While Collectors Firearms started in 1975, the story goes back much further to the early 1950s when native Houstonian Mike Clark developed a fascination with older guns after listening to one too many westerns on the radio. He would occasionally pick up a souvenir using his chore money from what he described as an old junk shop. When he was 9 or 10, he spent the summer mowing lawns and managed to save up $40. He saw an advertisement for a gun show and asked his father to take him. After looking around the show, he asked a man how much a particular gun on his table cost. The dealer told him it was $45 and Mike’s reply was “I only have $40” not as negotiation, but because he only had $40. The dealer’s table mate said “Let the kid have it at $40. You have had that gun way too long.”

Mike and his father walked around the show going up one aisle and down the other, Mike was approached by someone passing by who asked Mike if he wanted to sell his new purchase. Mike was not too keen to sell it, but asked the man how much was he offering. When the man told him $100, a gun dealer was born! He realized he had spent all summer mowing lawns in the Houston, Tx heat to earn $40 and he had more than doubled it in less than 30 minutes by buying and selling an old gun.

Collectors Firearms was started in 1975 by four friends who decided to lease a 600 square foot space and have a gun store. Their “business plan” was to pool their money, buy gun collections, keep the best stuff for their own collection and sell the rest. Unfortunately, two of the partners had to drop out within the first month due to health reasons leaving Mike Clark and Jerry Fountain holding a lease and being on the line at $100 a month!. They both decided they had to make a go of it. Mike and Jerry operated for 10 years as partners before Mike and Jerry decided to go their separate ways. Mike retained the business and bought Jerry out of his half.
Collectors Firearms was originally located on the corner of Richmond and Fondren back in 1975. It quickly grew from the 600 square feet to 4,000 square feet. In 1994, Collectors made a huge move by moving to the opposite side of the showing center it was located in and expanding to 12,000 square feet.

In the year 2000, Mike’s nephew Danny Clark had just graduated high school and was looking for a job for the summer before he started college. Mike asked Danny to come to work for him. Danny really enjoyed working at the gun store during the summer as he grew up naturally interested in firearms just like his uncle. After finishing college, Danny joined Collectors Firearms full time working almost every single position along the way.

Danny was first an employee, then was a minority partner and then secured a full partnership. Once Danny became a full partner, he began working on finding a bigger building that they could own instead of lease for the ever-growing business. In 2019, Collectors Firearms was able to purchase an old Barnes and Noble on the corner of Westheimer and Voss.

On April 20, 2020 right in the middle of Covid, Collectors opened its doors at 7626 Westheimer Road!

Sadly in Fall of 2021, Mike’s wife Sally had a major stroke and Mike decided to step back from the business to help care for her. Danny became sole owner of Collectors Firearms around this time.

In August of 2022, Collectors Firearms opened its Austin location located at 8301 S I-35 Frontage Road located inside of The Range at Austin. The Range at Austin is a state of the art gun range and experience. The Range at Austin did not deal in used firearms or Antiques, which is what Collectors Firearms excels at.

In March of 2025, Collectors Firearms opened its 3rd location in Dallas located at 5304 Alpha Road. 2025 also marks the 50th year in business for Collectors Firearms!