

[Gaucho Gringo]

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I worked across the street from Meier & Frank back in the early 70s, and as far as I know, they did not sell guns then, so you must be even older than I am.

I agree, why would anyone want to buy stuff form Macy's They are only in business to sell over priced clothes to the children of YUPIES.

They had guns in the 60's and further back.

 

[best defense]

And the closer you get to downtown Portland, the more you're gonna want your gun!

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I lived in Portland back in the 70s/80s, and felt quite comfortable walking around down town. The worst harassment you would get back then was from the Harri Krishna goofballs. Now, if it isn't the gangsters, it is the homeless causing all kinds of issues from begging to out right threats.

 

[WildBills-AR]

I just moved from the Salt Lake City area to Portland area and first thing I noticed going downtown is that Portland has a very bad homeless issue. And not compared to SLC It's worse than most place I have seen. But in Portland seeing people living on the sides of the freeway and hundreds of them stumbling around downtown at night. It's sad, what the heck happened? The cost of homes and rent is a little ridiculous, I can also see why people want to live here. Then again everywhere has some kind of issue.

 

[Tom Louis]

In 1967 I joined the Army and took the bus from Aberdeen to Seattle for the swearing in and induction. I had a couple hours before the process and so walked around downtown to pass the time. There was a pawn shop on first or second that had a genuine American civil war era gatling gun mounted in the center of the floor pointed generally at the door when you entered. Polished brass etc., very nice, life and times change. When Washington State first allowed handgun hunting for deer I traded a Star PD straight across for a Ruger Blackhawk in .41 magnum at a Western Auto store in Lacey. My arms collecting has increased exponentially since the internet allowed more access to difficult to find firearms. No more Western Auto stores in this area at all as far as I know. Times change. My devoutly religious grandmother was born in 1883 and I am certain she would have considered PC as just good manners. Times change, sometimes not for the better. Best, Tom.