Photography by Amy J. Owen

Nestled inside Friedman’s Jewelers is an inconspicuous business that one local radio advertisement calls a “regional best.” Though Friedman’s is arguably the best estate jewelry store in the Savannah River area, the ad doesn’t refer to the jewelry transactions happening inside but to another operation in the back corner of the store: Southeastern Armory, the region’s best gun resource for anyone seeking a large and diverse selection of high-end firearms.

Though the words “Southeastern Armory” appear on the front façade of the building, the best visual cue that you’re at the right place is an older military truck — a World War II-style “deuce-and-a-half” decked with a few American flags — usually parked in the front lot’s prominent corner. In a way, this military truck, suggestive of The Greatest Generation, is emblematic of the quality and dependability of Southeastern’s service and products.

The Backstop

Many Augustans know well-respected businessman Donnie Thompson, owner of Windsor Fine Jewelers since 1975, so it was no surprise when he opened a second jewelry store (Friedman’s) in 2010. I asked Thompson what had inspired him to pivot into the gun business. He said that he had heard  that you can’t make money in the gun business, “so you do it because you like it.” Although never much for hunting, Thompson always enjoyed shooting various targets. It so happens that two of his grandchildren like to hunt as well as shoot sporting clays. The same is true of his son-in-law, Jason Hawes, General Manager of both Friedman’s and Southeastern since 2012, when both stores opened, less than half-a-mile down the street from Windsor. 

“The whole focus of this store as it grew,” Hawes says, “was to have an estate store and a gun store. We wanted to target the whole gamut of gun customers: those into various types of hunting, those who shoot for recreation, folks in law enforcement. At the beginning we didn’t have guns for all of that, but we grew into it. We had to get set up with major suppliers so that I could buy directly from them.”

A Long Shot

Getting set up with some big-name firearm suppliers, though, doesn’t happen overnight. For example, to be a Benelli dealer — a premier brand whose shotguns have legendary status — Hawes has to buy directly from Benelli since they don’t sell to distribution houses. The only hitch is that he must commit to buying a certain amount of product annually. So, in the beginning, to remain solvent, Southeastern did not carry all the high-brow brands. “It simply takes time to grow into that [level of business],” Hawes says. 

Operating for the past 12 years, however, Southeastern accrued enough market success to expand its selection of premium-grade guns, including Benelli, to thousands of firearms. Hawes opined that this combination of quality with quantity, a long-won characteristic of Southeastern’s, attracts many customers: “I try to keep stuff here that you can’t get in the rest of the big-box stores, more of the higher-end products. So, [becoming a good gun business] is an evolution; it’s got to work its way up. Now I buy direct from almost all the manufacturers.” 

For the full article pick up a copy of our October 2024 issue of Augusta magazine on stands.