Business

New location for Goodman’s Arms in Lock Haven

LOCK HAVEN -- With the hunting season upon us, Goodman's Arms LLC is poised to better serve hunters since they relocated in June to downtown Lock Haven from their former location in McElhattan.

"The customers have easier access to us which is a benefit," said Mike Goodman, owner of the store that sells firearms, ammo and accessories. In addition, they do repairs and custom build long range and hunting rifles.

Goodman's new storefront is located at 205 Prospect Street, where they are already seeing an uptick in customers.

"It is a better location with more foot traffic," said Mike.

That means they can share their years of hunting knowledge with more people.

"My best advice is to shop now because it might take a few weeks to find what you are looking for. Even our distributors are telling us to order our ammo now for next year," said Mike, who added that the past ammo shortage is not as severe as it has been.

He said, "We are about 80 percent out of the shortage but the 20 percent that is still present is with hunting ammo and it is still hard to acquire. Also, reloading components are in short supply."

Goodman's Arms is a family run business by a family of hunters. They also happen to be competition shooters. Mike's wife, Laura Goodman, and their two sons, Michael Goodman III and Gabriel Goodman, attend competitions together.

Michael said, "It is not uncommon to see families compete together. It's great that we can do it together and the shooting industry is so welcoming to women and families and I think that's what draws people to it."

Since Michael understands so many facets of the firearms industry, he can offer better customer service than online competitors.

"The hardest part about the firearms business is online retailers. With them you can't talk to someone about what will suit your needs and if it isn't right for you, you are stuck with it. We have competitive pricing with online, which also saves on shipping costs," said the owner.

For Michael, educating buyers is one of the most rewarding aspects of owning a firearms store.

He said, "We found over the years that the benefit of helping the customer (brings great satisfaction), especially youth if they are successful in taking an animal (successfully). The feeling from that is more beneficial than just selling products."