Today we’d like to introduce you to Nick Groshong.
Nick, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
In 2013 I was attending CLC for law enforcement degree, I had injured my shoulder and had surgery. I had been told by the front desk nurses at northern orthopedics on south sixth street that if I have surgery, I’ll never be able to become a cop. I guess subconsciously it bugged me. So after failing the physical fitness test for skills, I decided to finish my degree, and in turn, I chose to get my degree through an at home course with Ashworth college. I took up gunsmithing as a side business, and wound up getting on the honor roll for it with a 4.0 gpa.
After graduation, I jumped from job to job, and worked in everything from gun counter sales to security companies, working as an armed security guard. Eventually, thought about giving up on my dreams, until I met someone who I figured would change my luck…so in 2015, I filed my paperwork with the state, and opened my doors. I opted not to open a location anywhere other than at home simply because if I had a slow month, I didn’t have to worry about foreclosure or anything. I also intended to be a family owned business where I could be home to care for the kids while doing any repairs for customers firearms. Sadly, in 2018, my wife of 3 years left me, in a divorce that left me broken. Business dropped as well for a few more years. But after moving back home with my parents, I focused a lot on rebuilding my life, business and more. I began working at granite city armored car in 2018, and have stayed there since.
I’ve renamed my business to Lakes Area Gun Repair to accentuate what it is that I do, and added Firearms Training Center as I teach the Minnesota carry permit course as well.
It’s been a wild ride of ups and downs over the years, and all I can think of is ways to expand my business to draw in clients…. I want to sell tactical gear, from magazine pouches, to ballistic vests.
I’ve began dabbling in leather work, trying my hand at making custom holsters, some wood work where I intend to make cabinets and concealment furniture, and lastly I’ve been thinking of doing metal work to make knives, swords, axes… and while I know things take time, I’m willing to put in the work! I also have a 3d printer and laser engraver, how those will come into play? I’m not entirely sure. I may make custom parts for firearms, or maybe props and display pieces….the laser can make signs, and the 3d printer also has a convertible feature that lets me carve things with a cnc. This would allow me to make molds for holsters, to do leather, or kydex…
I’d like to say my shop is full service, but I cannot do some work like rmr cutting, or threading barrels. And there are some tools I just don’t have yet…but in time. I’d like to be able to expand into everything that a client could want.
From holsters, to engraved designs, to threaded barrels, and accessories like grips and sight mounts… but it will all happen in time!
In fact, maybe one day I could see my shop making things to help those regain the ability to live, like prosthetics for veterans, and victims of bad car accidents. I’ve even made a few vets happy to get back into hunting again by making assistive devices to let them go hunting again!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
From beginning to today, hasn’t been as fun as I hoped it to be. Sure, the paperwork was clear but no one ever lays out a packet of what it takes to open a self employed business. From business name, location, any licensing needed, to tax information…. It was rough. But once that was done, it was a matter of advertising to bring people in.
I started with listening to my wife at the time, put an ad on facebook it’s free, and Craigslist, it’s free…
Then there was the facebook beaurocrats who take it upon themselves to delete any ad or page that they didn’t like….. I often wondered why these the gun groups could have their ads on facebook all over the place while mine was removed and deleted… and when I bought ink for the printer to print ads to hang up all across town, the wife used the ink to print her stuff like walkthroughs for video games often using up the ink before I could do anything… she quietly started sabotaging my business as much time and effort as I put into it as hard as I worked, she always found a way to sabotage what I wanted.
After the divorce, things got bad, no business at all but I held on… and slowly I started making money again. It’s not hand over fist by any means, but I’m hanging in there.
Today, it’s slow, based on the politics, parts are harder to come by, but when I do have a job, I do my best to make that customer happy!
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I try to keep my prices as cheap as possible, I’m not here to get rich on the hard work of the people to enjoy their second amendment rights. If someone needs work done on their sidearm, or rifle, I try to work with them for cost. With business being as slow as molasses already, I’m buying parts out of my pocket then using that to keep your firearms working. Especially if it’s a gun that’s not made anymore, or it’s from the 70s and that part was remade differently in other models newer guns. And if I cannot do the job cause I cannot justify it. I won’t do it. For example, a shotgun is at cheapest around 250$ to around 350$ new….if my work is going to cost you more than a new shotgun, I try to inform that customer that it’s not cost effective. I also pay attention to firearms details.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
I define success as being able to satisfy my customers needs, by providing the best service that I can. I tell it like it is and don’t sugar coat anything.
If you bring in a rifle, tell me it’s doing this or not doing something that it should….ill look it over, quote a price, and be honest that it could be more depending how deep the issue goes.
Now if I can repair your gun you brought to me as a box of parts, great! If not, I’ll let you know what’s missing and if I had to buy it. But generally success is delivery of a product that a person can use!
Pricing:
- 20$ hr labor for extended jobs.
- All jobs requested are dependent on or subject to severity.
- Initial jobs like action jobs, triggers bolts…start at 150$ plus parts and materials
Contact Info:
- Website: https://lakesareagunrepair.wordpress.com/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Lakes-Area-Gun-Repair-61570635134539/
- Other: Lakes Area Gun Repair & Firearms Training Center https://share.google/gAOqh9XrEMzHiZA5m
