In 2008, Archery Unlimited in Prattville, Alabama, was crowned Dealer of the Year by Archery Business. Owner Rick Hellums, a longtime Archery Business reader, opened the shop on March 3, 2001. He relied heavily upon the magazine in the early years while building the business. In fact, it helped him greatly and still does today. He suggests each issue has good, solid information that every archery retailer — especially newer ones — can benefit from on one level or another.
Archery Unlimited, which encompasses a total of 7,200 square feet, caters primarily to high-end bowhunters, so Hellums attended this year’s ATA Show hoping to find new-and-improved high-end products from companies that help pro shops make money.
“Naturally, my goal for the 2019 ATA Show was to see new products and find products I can make some good money on,” he said. “Years ago, I always looked for products nobody else knew about. That simply doesn’t happen anymore. There aren’t any secrets.
“That said, the Mathews Vertix stood above every other bow on the show floor this year,” Hellums continued. “Its technology and smoothness are simply amazing. With one SKU, I can offer a bow with essentially a draw-weight range of 45-80 pounds by changing the module. No other bow out there can do that."
“No other products really jumped out at me this year,” he continued. “Of course, I look everything over with a careful eye, and I did notice subtle improvements to existing products. One example is Gold Tip’s pro-shop-only Black Label arrow. It’s a cool-looking arrow that’s straighter than most. It’s a nice arrow that I’ll be able to make some good money on."
“SKB launched an awesome new hybrid soft/hard bow case,” he added. “I believe that avenue has been overlooked for too long, so I’m glad to see SKB filled the void. I believe this new case will do very well for both SKB and for us."
“Finally, I brought Lakewood bow cases into the shop for the first time this year,” Hellums said. “We haven’t previously stocked them. After looking them over at ATA, I found the technology and price points very attractive.”
