
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.