Making a profitable paintball center: Paintball is hot and there's a lot of money to be made by Family Entertainment Centers. Shooting Industry, Nov, 2003 by Tom Gaylord
Paintball is a fast growing sport. A combination of tag, capture the flag and hide-and-seek, paintball has evolved from an "extreme" sport to one enjoyed by millions of people in the U.S.
According to the National Sporting Goods Association (NSGA), 6.9 million participants took part in paintball in 2002, replacing snowboarding as the nation's fastest growing sport. And paintball customers spend a lot of money. The wholesale of paintball equipment rose from $170 million in 1999 to $225 million in 2001.
For the gun dealer, this means an opportunity to enhance the sales of their existing operation by introducing paintball into their product mix. Paintball products include markers--special airguns that launch paintballs--sights, safety equipment and air and C[O.sub.2] tanks. In addition, maintenance/modifications for markers can add business.
Most of those involved in paintball tend to be in their early 20s or younger, with the greatest number around 16. They don't often come from the shooting sports, though Doug Pittman, owner of Montana Hawk, a gun shop in Cotati, Calif., says, "We are now selling guns to kids who bought markers from us 10 years ago, so I see paintball as one way of growing our future firearm business." |
