Any one own any archery shops

[Cody Roiter]

Hello Guys, I would like to see how many of you guys own a archery shop. if you could add pics and tell a little about what you do. I use to work at a archery shop and made arrows. I loved every min of it. I also got to shot 3-D for free.
Thanks Guys.

      Cody  

[**DONOTDELETE**]

I have my own private archery shop....i don't deal with sales, service, or cater to the public at all....friends and family only...that's the way i like it too.....kirk

[2fletch]

We have a traditional shop (Eagle's Flight Achery) on a lot ajoining our home. We started a textile business in this building about 21 years ago. Currently we are selling off the last of the textile machinery as we grow the archery business.

We have a walk in shop with traditional and some primitive archery equipment. In addition to the retail shop we sell wholesale to other dealers as well.

In textiles I worked primarily with developing new products, and that has carried over into archery. We try to keep it traditional, but that doesn't mean that you can't use a variety of colors, leathers, or design.

Our main product is our line of "Mini" bowquivers that we started several years ago. We try to use quality materials, and work diligently to keep the weight to a minimum. They are produced here in our Mebane, NC building. They are a nice alternative for those who don't want bulk on their bows. We also make a few other products such as armguards, tabs, rest/sideplates, side quivers, etc.

It's a fact that a traditional archery business probably won't make you wealthy in the financial sense, however I do believe that you will be enriched.

2fletch

[bowmac]

We have a small private shop also. We mainly cater to friends and such. Always keep wood shafts, finger tabs, gloves, feathers etc., and a few bows around. Just enjoy the company of other Traditional or Primitive shooters. Goe's along with our Sashes, garters etc. we make. Also keep about 10 3D targets up in the side lot for the guys to shoot at.

[Roadkill]

I work at a shop on weekends.  Don't know that I would ever own a shop as the margins are too small.  Don't like to do compounds as I haven't shot one in years and know little about the modern cams.  Sticks, stings and the goodness of woodness.....=happiness

[Roadkill]

Crowdog, yeah customers especially those persnickity wheel and cam guys.  WE never have problems with stickbow shooters.  Cusstomer is always right only goes so far, and the owner has to deal with them-thankfully.

[Gutshot]

I am the owner of an underground, black market, scab, traditional archery business.  I run it out of my home.  I'm at the moment very small, but hope to grow a little with word of mouth...but not too much.  I surely don't make any money on it.  I tend to just do it for fun and the chance to help people out.  I kind of just fell into this due to there not being enough supplies or knowledge base for traditional archery anywhere in my area, which still is the case.  I also do custom whitetail antler mounting with it, which is where it all started.  I don't carry an inventory and just order things when they're requested.  I'm more into the helping people out with setting up and shooting traditional.  I guess I have just enough knowledge and know-how to get me in trouble.  


 Whitetail Traditions

 Custom Whitetail Antler Mounting/Traditional Archery Supplies

[Lost Arra]

My wife looked in my hunting closet and asked the same thing.    

[Aeronut]

I have an archery shed that I hope to work into a business.  Currently making wood arrow shafting.  Poplar, Maple, Hickory, whatever I can feed the cutter.

Dennis

[smokin feathers]

I started out as a traditional only shop and have turned into a full blown full service everything goes shop. Complete with all the big name wheelie bows and all, a am starting a 3d shoot to boot. I still try and keep as much traditional stuff as I can, wood,bows,heads,feathers,acc. and all else. My time is now alot more limited compared what it used to be but we still make time to go to a shoot every weekend and will be hunting most everyday.

[joel smith]

don't own one but run one for the absentee owner. It's a roller coaster, good/bad up/down.

Getting very hard to stay profitable, margins get smaller, customers demand larger selections (I carry over 30 models of broadheads during peak season and it seems a fair percentage of my customers are looking for one i DON'T have).

Archery business mags are fond of pointing out that the big box stores don't offer sevice and that we can do well there but more and more i find that many customers are unwilling to pay an honest price for such things as stripping and refletching arrows, the sometimes tedious setup and timing of drop-away rests and hard-cam bows,etc. they are also often unrealistic in their time-frame expectations for such things as fletching---i've actually had several guys expect me to have their arrows ready the next day after they drop them off  (even though they could see and were told there were several bows and other service tickets ahead of them)---had more than one tell me i should just stay later at night so their stuff could be ready when they wanted it. We live in an age of a very spoiled, demanding and self-centered consumer----we expect the lowest price, best service, largest selection and in the shortest time possible.

There are just enough really good, appreciative customers out there to keep you from throwing in the towel most days. That and the love of the sport keeps me trying and hoping and working when i could be hunting or shooting---you gotta be a little of a masochist to stay in this business for very long at the retail level---but then, you can say that about a lot of love affairs