New firearm shooting center to open in Butler County

Business will go in old Kroger building in Liberty Twp.

A former Kroger store in Liberty Twp. is being converted into an indoor shooting range and retail outlet.

The Midwest Shooting Center will feature 20 indoor shooting lanes and $1.2 million in firearms and related products, according to company officials’ statement released Tuesday.

Located at 5420 Liberty Fairfield Road, the former Kroger building, just north of the Route 4 intersection, is now undergoing the interior renovation work for an opening in spring 2023.

Midwest Shooting Center officials said the facility will be state-of-the-art and designed to cater to all those interested in firearms within a welcoming environment.

Chief Executive Officer David Sabo said his company pick the location because “it’s a growing area in the Greater Cincinnati market.”

Sabo said the shooting center will take 34,000 square feet of the 60,000 store for its operation and will lease out the remaining space to a yet-to-be-named national grocery chain.

Sabo said “Midwest Shooting Center seeks to do things differently. For far too long indoor firearm range/retail locations have been characterized as ‘intimidating, unfriendly and unwelcoming’ and primarily catering to the expert enthusiast.”

“At Midwest Shooting Center, you will find an inviting, modernized, experience-driven business. We take pride in the surprisingly personable approach our staff takes with each and every customer,” said Sabo.

Credit: Dustin And Corynn Photography

Credit: Dustin And Corynn Photography

Officials said the shooting center “will be a modern indoor shooting complex designed to accommodate the full spectrum of firearms enthusiasts and non-enthusiasts alike. Amenities will include 20 indoor shooting lanes, an extensive rental fleet, a unique semi-private training program, safety classes, a private event space, membership benefits, and an expansive retail department with $1.2 million in product available for purchase.”

“While the facility will be open to the public, Midwest Shooting Center takes pride in building community through its high value membership and training departments.”

Opening date is scheduled for June 1 and work will be starting on the building later this week.

The center can accommodate about 40 shooters at a time with about 25 yard long ranges.

Training of gun owners will be a priority for the center, said Sabo.

It will be the first Butler County location for the company, which is based out of Lima, Ohio.

The former Kroger building, which was a 60,000-square-foot-facility, had operated at the location from 1998 to 2020.

Photojournalist Nick Graham contributed to this story.

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