Rocky’s falling silent, but memories echo
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Rocky Crocker, co-owner of Rocky’s House of Guns, sits at his computer while having a cup of coffee Wednesday afternoon. Rocky and his dad, Dick Crocker, have owned the business for nearly 31 years. They plan to close on Dec. 31.
Video
Rocky's House of Guns closing its doors
Dick Crocker and his son, Rocky Crocker, have owned Rocky's House of Guns for almost 31 years. The two are preparing to close the business December 31 of this year.
Taking advantage of the store’s complimentary coffee and cookies, Bud Dunn, peruses a Remington magazine at Rocky’s House of Guns last week. Dunn, a store regular, was looking to purchase a new 20-gauge shotgun.
Dick Crocker, 80, co-owner of Rocky’s House of Guns, still remembers his first gun — a Webley .45 Air Force pistol he bought in1946 for $17.95.
Magnum, the 5-year-old store mascot at Rocky’s House of Guns, sits nearby as a customer picks out a gun while talking to owner Rocky Crocker on Thursday afternoon.
WENATCHEE — After 31 years in the trade, a father-and-son team of gun sellers are holstering their business ambitions and aiming to retire.
Dick and Rocky Crocker, partners in Rocky’s House of Guns, have triggered hundreds of friendships from among their thousands of customers — hunters, hobbyists and collectors who’ve bought nearly 80,000 firearms and millions of rounds of ammo from the Crockers in the past three decades.
“We treat every person who walks in the door as if they’re our very best customer, and a lot of them have become our friends” said the 46-year-old Rocky. “You could say that’s been the secret to our success.”
The popular gun shop, now in its third Wenatchee location since 1979, will close its doors Dec. 31, unless a buyer is found. Much of the inventory — rifles, pistols, revolvers, holsters, targets, repair kits, ammunition and hundreds of other items — will be marked down and liquidated in the next six weeks.
Take note, however, that this isn’t a bad thing. The Crockers said their energy and enthusiasm for high-level customer satisfaction have waned only slightly over the years, but it’s still time for a long and relaxing break.
“In some ways, we’ve lost that spark and are worn out, kind of tired,” Rocky said. “It’s a sure sign that it’s time to do something different.”
The father and son said they’re looking forward to setting business aside to spend more quality time together.
“It’ll be nice to sit and have coffee with my mom or lunch with my dad and not really worry about the business,” said Rocky. He’s also a competitive bicyclist who’ll likely devote more time to the sport.
Oddly, the Crocker duo didn’t start out together selling guns. First, they were in the gasoline and snack business.
Originally an orchardist, Dick Crocker, 80, said he was convinced in 1979 that leasing a self-serve gas station, one of the few in Wenatchee at the time, would be a good way to make money. He pulled aside his son Rocky, only 16 at the time, and asked if he’d like to go into the gas station business. “He was so excited he could barely contain himself,” Dick said. “We called it ‘Rocky’s House of Gas.’”
“I was unbelievably gung-ho for the whole idea,” Rocky said. “My name was on the outside of the building, and every happy customer and penny of profit came back to me. I loved the idea of working for myself, even though I had to ride my bike to work. Didn’t have a driver’s license.”
The gas station, a sort of early-day mini-mart on Wenatchee Avenue where a strip mall sits today, also sold soda pop, candy bars and cigarettes. Guns came into the mix later in 1979, when Dick went to purchase a pistol from a local dealer. Gas shortages and resulting long lines had increased gas sales to a point that protection was needed, Dick said. Some days they’d have more than $10,000 in cash. “And that was a lot of money back then,” he added.
Surprised at the cost of a simple pistol, Dick and Rocky looked into buying guns from a wholesaler. They soon realized they could sell guns more cheaply than other gun outlets around Wenatchee. “And there were a lot them,” Dick said. “Even J.C. Penney was selling guns.”
The product mix of gasoline, goodies and guns was a natural, Dick said. “All those guys — farmers and hunters — coming by in their pickup trucks would see the guns in the display cases ... well, they couldn’t help but get interested.”
When the lease on their gas station fizzled, the Crockers moved down the street to a building that would house their business for most of its busy life. They dropped the gas and goodies from their inventory and concentrated on guns — which for the two hunters and outdoorsmen was a primary interest — and concentrated on the selling, buying and trading of pistols, revolvers, rifles and shotguns.
The gun business boomed, said the Crockers, in the mid-1990s when the Clinton administration threatened to impose tougher gun restrictions that would ban importation of some firearms, limit manufacture of others and regulate magazine capacity on some models.
“It was a huge incentive for many folks to buy,” said Dick, noting that his business spiked to $3.5 million in 1994. Currently, gross annual sales stand at about $1 million, and the gun sellers are noticing a slight lift in sales due to a perceived gun-control threat from the present Democratic administration. A photo of President Obama tacked above the discount table reads: “Gun Salesman of the Year.”
The gun sellers note that about 60 percent of their business comes from out of town — from devoted customers across the state and online auctions that reach an international clientele.
About 18 months ago, the Crockers moved to their present location on South Chelan Avenue, where Magnum, their chocolate labrador, helps welcome regular customers for coffee, cookies and shooting the bull.
Remarkably, the father and son have had few arguments through 31 years of business.
“Oh sure,” Dick said, “we pull at each other’s hair now and then, but no major falling outs.”
“This is a family operation where we try to make our customers happy,” Rocky said. “We provide good prices, good advice and some pretty good coffee. For a lot of our customers, it just feels like home.”
Mike Irwin: 665-1179
irwin@wenatcheeworld.com
Comments
Want to comment on this story? Registered users can use the form below. Please know that we at wenatcheeworld.com hope our site is useful, entertaining and civil. So we'll delete comments that are obscene, abusive or way off topic. We appreciate it when readers use the "suggest removal" button to flag inappropriate comments. For more about interacting with the site, see our Use Policy.
millerkauthor (Kathleen Miller) says...
I'm horrified that nearly 80,000 guns and millions of rounds of ammunition have been bought at Rocky's House of Guns. No wonder we have so much violence in America. This is just one store. I'm strongly in favor of gun control. NRA nuts are sadly out of date.
November 17, 2009 at 4:28 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Cactus (Jerry Patterson) says...
Welcome to the concept of irrational and paranoid thought. This article was not intended as a soapbox for the gun control nuts. The constitution isnt going anywhere, lay it to rest already, end of story. In contrast to the undue critical statement above, I would like to mention that dealing with both owners has always been a pleasure above and beyond any other place I have ever bought ANYTHING and I am grateful for the tools they have sold us. These tools have provided countless great memories, hours of quality time with family and friends and of course, tools we utilize to take control and ensure the safety of our family. Thank you, Rocky's for being just one of many such stores rooted in great american values, helping us protect ourselves and with many good times. You will be missed by many!
November 17, 2009 at 5 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Gator (J Bone) says...
Ms. Miller, do you really want to open that can of worms? I don't think your closed-minded, liberal stance that gun owner=bad guy is helpful, or even appropriate to the spirit of the article. The article, to me, is written to recognize a family, and Wenatchee community, small business success story. I, for one, would like to congratulate the Crockers on a great contribution to our valley and wish them luck in future endeavors.
November 17, 2009 at 5:08 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Orphanthall (Nathan Smith) says...
Probably closing over a lack of sales. Used to be my favorite store until the late 90s when they started acting like they were doing you a huge favor to sell you a product. The weak go out of business and are replaced with new.
November 17, 2009 at 5:12 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
mitch117 (Mitchell Williams) says...
Well Mrs. Miller your either a Gun owner or a Statistic. I've gladly choosen to be a gun owner and NRA member. People that mistreat the privilage of owning guns are the ones that give good firearm owners a bad name and appearantly also a reason for liberal's like you too complain about the use of one invention that's helped protect your freedom for over 300 years.
November 17, 2009 at 7:05 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Reilly (Brian Reilly) says...
Rocky's was one of my favorite accounts back when I was on the road. I always would make a special trip from the Seattle side just to visit Rocky's House of Guns. It was always a pleasure to see Rocky and Dick and it was always great to be in sunny Wenatchee. I had over 300 accounts in 5 states and Rocky's House of Gun's was among the very best. Rocky and Dick always treated me like I was a part of their family. They out lasted and out sold many other accounts. Rocky's was and continues to be well known throughout the state. Congratulations to Rocky and Dick on their retirement. You guys have more than earned it.
November 17, 2009 at 8:19 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
MRlogical (Justin W) says...
The biggest issue with gun control is that if a criminal is going to commit a crime, do you really think because of gun control he won't have access to weapons or think, "OH GEE, guns are illegal, I'm not going to use them..." Uhh no they won't think like that and they won't have a hard time finding one.
Gun control does nothing towards the solution. The vehicle that criminals use for violence will just shift to something else, like stabbings, beatings and so forth.. So gun control is a waste of time in my opinion.
November 18, 2009 at 9:31 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
paintguy (D Bennett) says...
Hats off to Dick and Rocky. I wish them nothing but the best. Time to enjoy life and do something for yourselves. Enjoy, you will be missed
Regards
@Ms Miller: You know the old saying "Better to be thought a fool than open one's mouth and remove all doubt..." food for thought.
November 18, 2009 at 4:17 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
millerkauthor (Kathleen Miller) says...
Approximately 60 percent of all murder victims in the United States in 1989 (about 12,000 people) were killed with firearms. According to estimates, firearm attacks injured another 70,000 victims, some of whom were left permanently disabled. In 1985 (the latest year for which data are available), the cost of shootings--either by others, through self-inflicted wounds, or in accidents--was estimated to be more than $14 billion nationwide for medical care, long-term disability, and premature death. (The number of gun victims has increased since 1989 to 15,456 gun homicides in 1994. Source: FBI UCR report.)
In robberies and assaults, victims are far more likely to die when the perpetrator is armed with a gun than when he or she has another weapon or is unarmed.
Residents of homes where a gun is present are 5 times more likely to experience a suicide than residents of homes without guns.
Self-defense is commonly cited as a reason to own a gun. But research has shown that a gun kept in the home is 43 times more likely to kill a member of the household, or friend, than an intruder. Use of a firearm to resist a violent assault actually increases the victim's risk of injury and death. (Source: Scientific American).
November 20, 2009 at 7:06 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
mitch117 (Mitchell Williams) says...
Wow, you really did your homework. Did you ever think that the person behind the gun is the reason for the violence, not the gun itself? Here's something to prove my point; "If guns kill people, then i can blame misspelled words on my pencil." -funny but seriously true if you think about it (all liberal thoughts aside though).
November 20, 2009 at 7:48 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
jenm (jen m) says...
kathleen,.all us supporters will make sure we turn our back and not defend you with our weapons if so you ever need it.we wouldnt want to offend you .
November 20, 2009 at 7:54 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
jenm (jen m) says...
btw.....lets send our troops with numchucks and a knife to afhganistan and iraq and see how well they do there........proud supporter of 1161st ephrata washington come home safe guys
November 20, 2009 at 8 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Martin (Martin Reginald) says...
To Kathleen. Please go the library and check out one of John Lott's books on guns. It is only one of many sources out there which may be informative, assuming an opened mind that is. If interested, I can also point you to a number of other online resources.
You say: Approximately 60 percent of all murder victims in the United States in 1989 ... were killed with firearms
I say: And 100% of all murder victims in countries which prohibit firearms are commited with other objects. The fallacy is the assumption that the rate of murder or violence will decrease due to the absence of one type of object.
You say: the cost of shootings--either by others, through self-inflicted wounds, or in accidents--was estimated to be more than $14 billion nationwide for medical care, long-term disability, and premature death.
I say: Approximately 82% of the cost of shootings is due to suicde. It has been shown many times in studies and statistics that the presence of guns does not lower the rate of suicides. Therefore, the large majority of the costs you cite will occur regardless of guns.
You say: In robberies and assaults, victims are far more likely to die when the perpetrator is armed with a gun than when he or she has another weapon or is unarmed.
I say: Uh, no. This comes under self-defense and will be addressed below.
You say: Self-defense is commonly cited as a reason to own a gun. But research has shown that a gun kept in the home is 43 times more likely to kill a member of the household, or friend, than an intruder. Use of a firearm to resist a violent assault actually increases the victim's risk of injury and death. (Source: Scientific American).
I say: The Scientific American stats have been demonstrated to be incorrect, both in methodology of collection and interpretation. It has been shown through several studies that defensive gun use occurs from a low of about 750,000 times per year to a high of about 3.3 million times per year. I myself have had to use my gun on two occasions, years apart, to thwart do-bads. In both cases, all I needed to do was show the gun. No fire-fight ensued. Now do the math: if 750,000 uses of the gun (at minimum) are used in defense and you multiply that number by your stated number of deaths that occur to owners of guns for each defensive use, what is the total? That's right. It is waaaaaaayyy larger than any statistically stated gun deaths in any record. Obviously your stats are wrong.
Guns are a GOOD thing. Good guys using guns are a GOOD thing. Bad guys using guns, or bats, or knives, or automobiles, or flamethrowers, or rattlesnakes are a BAAAAD thing.
November 21, 2009 at 2:58 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
red2 (lola horse) says...
Martin, It's great to hear from you again! I've never been into Rocky's but I should go before they shut down. I fully support their freedom to do whatever they want to do within the law. I have rifles and shotguns but would like to have a nice, powerful hand gun. I would pledge to take some lessons to learn how to properly handle it should I make such a purchase.
November 21, 2009 at 7:36 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Reilly (Brian Reilly) says...
Socialists, Communists, Marxists, National Socialists, Obammunists and all other freedom crushing totalitarian despots not mentioned are for disarming the public.
You can judge a person by the friends they embrace.
November 29, 2009 at 7:40 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )