Nicole and Daniel Bean proudly display their inventory.
Daniel and Nicole Bean opened their firearm sales, repairs, customizations and accessories business on Feb. 10.
By Rich Wicks | Guthrie Center Times
One of the newest businesses in Guthrie Center is Bean Armory at 310 State St. Owners Daniel and Nicole Bean recently shared their story.
Nicole is a native of Guthrie Center, while Daniel is originally from Florida. Daniel recalls that he’s been around guns his entire life.
“I’ve been cleaning guns and working on guns since…well, my grandfather had me doing it at 5 years old,” Daniel said.
Shirts and other novelties are also available at Bean Armory.
“At our grand opening, we were wall to wall here for about four straight hours,” Daniel said. “It was really nice.”
The store sells a wide variety of guns, including handguns, revolvers, shotguns, rifles, and more. A wide variety of ammunition and gun accessories are in stock, as well as other items, including T-shirts, novelties and purses. Daniel pointed out that some of the American Darling purses are specially designed “concealed carry” purses that have a holster built-in to hold a handgun for those with such a permit.
Although the Beans try to keep plenty of inventory on hand, they realize that one store can’t have everything that customers may ask for.
“People are surprised at how much inventory we have,” Daniel said. “And then, if you want something we don’t have, I will order it for you.”
In addition to the items for sale, Daniel also offers repair service.
Ammunition for nearly any type of gun can be found at Bean Armory.
Nicole pointed out that Daniel can do almost anything needed on guns of any type.
“I think some people have been surprised at the extent of the gunsmithing that Daniel can do. It’s not just cleaning and repairing but full-on refurbishments,” she said.
Running a store requires putting in plenty of hours, and Daniel doesn’t shy away from that.
“I’m here from about 8:30 in the morning until about 6:30 at night, five nights a week,” Daniel said. “I get 10,000 steps in a day working here.”
As the shop has become more well known, customers have arrived from near and far.
“I’ve had people from Grimes, Audubon, Carroll, Adair — all around, actually,” Daniel said.
But, he admits not everyone realizes yet that there is a gun store in Guthrie Center, and that led to one humorous encounter caused by the name “Bean.”
“We had a group of ladies come in, thinking we were a coffee shop,” Daniel said.
Daniel enjoys the challenge of working on whatever a customer may want done, and the Beans strive for customer satisfaction in every situation.
“The oldest gun I’ve worked on was a pre-World War II double-barreled shotgun. I put 40 hours of research into trying to find the parts,” Daniel said.
Looking ahead, the Beans plan to continue expanding and fine-tuning their inventory to meet the needs of their customers.
“We’re getting new guns on pretty much a weekly basis,” Nicole said. “We’re your one-stop shop for all your firearm sales, repairs, customizations and accessories.”
Knowing that hunting season will likely be a busy time at the shop, Daniel encourages customers to plan ahead for any purchases or gunsmithing, so he can have everyone ready for when they plan to hunt. The Beans also plan to partner with others in the community to offer gun safety and hunting safety instruction.
Nicole and Daniel’s philosophy is to cater to every level of hunter and gun owner, from beginners to experts.
“The only dumb question is the one you don’t ask,” Daniel said. n