by David Flint
The building on the southwest corner of Route 22 and Elm Street in Berlin has been through a number of rebirths. Back in the 1960’s it was a popular little eatery called the Lunchbox. Later it was a video store and then a pizza place. For a number of years it also housed a Laundromat. In its current life it is now the location of Karen & Charlie’s Guns.
Karen and Charlie Davis have resided in Petersburgh for about ten years. They have a business up there called D & D Floorcovering. They are both gun enthusiasts, hunters and members of the Berlin Rod & Gun Club. Having noticed that, aside from Steve’s Gun Shop in Stephentown, there is no place locally where the area’s many hunters can purchase hunting supplies, they opened their own shop last September.
Business, they say, has been pretty good, considering that they are still fairly new to Berlin. They have actually had a few customers from as far away as Connecticut and New Jersey. They have not heard any negative comments from people in the community so far and are pleased to say that they have received quite a few positive comments. They carry a sizeable variety of both hand guns and long guns and ammunition for whatever gun you have. Prices on the hand guns range from $170 up to $675 for a Beretta. Karen said they have sold a lot of rifles and shotguns, especially the Savage brand, and quite a few hand guns. If you don’t see what you’re looking for, Karen says they have access to all the manufacturers so they can order it for you.
They also carry muzzle loaders and air rifles along with all the necessary cleaning kits and accessories. They do take trade-ins and they have a few used long guns, but most people these days, they say, seem to want to hold on to their old weapons, perhaps fearing future confiscation. They expect soon to stock target and hunting archery equipment as well. For the fishing people they carry all kinds of fishing supplies as well as bait fish. Most of their sales, however, has been in ammunition for target shooting and for hunting.
With the advent of the Secure Ammunition and Firearms Enforcement (SAFE) Act the Davises say that they have to be very careful with the paperwork and so do their customers. But they can help the customers with that. They have all the necessary forms if, for example, someone wants to transfer ownership of a weapon or request a pistol permit, and they are prepared to help customers fill them out and get them filed. They are also prepared to answer questions that people have regarding the new law, or they can refer them to the proper authority. Charlie said that it is pretty common knowledge now what arms and ammunition people can and can’t have under the SAFE Act and as far as he knows, everyone seems to be complying with the law. Regarding the SAFE Act, Charlie said he believes the State went about it the wrong way. He thinks they would have been better advised to more actively enforce existing laws rather than creating a new one that seems in some respects to go after sporting enthusiasts rather than potential criminals.
Another service that Karen and Charlie plan to offer is ammunition reloading. They think there will be a growing demand for that because the new law will eventually require background checks for ammunition sales. They believe that people will not want to go through the hassle of a background check just to buy a box of ammo.
Karen and Charlie say that they want to keep a small store that is community oriented. Their basic goal is to listen carefully to what the customers want, what they like and what they don’t like.
There is no website for Karen & Charlie’s Guns yet but they plan to have one constructed in the future. Meanwhile they are listed on a number of manufacturers’ websites. For more information they can be reached at 658-2222. Hours at the store are 10 am to 6 pm Tuesday through Friday and 10 am to 3 pm on Saturday.
Karen and Charlie are optimistic about the success of the store. “We hope it works out. We think it’s a real benefit to Berlin and Petersburgh to keep business local,” they said.