Long-Gone Gun Shops of New England

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I don't know why I thaught of this, but I was driving through my old hometown the other day, remembering my childhood. Does anyone remember the hunting section of "MVP Sports" in Woburn, by 4-corners? I remember as a kid going in there and oohing and aaahing over the guns. I remember the guy who worked there used to watch us like hawks. if I remember, it went from "MVP Sports", to "Decalthlon" to "bye bye!"

So, what are your memories of gun shops of long ago?
 
supposedly there's a gun shop here in leominster near the lancaster border but i've never been there, talked to anyone who has ever been there, and no one has ever picked up the phone when i had the number for the place. phantom gun shop...
 
supposedly there's a gun shop here in leominster near the lancaster border but i've never been there, talked to anyone who has ever been there, and no one has ever picked up the phone when i had the number for the place. phantom gun shop...

Hmm. I think I used to know the people who ran/run that. A husband and wife.
 
Found a box of Remington .22's with a Herman's price sticker. We've lost several small gun shops in the Pioneer Valley in the last 5-10 years, mostly thanks to the BATF.
 
Found a box of Remington .22's with a Herman's price sticker. We've lost several small gun shops in the Pioneer Valley in the last 5-10 years, mostly thanks to the BATF.

I didn't realize that Herman's was a big enough chain to be up here, too... had them in Jersey.

My first 10/22 came from a Service Merchandise - did they have stores up here too?
 
I didn't realize that Herman's was a big enough chain to be up here, too... had them in Jersey.

My first 10/22 came from a Service Merchandise - did they have stores up here too?

Yup, there was a Service Merchandise on the Stoughton/Brockton line a while back. Now it's a Panera Bread, DSG Shoes, and Bed Bath & Beyond. Sounds like a nice little Saturday.
 
I didn't realize that Herman's was a big enough chain to be up here, too... had them in Jersey.

My first 10/22 came from a Service Merchandise - did they have stores up here too?

I remember there being a couple of Service Merchandise stores around the area.

There used to be a gun shop in Acton back in the 80's. It was across from where Kmart is now. I can't for the life of me remember what the name of it was though.
 
The Cheap Shot Gun Shop up that was up in Tamworth I believe,He had rows and rows of C&R rifles he had Hundreds of them.AKs galore,thats were I picked up my caught in customs polytech neutered down for post ban.
 
How about Coleman's in Canton center? I used to buy all my shotgun and 22 ammo there back in the day. There was also a nice gun shop near Weymouth Landing back in the '70s where I bought my first Remington 20 ga.
 
I have a box of .22lr with a Herman's price tag on it. My father got it for me when I was a kid from the Herman's in Natick/Framingham. I actually don't remember exactly where it was located.


I didn't realize that Herman's was a big enough chain to be up here, too... had them in Jersey.

My first 10/22 came from a Service Merchandise - did they have stores up here too?
 
Does anyone remember the gun shop that was on Park Ave in Arlington? It was there for many years while I was growing up. I think they had a small range in the basement and I heard that supposedly some people committed suicide there, which may be part of why the store closed down. Sucks that it's no longer there now that I'm old enough to be into firearms...
 
I didn't realize that Herman's was a big enough chain to be up here, too... had them in Jersey.

My first 10/22 came from a Service Merchandise - did they have stores up here too?

My Mossburg 500, my first purchase came from Service Merchandise in 1985 when I rented a sketchy apartment in Woburn.
 
I bought my first handgun from MVP in Danvers.

MVP in Norwood had a nice glass display case filled with handguns that was broken into with about a dozen stolen in the early 90's. That ended their firearm sales. You should have seen the lines there the weekend after the LA riots....
 
I didn't realize that Herman's was a big enough chain to be up here, too... had them in Jersey.

My first 10/22 came from a Service Merchandise - did they have stores up here too?

Yup, it was a Texan working the gun counter at Herman's in Braintree (So. Shore Plaza) that convinced my Wife that gun ownership was an OK thing. There was no looking back from there. [laugh]

I remember when the Stoughton/Brockton Service Merchandise got out of the gun business. I bought some stuff there, no guns though.


How about Coleman's in Canton center? I used to buy all my shotgun and 22 ammo there back in the day. There was also a nice gun shop near Weymouth Landing back in the '70s where I bought my first Remington 20 ga.

I used to hang out here and bought everything but guns from them. I knew most of the help at the gun counter. The former gun manager there (last I knew) manages the gun counter at the Natick Outdoor Sports store.


I bought my first gun at Lechmere's in Dedham!

Growing up as a kid in Randolph:
- Curran's Hardware store sold long guns and ammo.
- There was a store in a small strip plaza almost across from Curran's that sold full auto toys.
- The typewriter shop in North Randolph held an FFL and sold some guns from the back of the store.

The ORIGINAL Gun Room run by Peter Dowd, first almost next to Spags (same side of Rte. 9), later moved across the street and then sold it to John (has a long mustache).

Spags sold ammo, lots of it.

I also miss the old Ivanhoe's and Lew Horton's retail shops (downtown and later on Rte. 9).
 
I worked at Hermans in Shopper's World Framingham for a few months a very long time ago. Used to be able to buy guns at Sears too. I remember buying a 30 Carbine at a Caldor in Framingham back in the '70s. There was a gun shop on Rte 30 in Southborough near the resevoir some years ago....Southboro Arms I think (can't remember for sure though). Even your local hardware stores had guns back in the '60s and '70s.
 
Does anyone remember the gun shop that was on Park Ave in Arlington? It was there for many years while I was growing up. I think they had a small range in the basement and I heard that supposedly some people committed suicide there, which may be part of why the store closed down. Sucks that it's no longer there now that I'm old enough to be into firearms...



It was PSMG. They're listed in the Blue Book as a manufacturer, by the way.

I only dealt with them a couple of times, but I was not impressed. A buddy of mine liked them, though.

My "old gun shop" story is Kirkwood Bros in Boston. I vividly remember going there with my dad on a absolutely freezing day when I was maybe 6 or 7. There was a poster (for Remington?) showing an arm sticking up out of a lake, holding a shotgun up, to keep it dry. "Come Hell or High Water" was the caption.

I have my dad's Winchester 1400 that was purchased new at Service Merchandise in Burlington.

Guns were less evil back then, I guess.....
 
I worked at Hermans in Shopper's World Framingham for a few months a very long time ago. Used to be able to buy guns at Sears too. I remember buying a 30 Carbine at a Caldor in Framingham back in the '70s. There was a gun shop on Rte 30 in Southborough near the resevoir some years ago....Southboro Arms I think (can't remember for sure though). Even your local hardware stores had guns back in the '60s and '70s.

Bay State Arms was the Rte 30 place.

I live in that area, and shortly after we moved in, MsHappy went there (unescorted).

She walked in, and the curmudgeon behind the counter said, "You must be lost!"
"Why would you say that?"
"The only reason women come in here is that they're looking for Frugal Fannies (used to be around the corner) and are lost."
"Actually, I came in to see if you had any Parker shotguns....my husband like to collect them."

Apparently, the WTF? look was priceless! [laugh]

Not the most personable guy, but he did have some cool stuff in there.

.
 
I worked at Hermans in Shopper's World Framingham for a few months a very long time ago. Used to be able to buy guns at Sears too. I remember buying a 30 Carbine at a Caldor in Framingham back in the '70s. There was a gun shop on Rte 30 in Southborough near the resevoir some years ago....Southboro Arms I think (can't remember for sure though). Even your local hardware stores had guns back in the '60s and '70s.

That reminds me . . .

Western Auto had long guns and ammo back in the 1970s.

I only wish that I knew then what I know now about old battle-iron! Woolworth's in Downtown Boston in the late 1970s had barrels filled with M1 Carbines (I think they were $99), lots of other mil-surp guns for dirt money. They had ammo. I think they had handguns but not certain of that. It was right beside the escalator on the top floor.

There was also Bob Smith's a few doors down from Woolworth's. Mostly hunting guns/supplies.

I remember Sears catalogs with tons of long guns in them, as well as their stores.
 
Dick Moon Sporting Goods...Fenn St - Pittsfield, MA. I used to take the bus from Dalton to Pittsfield as a kid and after Sub-n-Beef for lunch, I'd always wander down to Dick Moon's and then to Marianos Magic Shop...The good ole days long gone...
 
I bought my first 10/22 at Herman's sporting goods in Framingham.

My dad co-signed for my first credit card to Lew Hortens when they were a shop.

I remember Sears in Natick selling rifles.

And I hated Bay State Arms, I walked in to see what he had, he told me to come back when I got my LTC, I pulled it out and showed him, then left...
 
Alpha in Milford.

Tucked away in the back, basement level of a strip mall. I remember talking cars with the guy (he had a few ferrari's). I heard rumor he closed due to a self inflicted headshot.

His store was awesome
 
I worked at Hermans in Shopper's World Framingham for a few months a very long time ago. Used to be able to buy guns at Sears too. I remember buying a 30 Carbine at a Caldor in Framingham back in the '70s. There was a gun shop on Rte 30 in Southborough near the resevoir some years ago....Southboro Arms I think (can't remember for sure though). Even your local hardware stores had guns back in the '60s and '70s.

I bought my first shotgun at Sears in Peabody's North Shore Shopping Center (Now NorthShore Mall) in 1978
 
supposedly there's a gun shop here in leominster near the lancaster border but i've never been there, talked to anyone who has ever been there, and no one has ever picked up the phone when i had the number for the place. phantom gun shop...
Dunno about the one near the Lancaster border. But there was one near Work n Gear called Hembrows
. They moved to Maine. Bought my first Glock there and my kids first .22 as well
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