The Grice Business History started with Scoot’s Uncle Tom Grice’s small gas station on North 3rd Street in 1945.
Scoot regards his Uncle Tom as the greatest man that ever lived. Tom opened the gas station in 1945 and closed it in 1954 due to a heart attack. In 1955 Scoot, a veteran of the Korean Conflict, and his wife Janet re-opened the station. Scoot ran the station during the day and worked nightshift at a brickyard.
In 1962 Scoot and Janet expanded the station to accompany the growing side business of gun sales. This led to some custom rifle building which further established the gun business. In 1962 the pumps were removed and the entire building was turned into Grice Gun Shop.
1970 brought an expansion of the gun shop to a second floor and extended the shop out to the sidewalk. It evolved into one of the largest gun shops in Pennsylvania.
In 1985 a new building was built at 216 Reed St. which doubled the size of Grice Gun Shop and housed a new business, Grice Wholesale, which services other firearms dealers in all 50 states. In 1988 Scoot and Janet turned most of the management operation over to their only child, Tom and his wife Brenda Grice.
In 1994 Scoot and Janet Grice Constructed and donated the Grice Clearfield Community Museum, a “Non Profit Organization” on 4th and Pine St. The museum displays many antique and classic cars owned by the Grice’s and other area residents. Hundreds of trophy game animals and fish harvested by many hunters around the world adorn the floor and walls of the museum.
Scoot and Janet both came from poverty strickened times. Scoot’s mother struggled on welfare raising him and three sisters. Only through hard work, long days, dedicated employees and loyal customers did Scoot and Janet achieve their dream, owning one of the largest gun shops in the United States.
Erected in the millennium year, 2000, this stone dedicates the donation of the original gun shop property to the Clearfield Area Summer Youth Ministry for youth activities, and offers historical highlights of Scoot’s and Janet’s business and community contributions which show that with hard work, dedication, and believing in yourself, your dreams can be accomplished.
