What I miss and how things are changing.

[heydeerman]

Have you noticed the Sky Archery bows popping up on the classifieds? (someone told me, I havent been lurking there myself    ). It brings back alot of memories for me here in Ohio. We use to have a shop here in Central Ohio that went back to the 40's. Flying Feether owned and operated by Dave Pfiefer was a little more than a couple garages put together to make an archery shop that housed some of the most historical goodies and old stuff that most of you never layed eyes on. Dave was good friends with the Hoyts, the Bears, ect. He sold the line of Sky bows and had several still in his line-up after Earl died stacked in boxes still in the plastic just behind the counter. I use to go there and take em out just to handle em. Wish I would have bought one. When Dave died after a long fight with diabetes that took his legs, Most of the good stuff he had stashed, The Sky and old Bear bows still in the boxes, the Battleshafts, boxes and boxes of brandnew fiberglass shafts...were all sold to an auctioneer from Michigan. I miss the times hanging around the shop talking with Dave and other archers who came in while I was there. He had a couple old chairs in the back and if you would listen, you would end up there after the store closed. Sometimes I would be there till mid-night.

I do most of my business on the net now. There is nothing wrong with that. This is how the times are now. But I really miss "the shop" and hangin out with folks like that. I hope you have something like that in your corner of the world and I hope you appreciate it. I really miss picking out my own feathers, trying on a glove before I buy it, and handling things before I buy them. We have very little like that here in Central Ohio. Wish I had the means to open a shop of my own.

[Izzy]

Thats why I feel I am blessed to have one close to home where I can shoot 3 or 4 different bows and grab a cup of coffee.I even stop in while Im working to say hello.I know what you mean though as I would miss it if it ever disappeared.

[ozy clint]

i've discovered a backyard shop in cranbrook. it's great to have somewhere all trad to go to for 'your stuff'. i went round the other day to get some full length feathers for flu flus, while i was there i asked if he had any nocking pliers. he said no, but you can have mine for $5, i'll order myself another set. WOW! good on you monty  

[doowop]

Friend of mine owns a shop here in town. He has several #1 hoyt bows and protos. He and Earl were very good friends.

[Herb Calvin]

We've lost our trad. shop here also. Only shop close is a wheelie place. won't give me time of day.

[bayoulongbowman]

If you find a cool archery shop support them....Not trying to cut in on this good thread ...question , where is favorite archery shop , city and state?????time for a cup hot coffee...marco#78    

[Billy]

I too like the "Shop" atmosphere.

For example: I was invited to one in Little Rock,AR. The owner was there, the people conversed and shared, I was allowed to fix my own broken shaft, shared lunch and conversations : THAT is what it's all about!

I'd love to get a list together of these kinds of places. As I truck around the country these places still exist, we just have to get the word out and share them!!

[30coupe]

No more trad shops around here, but there is a guy in Mason City with an archery shop. Several others and I keep working on him and he is slowly coming around. I was there a couple weeks ago and he told me he was going to be handling more trad stuff. When I was there three guys were shooting in his range. One had a compound, one a recurve, and one a longbow. Maybe that is why he's considering the change. Fleet Farm has lots of wheelie stuff, but he would be the only one around who carries trad gear. The next closest is probably Lamont at the Footed Shaft, but he is an hour and a half from me. Sure would be nice to have a place fifteen minutes from home!

He carries GT 3555's, so he is the one place with .500 shafts. Maybe if I keep after him, he will get some .600's in. It sure would be nice for my under 50# bows. I'll still probably have to go to Lamont or 3Rivers for a lot of stuff, but his is the kind of mom and pop place you are talking about. I miss that too.

There was an archery shop in Waverly (15 miles from my hometown) when I was a kid. The old fellow who ran it was a friend of Fred Bear, and he carried just about everything Bear had. My first aluminum arrows and broadheads (green Bear on Bear shafts) came from there. I still have three of the shafts and a couple of the broadheads around here somewhere. It was a trick to get in and out of that small shop in under an hour. I remember my cousin and I were in his shop and he was ranting about the "new" Bear broadheads with more of a tanto tip instead of the original needle point. He took one of each on an aluminum shaft and dropped them from about waist level onto the wooden floor of his shop. The old one stuck, but the new one just bounced and tipped over. He snorted and said, "There, now which one would you use?" I have never forgotten that, which is why my Woodsman broadheads still have the pointy tip on them.

Thanks for starting this thread. It takes me back a lot of years!

[GrnMtnTradNut]

A trad shop whats that?  would love one here, but it's hard enough to find what you need for a compound around here, this is a state dominated by the rifle hunters, most of them think our 3 week bow season is to long, I would kill for a trad shop, I may even move in!

[cedar swampman]

I remember my uncles pro shop (B.C.- before compounds) and I still recall the smells of cedar and flech lac. He had a range upstairs and he started me on my journey of the bow. Up here Jays sporting goods carries stickbows but modern archery has overshadowed them. I am glad the traditional family still has shoots and get togethers.

[Brian P.]

Jim,

 Yea, gotta agree with ya. I miss going to "Uncle Daves". I saw him more than my relatives, so I figure that made him family. My first trad bow came from Daves, and it was a Sky TD Rogue LB.

 I dont know how many times I went in, gathered up a bunch of cedar shafts, and sorted through em to get the ones I wanted. Feathers too.

 While Flying Feather wasnt a trad only shop, Dave was in his values. I dont know how many times I saw him try to talk people OUT of buying a new bow, the latest sight, or whatever. He was not in archery for the money, that is for sure. He just loved the sport and loved talking about it with like minded people. You could tell that it wore on him just before bow season opened though. All the people that came in the night before opening day, and wanting to buys 3 arrows. "The kind with knives on the end".

 When the shop closed, I bought as much of the stuff as I could. Kinda felt guilty about buying it at a discounted rate though. I was able to get one of Daves arrows from his nephew though. It is a good reminder of the shop, but mostly of the Man.

[Killdeer]

I had a gun store near me like that. It was open late on Thursdays, and you never knew who might come through the door. Gun writers, benchresters, NRA folks, military and police, it paid to listen. I was there so much you might find me on either side of the counter. I loved to listen to the cop talk, submarine stories, a landing at Anzio and frying eggs on tanks in North Africa, Homer Culver's hunting adventures and machining triumphs, and how he worked on something   real secret at the Navy Yard during WWII.

I miss buying a hunting license at a local store.

Thank goodness for the summer shoots. That is the closest I can get to that kind of atmosphere in trad archery. It is not the same, as there is only so much time that you can spend at a booth, so the time needed to establish the trust and rapport that will lead to the best stories and lessons cannot be put in. But the time on the range, in camp and around the fires, and seeing the same craftsmen and competitors year after year has its rewards.

Stories get told and made, friendships evolve, and thanks to sites like this, they continue and grow. The old core of the "Bench Bunch" still meets on Thursdays, but there isn't any "show and tell" of firearms at the bar!  :eek:  
Treasure your hometown shops and clubs, gather and support them. I sure miss the one that I had.

Killdeer~ Founder and Whipper-In, Chagrined Again Hunting Club

[WINDTALKER]

I remember Ole's spoting goods. Just the kinda place a 12year old kid could hang around and learn some of the finer things in life, like how to fish and hunt, which girls to chase and which ones to run from,and a host of other tips and colorful stories. Sure do miss that place.

[Froggy]

Jim,
 Feel your pain. I was a regular at Dan Quillian's shop back in the 80's and so on. Then when he sold due to health reasons, it wasn't nearly the same. Catered to the wheelies and moved out to a different location with no range later on. Wish we still had one around as well. Sure miss Dan, he was a character and full of grit.....

[heydeerman]

Brian,

I was hopin you would see this. I have one of Daves arrows too. It was the first one he ever shot at a deer with. He tried to shoot thru a fence and missed a buck. The head is a MA3 and is nicked up from going thru the fence. He said he never shot it again. It's upstairs on my dresser.

These forums almost act like a decent substitute for what we are missing but it's not the same. I appreciate them tho and relish the memories. Wonder what we are looking at in the future?

[mcgyver]

I guess I'm lucky in this area.
I'm only about 20 - 25 min away from Lost Nation Archery.
The kind of shop I remember as a kid. Larry and his wife are a joy to talk with. She fletches some Fine arrows! Larry always has some helpful advice, and ya kinda feel like family there. I can't visit as much as I'd like (kinda fond of eating), but they will always be the first place I spend my money on trad gear.
I lost the place we always went to as a kid. You have to support the little guy or the just go away.

[DV of WI]

Sounds alot like stopping a the Footed Shaft in Rochester MN and BS with Lamont. Great place to stop and feel the freshness of the environment.

[L. E. Carroll]

I'm prety fortunate as I have Bull Mountain Archery 15 miles away and Raptor Archery about 50 miles away.  Enjoy talking with Brock and Ted when ever I get the chance.

If you are ever in the area of the Columbia River Gorge between Wash. and Ore. stopping in Hood River to vist with Ted is a must.  You would not believe the old bows, signed arrows, and broad head collection he has collected and had donated  over the years.  A wonderful place to just look around and Dream of days and ages past.
Gene

[Gray Buffalo]

I hear you guys. We had several shops around east central Missouri which went belly up through the years. Summit archery, ran by Pappy was an hours drive from the house. I went there about twice a week until pappy pasted due to cancer. The shop has a new owner who 99% wheel bow. Then there was Ann & Earl Hoyt’s place that I stop at almost everyday on the way home from work. Some thought I lived there. Then Earl past and things went down hill. When Earl had SKY he called me his destruction engineer. If I didn’t break it, it was good to go. Mike’s archery is still going and he keeps traditional gear on hand or will order it for you but most of the folks that hang there are wheelie shooters. Not the same anymore. I miss the old days

 

[Arwin]

Lost the closest trad shop to me a few years back. Vics Archery.  Haven't been to Lost Nation or the one up by Sand Lake yet. Kind of a far drive for me.

 I miss the atmosphere too. Seems like Vics had a certain smell when you walked in. Sipping on coffee while flinging arrows and shooting the bull is something I miss bad.
 If there weren't already two other shops in town, I'd start my own. They both carry trad bows but not many traditionalists hang out there. More or less a "buy it and leave" thing.  
 The plus side to the idea of starting a shop is that neither one of them has a shooting range.