East Coast Gun Sales will begin a "going out of business" sale on Thursday, according to signs posted on the store's front doors Monday.
Meanwhile, employees of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives have been at the store reviewing the company's inventory and recordkeeping - although an agency spokesman said the review is routine.
The turn of events is strange, given the company's recent move to its current location on Fairway Drive from Duncansville, coupled with an announcement in August that the move would allow it to expand.
The message box for the company's phone line was full Monday, and company owner Jim Faith
didn't reply to a voicemail message.
There have been indications of trouble recently, however.
On Jan. 27, the firm announced by email to its mailing list subscribers a "liquidation sale" for the Fairway Drive location, beginning Monday.
The email stated: "The Fairway Drive, Altoona, location of East Coast Gun Sales is going out of business Feb. 18th," implying that the firm has another location.
The firm's website, however, as of Monday, listed only the Fairway Drive address.
Less than three hours after sending that liquidation email, the firm followed it up with an email stating: "The previous email that you received was an error. We're not sure how it was sent. We will be closed all of next week for inventory."
The initial email drew at least one potential customer to the store on Monday, leading to their puzzlement when they found the doors locked.
"I heard they're going back to Duncansville," said Mike Boyd of Altoona, who's been a customer for eight years.
He "hates" the idea the firm may be going out of business, he said.
"They've always did me right," he said. "They always did me good."
It also surprises him, because it seemed like the store was "doing really great," he said.
In mid-January, there were rumors the store was padlocked, but a check at the time showed the store to be open for business.
An employee indicated then that there was no problem, although Faith didn't return a call.
The ongoing "fairly routine" compliance inspection is taking "some time" because the company sells a "large volume" of firearms, ATF Special Agent Steve Bartholomew of the Philadelphia office said.
The checks included an examination of records regarding "acquisition and disposal" of guns, he said.
Asked whether a red flag or complaint triggered the check, he said, "the inspection is routine."
Asked whether it was related to the going out of business sale, he said he was unaware of such a sale.
East Coast was being "fully cooperative" with the review, he said.
Mirror Staff Writer William Kibler is at 949-7038.
