There's a little place in Marietta, GA not too many folks know about. It's literally within sight of the Marietta Civic Center where the gun shows are held and you'd never see them.

I've been patronizing them since the late 80's. It's a very small shop with mostly parts the gunsmith had collected over a lifetime.

Many hard to get parts. Lots of 1903 and M1 Garand parts.

He has a love of black powder. Nearly anything you want for BP shooting. Kits, parts, whole guns and all the accessories that go with them.

I first was referred to him as a gunsmith when I came up with a Wildey .45Winmag and it had fractured the receiver. He sent it to Wildey for me and charged me nothing. Made me a customer for life.

The gunsmith was an older gentleman who pretty much stayed in the back except to come out to examine your gun and decide if he could repair it. If he could, he would disappear with it and his son who was a not much older than I wrote a ticket up. The gunsmith looked like he had been doing this since the 1950's. Old school, I already like him.

Beside the guy that wrote my ticket was a very young child on the stool watching his father.

I was 22 back then and yesterday I drop in to pick up some BP caps and possible a magazine for a Marlin 22 I was given.

He reached into the "secret stash" and gave me two packs of caps as things are insane. Price was normal and not inflated. He even had the mag for the rifle that is close to $100 on eBay for $20.

That small child now has HIS son working the register and the gunsmith is now the original young man that helped me.

The gunsmith heard my voice cheerfully talking about how long I had been doing business with them and he poked his head out and said I remember your first time here! Came in here with that hand cannon daddy sent off. Man we passed it around admiring it when it came back!

I'm 55 now, the son is in his early 60's the little boy is now helping me get what I need and the newest is at the register. They all stop and tell him that people like me are the reason they do what they do. The love of the sport, the smell of the gunpowder, the admiration of the mechanicals.

He had the boy shake my hand and told me that they guess I will get to see him grow up too. One day he will be the old man poking his head from the back to take a broken gun in to fix.

You walk in this place and the smell of yesteryear and the atmosphere abounds.

That is getting to be a very rare thing indeed. It must be wonderful to have a place like that, and it’s even more wonderful that it has survived for so long. I hope the place is still around so that you do get to see that little kid be the “old man” who pokes his head out from the back. Great story!

Sounds like a great place!

A rare place and a heart warming history. A family passing down skills, values and principles through generations. If only there were more people and places like this.

What a heart warming story and brought a tear to my eye. You are lucky to have such a place.

Neat story. I, myself would of handed him a $20 (for the jar) as I departed the store.

It is harder and harder for these shops to stay in business.

Sounds like the store you carried me to.

That's an excellent post Mars. I may never get there in person but you had me there for a nice visit and it was warming.

Give them my regards when you next go.

Thank you Sir.

quote:

Originally posted by 45 Cal:
Sounds like the store you carried me to.

Why yes it is.

Awesome story! Thanks for sharing!

Great story. And yes, caps are getting hard to find. I was able to some recently which really surprised me.

These people are the true "salt of the Earth".

Very cool story. This is rare today.

Sounds like I need to take a trip to Mayretta.

Marietta had an old place over by Dobbins AFB that I grew up in. Fair Oaks Hardware. Bought my first gun there and spent so many hours there I cant even count. Now it is a gas station or something.

A great story Mars, and thanks for the telling!

Cool, cool story. I miss my gun store and my barber shop back home.. Hopefully people will realize after COVID how important these places are and continue to support small business. I appreciate the chance to take a little trip with you on the thread, thanks for posting it.

quote:

Originally posted by 45 Cal:
Sounds like the store you carried me to.

Hi, there! Don't see you very often. I still remember you firing my Grizzly pistols in your cave.

flashguy

A place and relationship to treasure. We need more positive stories like this!

A real American story. Thanks for sharing it.