.History On Jesse's Gun shop
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"I let my hair grow long and was myself. I believed if I worked hard enough and long enough the business would come. And it has" Thus begins Jesse Bonner, owner of Jesse's Gun Shop, explaining not just his take on the retail gun business but his philosophy on life in general and good customer service in particular. The long hair is gone now, but the high level of service remains. At age 42, Bonner is in his comfort zone in his small gun store at 2115 W. Second Ave. A short 14 years ago, he wasn't even sure he could survive, much less thrive, in a business with so much competition from large chain retailers. "Oh I was sick for weeks trying to decide whether or not to buy the store. I was so worried I couldn't eat", he recalled. "I wanted to make my mark, own my own business, but it's very challenging. The buck stops with me." Born in Corsicana, raised in Winkler and schooled in Fairfield, Bonner is a perfect fit in his line of work. . |
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Family is of paramount importance to Bonner. He has five children, from age 2 to 23. The two oldest boys, Justin and Bradley, or "Smooch," as Jesse calls him, both help out at the store. His aunt, Doris Eakes, tends the books and keeps the male-dominated environment civilized. Smooch and Justin work side-by-side with their father, and each seems to have inherited Bonner's love for well-made firearms. Jesse proudly states he became interested in guns when he was about 5 years old,: Like any normal, red-blooded American male," and after 10 years of working in a steel mill in Jewett, he took that affinity for guns one step further and attended the East Texas School of Gunsmith in 1991.
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