Gel gun store lives on after surprise lease termination

UPDATE: CQ Blasters finds new home in Rocky main street after lease was terminated yesterday

Damien Geyer, Gel Blasters owner opens up shop at a new East St location

UPDATE 1:00pm: OWNER of CQ Blasters, Damien Geyer has confirmed he will be opening shop at the old Happy Herbs store on East St.

He plans to be moved in by the end of today and will start trading again by Tuesday next week.

The shopfront will be set up directly next door to popular East St cafes and bars.       

UPDATE 2:30pm (Yesterday): DESPITE being told he had 90 minutes to pack up shop last night, CQ Blasters still has an array of hobby weapons left in the Allenstown store. 

He said it was "physically impossible" to meet the request of the management. 

Mr Geyer said he had received overwhelming public support following the termination of his businesses' lease. 

"I'm fielding supportive calls and messages with people who disappointed my lease has been terminated," he said. 

"Some people are even offering me spaces to re-open my business."

Mr Geyer told The Morning Bulletin the store would likely re-open in a CBD location as early as Monday. 

He said seeking compensation from Allenstown Square management was "the last thing on my mind right now", however he did not rule out revisiting the option in the future.  

UPDATE 11:45am: CQ Blasters owner Damien Geyer is searching for a new location for his hobby gun store after his Allenstown Square lease was terminated. 

Mr Geyer said he will spend today trying to secure a new lease. 

"We have quite a few properties we viewed before coming here," he said.

"We are going to be viewing those again this morning - ideally, if we could get something signed today, we can move tomorrow, and we can be open Monday."

"We won't go to a shopping centre again. We will look for a private shop."

CQ Blaster's Facebook post regarding the termination of the lease has received of messages in support of its plight.   

UPDATE 10:40am: ALLENSTOWN Square management has confirmed the termination of CQ Blaster's lease was due to customer complaints.

"We have received and listened to shopper feedback in relation to the operation of CQ Blasters at Allenstown Square," a spokesperson for the centre said. 

"We understand the community concern this has caused and following a review of the store and the product for sale, we have asked the tenant to vacate.

"We can confirm that they are no longer trading at Allenstown Square."

"We appreciate and encourage feedback from our valuable shoppers and we continue to focus on creating a positive experience at Allenstown Square," the spokesperson said. 

More to come.

INITIAL 10:00am: A NEWLY opened store displaying hobby guns in its windows at a Rockhampton shopping centre has had its lease terminated, effective immediately, following customer complaints

CQ Gel Blasters, which opened its doors at Allenstown Square on Monday, was told yesterday evening that it had 90 minutes to pack up and leave the shopping complex according to the business owner Damien Geyer.

In a post on the businesses' Facebook page, CQ Blasters said the decision had been made at the State office in charge of Allenstown Square.

The post cited shopper complaints as the reason for for the immediate closure.

CQ Blasters markets hobby guns which fires gel pallets and is fast becoming a popular hobby in Central Queensland.

The guns are legal in Queensland and South Australia, however they are styled on real-life weapons including automatic rifles and hand guns which are illegal in Australia.

The gel blaster guns are replica guns and shoot 7mm hydrocrystal gel pellets that expand in water. Picture: Contributed

Mr Geyer was stunned by the news.

"I'm absolutely devastated," he said today while scrambling to pack up his shop front in Allenstown Square.

"We had such a great response from the community - everything was going really, really well and then the rug just got pulled out from under our feet."

It is understood the store was given some time concessions to pack up as the initial 90 minute time frame was logistically impossible.

Mr Geyer questioned the practice of his former landlords at the square.

"If they didn't want us here, they shouldn't have let us in," he said.

"Everyone who has come in the store has said it was awesome."

The Morning Bulletin is contacting Allenstown Square management for comment.

Originally published as Gel gun store lives on after surprise lease termination