Shopkeep Richard Barch tells us his parents, Robert and Shirley Barch, opened this gun store in 1975 (he says it was his mom who came up with the cute name), and says the family-owned and -operated aspect means you get customer service here that you won't get anywhere else.
"We only sell stuff that we're comfortable with using," Barch tells us. "My whole theory's always been I want to see our customers succeed — it's a reflection on us." Barch says his customers come from all over Michigan specifically to seek out Michi-Gun's wares, and points out that just this morning he helped someone who drove down from Flint.
Michi-Gun sells new and used guns — rifles, handguns, shotguns, and all the accompanying ammo you'd need. They also sell plenty of holsters, slings, scopes, gun cases, safes, hunting clothing, and knives, amid taxidermy trophies that round out the "hunter's paradise" atmosphere. Services offered include scope mounting, boresighting, and custom cleaning. We showed up to check the place out two days before the start of hunting season, and — pardon our pun — business was positively booming.
"There's always last-minute shoppers," Barch says. "It's no different than Christmas." –Lee DeVito
