HELFENSTEIN — What started as a hobby shared between father and son set the foundation for a successful business on the main road of a tiny East Cameron Township village surrounded by little more than rolling hills and farmland.
Kahler’s Gun Shop owner Bob Kahler said the origins of his business date back 37 years, when the business he and his father patronized for trapshooting ammunition and equipment abandoned its retail operations and transitioned to wholesale selling.
“We didn’t know what to do,” he said. “So I got an FFL (Federal Firearms License) just so we could go there and buy our shooting supplies wholesale.”
It didn’t take long for Kahler to realize the acquisition of the license opened the door to create his own business. After all, being a gun enthusiast his entire life, he had no shortage of firearms laying around his house.
“The wife (Linda) didn’t want so many guns in the house laying around because of the kids, so I put them in here,” he said, adding that he has lived in Helfenstein his entire life on the same property his current business is located — 892 High Road, Ashland.
Being a licensed dealer, Kahler’s oversized “gun safe” in his yard eventually turned into the business it is today — a thriving operation with a loyal customer base that utilizes the storefront as both a place to buy guns and ammunition and a place to share stories.
“All the guys we knew back then started to use us to purchase guns and everything kind of blossomed from there,” he said. “Sometimes we do more talking here than business, and I don’t think any of us would have it any other way.”
Kahler said he said farewell to his full-time job on Sept. 13, 1989, the day he committed to the gun shop as his primary means of income.
“I would work all-day and then come in here,” he said. “If I got home at 4, I was in here until 9 or 10 every night. The 80s and 90s were tremendous for business and I retired and have been here ever since.
“I wouldn’t give it up for the world. Will you ever get rich at it? Hell no. But it’s not about us making money.”
Kahler said the pandemic brought about a surge of business that reminded him of years from decades past — a similar increase reported by most family-owned gun stores nationally, which is a breath of fresh air for an industry that has been gravitating toward big box stores and online sales.
“We get product in and it goes out,” he said. “It’s pretty much like trout season, I’d say. They fill the streams up with fish and the first day of fishing it gets emptied out.
“Our customers come from about a 50-mile radius — from the Poconos, Williamsport, Elizabethtown and even Mansfield. On Fridays and Saturdays there are always guys in here from long distances.”
Kahler’s Gun Shop operates from noon to 6 p.m. during the week and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays.
Kahler thanked his wife, Linda, his daughter, Jessica Moran, and his son-in-law Shane Moran for their help and support with the business over the years.
“All I can do is thank the people that are there for us,” he said. “It’s amazing how many people have come out of the woodwork to help us out. Our family has been a big part of that, but a lot of my customers — they have been like family, too.”
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