Longtime Lansing military surplus and camping goods retailer to retire, close business
LANSING — Foxhole PX Store, a military surplus retailer that's been a mainstay in the Lansing area for more than a century, will permanently close its doors this weekend.
Owners Kelly and Tim Carpenter decided to retire and close the longtime business at 3128 S. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard about a month ago.
The store sells military uniforms, clothing, helmets, flags, hats, gloves, books, and camping and hunting gear. Many of the thousands of items sold are from past conflicts, including World War I and WWII, and the Vietnam War.
Foxhole PX Store first opened in East Lansing on Saginaw Street in 1923, Tim Carpenter said. The Grand Ledge couple has owned it for 35 years. They purchased it from a previous owner, Dennis Dudley, in the late 1980s. At one time the business included five retail sites in the Lansing area, Tim Carpenter said.
The store is one of about a half dozen military surplus stores still operating in Michigan, he said. Its last day of business is Saturday.
'We hate to do it...'
Kelly Carpenter, 63, said running the business has been "a great thing" for their family. Both the couple's children and several of their grandchildren have worked there over the years, she said.
But Tim Carpenter, 73, said health issues he's been dealing with for several years prompted the decision to close the store.
"I've been here for 35 years so I'd like to go on vacation, enjoy life for a little bit," he said. "You've got to live a little bit of life before you pass on."
The decision to close wasn't an easy one.
"We hate to do it because every day my customers and friends say, 'Oh my God, I'm glad you're here,'" he said.
Tim Carpenter will miss the store's regular customers, many of whom have been shopping there the entire time the couple has owned it.
The couple has been manning the store together since reopening after the COVID pandemic forced a brief closure. They often bought items for the shelves from military auctions, thrift stores, and retired members of the military who came into the store looking to sell items.
Many of the store's customers are active service members, veterans and survivalists, Tim Carpenter said.
A family-run business
Running the store for more than three decades meant adapting to customer needs and wants, Tim Carpenter said.
"You try to get the stuff at the best cost possible," he said. "You can see if a customer wants to deal or not, so we wheel and deal quite a bit."
Running a small retail business became more challenging as larger retail chains opened locations in the Lansing area, Kelly Carpenter said.
"Also, every time one of those things opened up we had to kind of change our niche a little bit," she said.
The store used to sell name brands like Levi Strauss & Co., but stopped when it was clear those items were sold for much less at chains like Target and Walmart, she said.
Owning the store gave the couple's family flexibility, Kelly Carpenter said.
"We could usually kind of make our own schedule," she said. "The kids have worked there, the grandkids, my cousins. We've had customers that have been there from day one."
The Carpenters said they're looking forward to travel and taking walks after it closes.
For the next several days items on the shelves at Foxhole PX Store will be deeply discounted. The last day of business is Saturday, and the store will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
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Contact Reporter Rachel Greco at rgreco@lsj.com. Follow her on X @GrecoatLSJ .
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Lansing military surplus store to close as owners retire to travel, relax
