Hiders,
Many of you have been around long enough to remember my humble origins in this business and how we used the power of the internet (for better and worse) to establish ourselves and break into this industry as an outsider. Our rise to prominence was fueled by your open minds and willingness to take a chance on us to provide for your tactical optic needs. With your loyalty and support, we have enjoyed a level of success that has truly surprised and humbled us. When I went fulltime with this business almost 4 years ago, is when things really began to take off. We are blessed and thankful to have you as our customers.
However, we are not without our critics, and one knock I've heard over and over (mostly from manufacturers and other dealers) is that we are "internet only". Personally, I don't think this is a bad thing, but it's a fact of life that in 2012 (aka these MAP Crazy times) "guys like me" won't even get a sniff from the major manufacturers. Put another way, if I started out the same way now as I did back in 2003, I likely would not have gotten off the ground.
At any rate, in an effort to continue our growth and expand our horizons, we had basically two choices, invest lots of $$ in advertising, or open a brick and mortar store. (We really can only afford to aggressively pursue one option right now). We discussed the pros and cons of each and went back and forth many times. Ultimately, we chose the brick and mortar. The bottom line, advertising would be for us, but the store would be a resource for you. Without you, there would be no Liberty Optics.
Other reasons to do this include higher credibility with manufacturers, giving back to the community and establishing a business in an area that sorely needs it, and to provide a place where you guys can stop by and interact with yours truly. Bottom line, this takes LO to the next level, period. I imagine I will get a setup to mount scopes for customers rifles and other assorted "optics dude" services. This is exciting to say the least.
At any rate, after some searching, a fine little place right on Main St became open, and as luck would have it, right next to the newspaper/printing/sign/banner shop. It was a former motorcycle gear shop so it is already setup for retail, just needs our own personal touch. A couple of days ago we signed the papers and got the keys to the building.
Here's a street level view of the 'hood Google Map street view
So guys, there you have it. As you can imagine, the work has not even begun, but winter time is the ideal time to do this, work on it nights and weekends to get it going. I anticipate a grand opening sometime in the spring, likely April or early May.
So, pray for us, wish us luck, whatever, we will need all the help we can get! We will give it the 'ol "college try" in 2012 and evaluate after one year of operation. We need your support as much as ever.
Thanks again, Hiders, for getting us to this point.
Scott
Many of you have been around long enough to remember my humble origins in this business and how we used the power of the internet (for better and worse) to establish ourselves and break into this industry as an outsider. Our rise to prominence was fueled by your open minds and willingness to take a chance on us to provide for your tactical optic needs. With your loyalty and support, we have enjoyed a level of success that has truly surprised and humbled us. When I went fulltime with this business almost 4 years ago, is when things really began to take off. We are blessed and thankful to have you as our customers.
However, we are not without our critics, and one knock I've heard over and over (mostly from manufacturers and other dealers) is that we are "internet only". Personally, I don't think this is a bad thing, but it's a fact of life that in 2012 (aka these MAP Crazy times) "guys like me" won't even get a sniff from the major manufacturers. Put another way, if I started out the same way now as I did back in 2003, I likely would not have gotten off the ground.
At any rate, in an effort to continue our growth and expand our horizons, we had basically two choices, invest lots of $$ in advertising, or open a brick and mortar store. (We really can only afford to aggressively pursue one option right now). We discussed the pros and cons of each and went back and forth many times. Ultimately, we chose the brick and mortar. The bottom line, advertising would be for us, but the store would be a resource for you. Without you, there would be no Liberty Optics.
Other reasons to do this include higher credibility with manufacturers, giving back to the community and establishing a business in an area that sorely needs it, and to provide a place where you guys can stop by and interact with yours truly. Bottom line, this takes LO to the next level, period. I imagine I will get a setup to mount scopes for customers rifles and other assorted "optics dude" services. This is exciting to say the least.
At any rate, after some searching, a fine little place right on Main St became open, and as luck would have it, right next to the newspaper/printing/sign/banner shop. It was a former motorcycle gear shop so it is already setup for retail, just needs our own personal touch. A couple of days ago we signed the papers and got the keys to the building.
Here's a street level view of the 'hood Google Map street view
So guys, there you have it. As you can imagine, the work has not even begun, but winter time is the ideal time to do this, work on it nights and weekends to get it going. I anticipate a grand opening sometime in the spring, likely April or early May.
So, pray for us, wish us luck, whatever, we will need all the help we can get! We will give it the 'ol "college try" in 2012 and evaluate after one year of operation. We need your support as much as ever.
Thanks again, Hiders, for getting us to this point.
Scott
