Give up your dream?
Let it never be said I told a man, woman, or child to give up their dreams. I still have mine - gave them up once - but found that life just isn't worth living without them.
Only you can decide - but yes, at least around here making a living from an independent gun shop is very hard - that is why there are so few.
You can add to your business through the internet and you can supplement your income by buying and selling at auctions. Go to non-gun auctions and pick up used guns at good prices and then sell them at your shop or at a gun auctions. Gun auctions also seem like a good way to turn over a lot of the inventory that hasn't been moving. Occassionally you may find a relatively valuable gun for relatively cheap at an estate type sale/auction. Of course all the above takes time and work - and you might make more focusing on selling non-gun items from your shop.
Myself, I figure once I become a world famous novelist with hollywood begging to buy the movie rights or I win the next mega-millions/powerball lottery - then I'll open my gunshop/coffee bar/bookstore. Of course then I won't actually work there, I'll just stop in to play, check the books to see how much I'm losing that month, and annoy my employees and customers.
Seriously, it can be done - people do it - but dreams usually come true - when we work not just hard but also smart. If it really is your dream, you can do it, it is just never is a easy as we first believe or would like.