A Little Slice of Heaven in Midtown Manhattan – The Beretta Gallery

One cold, blustery winter day, I ventured into New York City. We had lunch at a nice pub and then set out for a place that not many know exists in the heart of midtown Manhattan… The Beretta Gallery! Yes, Beretta has a retail location in the heart of Manhattan. Due to the storefront’s location, I had no expectations of what they would have in the store (but obviously I was hoping for firearms). 

 The store itself had a beautiful street level storefront display window. It was classy and upscale; just as you would expect from a Madison Avenue storefront. We wandered around the store, perusing Beretta’s lovely line of clothing, but a bit disappointed at the lack of firearms; not a single shotgun, not even a fake one used for display purposes… sigh. But, over to the side, neatly tucked out of the way were stairs.. and there were no signs to indicate that going up them was not allowed, so we acted like we knew what we were doing and traversed them to the second floor.  

The second floor of Beretta was just as lovely as the first. We wandered aimlessly around, still hopeful that there might be an alcove at least displaying some of Beretta’s finest firearms. Instead I found some hunting accessories and clothing. There were many knives and multi-tools on display, but alas, no firearms. However, there was another staircase.. 

As a last ditch effort we climbed up the final flight of stairs onto the third level. As we turned the corner the sky opened up and Angels sang… there they were: rifles, shotguns, and shooting accessories. It was a little slice of Heaven in the heart of midtown Manhattan! 

Like a kid in a candy store I touched and drooled over the fine firearms on display. I am not sure how many people actually ever make it up to the third floor, it is the kind of place that you have to be intentionally looking for to find. The salesman was a delight. He answered our questions, helped us compare the various options, and gave us recommendations on what to look for when purchasing a shotgun.

The store displayed every type of shotgun and rifle from the entry level pump action, to a finely hand carved and detailed model that retailed for $180,000! (And he let me hold it, and it was BEAUTIFUL!)  

Because of New York City’s very strict firearm laws, the store no longer displays pistols. It would be illegal for anyone who does not hold a current New York City firearm permit to even touch a pistol in the store. As disappointing as that was, there were plenty of long-guns to take in.  

If you find yourself looking for something fun to do in New York City, stop by the Beretta Gallery, and head straight up to the third floor… that is where the “good stuff” is hiding!  And if you win the lottery, I highly recommend that beautiful $180,000 model.. I’m guessing it is still available!