Dale Mannasmith, Attaboyz Archery, Marysville, Ohio

While we have a 20-yard indoor range, a 50-yard range would be a giant game changer for us. We’ve been in business for only a couple of years, and our 20-yard range is undeniably an asset, but we know that a 50-yard range would draw in even more people. In fact, we believe that it would bring shooters to our store from all across Ohio. It would enable us to host large events, too.

A longer range also would complement the service and retail portions of our archery store at a greater level, because when people shoot at longer distances, things happen that necessitate a need for more products or services. We even see that a lot with our 20-yard range. We feel that a longer range would initiate more sales. 

We intentionally started with a 20-yard range so that we could grow at a healthy pace. We certainly have plans to achieve a 50-yard range of some kind, and we believe it will happen within 3-5 years, especially if business continues to be as strong as it is. We’ll keep reviewing our progress and do what we can to reach our goal.

  

Shaun Boese, Capital Sports, Helena, Montana

More space. Our shop could certainly be larger than it is. More shooting lanes and more retail space would help us tremendously. Right now, we have five shooting lanes at 20 yards, and then our shop is about 400 square feet. 

With more space, we’d be able to have more shooters in our shooting lanes. We could offer more league-type shooting in addition to our current Techno Hunt league. We could also expand our inventory, and we could have more room to breathe in our work space. We could easily add another bow press and another vise or two, which would streamline our service capabilities.

More space on our retail floor would enable us to add key inventory. For example, we could add camouflage apparel. We could offer backpacks and even footwear. We could be more of a one-stop store for all things hunting. We currently carry Hoyt, Bowtech and Mathews bows, but with more space, we’d explore bringing in another brand, perhaps Xpedition.

As far as plans to expand, we’d love to, but the building next door has a big concrete wall, so I’m sure it would be incredibly expensive to remove that wall and support the building another way. At the moment, it is what it is. Capital Sports has been around for 50 years or so, but we’ve been running the archery shop for about eight. We’ll see what the future brings.

 

Tino Villaverde, All About Archery, Melbourne, Florida

Due to all of the shutdowns, we are struggling, like every archery dealer, with supply and demand. The demand is stronger than it’s ever been. I’ve had great sales years over the last several years, but in 2020, the interest was unimaginable. We set a huge record in sales, and if we had the inventory to meet the demand, we’d easily have had a triple record.

Let me break it down into easily understood numbers. If we rated our record on a scale of 1 to 10, I was at a 30 in 2020. If I could get all of the product in right away that my customers were demanding, I’d have been at 60. It’s hard to imagine, but that’s how incredible business has been. It’s unprecedented.

Manufacturers are so far behind with production. If I could receive products I order within a week or two weeks, that would be a game changer. 

It doesn’t really matter where the products are manufactured, either. I pride myself on stocking primarily USA-made merchandise, but even those products are challenging to get because the workforce is being incentivized to stay at home. I’d say the most difficult equipment to get is the budget-level items, which are in high demand. 

Now, I do believe that we’re in a window with our big record sales due to the conditions of our country right now. We have to take advantage of these record sales because they probably won’t last.

 

Scott Aase, Dakota Archery, Yankton, South Dakota

Honestly, my answer isn’t related to archery at all, if that’s OK. For our shop, a firing range for handguns would be a game changer. A commercial indoor firing range for firearms would absolutely drive more traffic to our store. We have an archery range, but nothing for firearms. In fact, there isn’t a commercial indoor firing range in our area. South Dakota has up to six months of winter-like climate with not a lot to do for entertainment, so a firing range would be well used if one existed.

We’ve always been exploring the possibility of adding one. It’s been a discussion for the last 20-some years. We’re now in our 38th year in business, and given that, I don’t see the firing range happening in this generation of ownership. Maybe when we hang it up and some new, young and ambitious folks take it over, they can look forward to making that addition.