Ron La Claires shop?

[b.glass]

We are going to the UP of Michigan this week. Is Rons shop in the area? And does he allow visitors?

[Arwin]

Potterville is in the lower peninsula in the Lansing area I think. Ron will let ya know.  

[Tim Fishell]

Yup Ron lives near Lansing in the lower pennisula.  His shop has been closed to visitors for the last few years.

[Ron LaClair]

My "Shoppe" has been closed as a retail store for several years now. It's now a work shop and warehouse of sorts. My original shop opened in 1980 and was part of the house. In those early days some of the people that came there to buy they're first longbows are now bow makers themselves...notable ones I might add. In 1986 the new and current building was built and for the next 15 years it was my favorite place to be (besides in the woods). It became a place where the coffee pot was always on and many hunting stories were told around the old pot belly stove. I have fond memories of chatting with Glenn St Charles in my shop on one of his Michigan visits. Jay Massey and Dick Robertson also visited and Jay commented, "now this is how an archery shop should look".

If I could turn back the clock and freeze the time..I would live those days forever. I miss the every day interaction with the people that came to the Shoppe. I never tired of hearing a new person say as he walked in the door, "I've hunted with a compound for X number of years and I'm interested in trying a traditional bow" My answer was always, "You've come to the right place."

   

   

[Ron LaClair]

If you're going any where near Iron Mountain in the western part of the U.P., be sure and stop at Northwoods Wilderness Outfitters on the west edge of town. My friend Randy Gustufson has an impressive store with many traditional bows and accessories.

 http://www.northwoodsoutfitters.com/

[frassettor]

I would love to share a camp with Ron La Clair      

[J-dog]

Nothng I liked more than an old wood burning stove. I would have loved to visited a sho such as that. Years ago when I was a kid in the winter I would play in an old shop with a wood burning stove while the adults mended nets and pots. Used to fascinate me to watch them weave nets. Even better yet was when they took some oysters, wraped them in a wet towel and placed on the stove!

Some days you do wish you could live forever.

J

[SouthMDShooter]

Originally posted by frassettor:
I would love to share a camp with Ron La Clair          

Who wouldnt?

[One eye]

Ron's shop was/is a great place, and I feel very honored to have been able to visit there, work with Ron on some of my shooting issues, and even give him some money for some arrows ;-)
Dan

[2-BIG]

I bought my first longbow there in 1982, it was a LaClair Special Hunter Longbow. Back then I did a ton of arial shooting at home with that bow. When I couldn't find anyone around to throw the disc for me, I threw it myself and got pretty good at hitting it that way.
I loved going to his shop and would think of any excuse to drive the 35 miles from my house. Every time I think,"I sure would like to own my own traditional archery shop" I picture Ron's place!  

[BRITTMAN]

Yep Big R is the man in my book also .


Mike

[Ray Lyon]

I think I killed off an hour or two in that shop over the years. Very fond memories for sure. I met a man by the name of Bill Heath there. He was a school superintendent at a local school and he was wearing a suit, tie and overcoat when he walked in.  The next time I saw him was at one of the Great Lake Longbow Invitationals and he was wearing a loin cloth and set of buckskin leggins.  I too at that time in the mid to late 80's was wearing a suit and taking a break from meetings to show up at Ron's shop for a little back to earth down time. Ron was ok to talk to then, but it was his beagle Maggie that made the visit worth while.    

[Ron LaClair]

Ah yes, Maggie The Wonder Dog...the Worlds smartest beagle.  

[Steve O]

Every now and then I would have some extra time traveling around on business and would drop in on Ron and Nancy.  I remember going into the "closed" shop for the first time...there was so much history in there, I think my jaw actually touched the floor.  I volunteered numerous times to provide the manual labor for Ron get it back into business shape, but that obviously is not in the plan...

I have been so busy the past couple years, I have not been able to stop in.  It is quite a treat sitting in the LaClair kitchen; listening to stories; phones ringing...order coming in; e-mail dinging..."how you doing on my bow?"; a stack of packages piling up in the corner to go out to expectant customers...poetry in motion!

Ron, are you up for some apple pie???

[Harmless]

I had the opportunity to vist Ron's shop several years ago. We had  left the NAA indoor nationals in Lansing and drove to potterville. As we pulled up a Very large man was just leaving (on a Harley I beleave) but stopped and opened up the shop. I was amazed and in awe, My eye's raced around the shop taking it all in. It was the kind of place you could spend hours just looking around, I bet everything in there had a story. Ron very politely helped me buy my first woodies. I hated to leave and wanted to go back. It was the kind of place you could imagine, sitting around an old potbelly stove with a pot of coffe on, listening to the stories. Those cedars are long gone now , I wish I could drive back to Potterville, pick out some more arrow's, and share a hot cup of coffe and a few stories with Mr LaClair.

[jacobsladder]

It was a great pleasure to have Ron show up at our michigan bunny stomp last february...his prescence obviously added memories for alot of the fellows....his donation toward the event of a dozen woodies, and one those sweet shrew hawks was more than generous.... hes the big dude standing behind the two beagles..