For many families, the holiday season is all about spoiling the children. Having a large stock of children’s equipment for all ages and skill levels is a great way to provide gift options for all sorts of young archers. Models good for 4-7 year olds are Bear Archery’s 1^st Shot longbow, Scout compound or the Goblin recurve. They are sold in kits starting at $15-$30, and include arrows, finger tab, arm guard, and a target. For children eight-years-old and older there is the $65 Bear Archery Brave, or Bear’s Flash shoot-through-riser/Whisker-Biscuit-equipped recurve for 5- to 10-year-olds. There is also the Bear Warrior adjustable compound for kids 11 and older. Although the main focus of these kids bows are Bear specific, there are many other great manufacturers that carry kid’s bows such as: Barnett, PSE, Mission, and Parker. The kids that have been shooting for a while and need an upgrade may be looking for models similar to the Mission Archery Menace, Diamond Archery’s Atomic and Infinite Edge Pro, Parker’s Lightning, and Bear Archery’s Apprentice 3, which all range from $250-$300. These packaged bows are common big sellers during the holidays.

Packaged bows that come with additional equipment are great gift ideas for youth or beginner bowhunters. Bow packages come in all sorts and sizes, so be sure to have them ranging for multiple ages. There are always young archers wanting to get into hunting, or adults that want to try the sport, but do not necessarily want to buy all of the equipment because that can get pretty pricey for beginners. These bows are still great quality and compare to the high-end bows with differences on a minor scale. Some great packaged bows include: Bear Archery’s Cruzer and Cruzer Lite RTH (ready to hunt) compounds, which come with a sight, whisker-biscuit arrow rest, a wrist sling, and a quiver; PSE Archery’s Stinger X RTH and Fever RTH, which are highly adjustable and shoot very nicely; the Mission Archery Craze II and Menace II, which come in a few different kits; and Hoyt’s Ruckus.

You also can’t forget about those hardcore bowhunters that are consistently looking for new upgrades for their equipment. The holidays justify big spending for many, and holiday sales targeted at these hunters or their spouses can help clear out this year’s bows before the new ones start shipping after the ATA Show in January.

Equipment that needs to be regularly replaced should be central in your thinking. Have a wide variety in stock and make sure they’re front and center. This is the perfect season for people to buy these “stocking stuffer” items on a whim. It’s wise to make these items highly visible to accommodate scrambled, last-minute shoppers. The appearance of your shop is a big deal for many shoppers. Making it easy for the incoming customers is crucial to increasing revenue. If the shop is disorganized, it can be difficult for people to find what they need. A good way to achieve this would be by setting up signs that read, “Gifts for Her,” or “Gifts for Him,” or maybe even “Stocking Stuffers” to lead the customers in the right direction. Decorating the inside, setting lights up on the outside, and encouraging employees to spice up their wardrobe in spirit of the holidays can be exciting for shoppers. Other options to lure people into your shop could be hiring a professional sign twirler, radio ads, or newspaper ads.

Special promotions and deals are highly popular over the holidays. Consider offering special classes, putting a deal on Groupon, or providing special promotions for different products. The magic number seems to be $400, so offer deals on classes or coupons when a customer spends this much or more. Offer a trial beginner’s class for customers who buy packaged or beginner bows. People are looking for the best possible deals for their money. This would give them the opportunity to get “more” than what they are paying for.

To keep up with the shopping frenzy, keep stock of a wide variety of products that could catch the eye of all kinds of archers. Not only should you have speed-bows and brand new product launches, but it is important to keep up with the children, beginner, and recreational archery equipment. People are going to be looking for open options, and your job is to provide that. The holidays are big revenue months, and you do not want to miss out on lost opportunities. Be prepared, and catch the big bucks this season has to offer.

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Check out this video where Jeff Johnston of Jeff’s Performance Archery is Dodgeville, Wisconsin, sets up a Hoyt bow step by step for an eager customer.

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By Patrick Meitin

The approach of a New Year can prove simultaneously exciting and stressful for an archery shop owner or larger store manager. There is excitement in the air as you look forward to seeing what the brilliant minds of the archery and outdoor industry have devised in way of innovation. You get to replace old stock with new products and feature brand-new bow models to pull in annual upgrade-customers. You can also implement fresh business goals. But stress also arrives from these same elements. There is old stock to move out of the store, big order decisions to be made, inventory to take and taxes to pay, perhaps travel to industry or dealer shows to endure, and major game plans to lay down to assure a smooth road into the next retail year. Success depends on it, but with the right attitude and planning you can enter a new season on top.

Inventory & Accounting

One of the biggest headaches of any new season is taking inventory and feeding the proper information to accountants. This is crucial not only to making decisions on future stock, but determining how much taxes you might have to pay. Even with a computerized system, physical inventory is a must, as theft, computer glitches resulting from improper input, stealing parts to remedy a customer’s rush-season equipment breakdown and other such elements can cause discrepancies between actual inventory and computer numbers. I witnessed this on a nearly monthly basis while working retail, the computer insisting we had X number of widgets on hand when I could locate only Y.

The real dilemma during inventory is how to approach it and when to schedule the time. The store where I once worked conducted inventory in a 14-16-hour period, much of that time while the store remained open. This left a skeleton crew on the floor while a certain number of employees conducted inventory, causing confusion as customers purchased product already counted. Closing the store for inventory, or pulling an all-nighter with an efficient crew, seems to make more sense.

We also rented hand scanners to create compiled inventory lists that were then compared to inventory in the computer system. There were enough discrepancies that the need for physical recounts remained, so in the end it would have been easier to simply count every item by hand from the beginning. This also gives you the opportunity to straighten up your shop, get everything in its proper place and discard ancient stock or odds-and-ends clutter that has been laying around for months or years.

Moving Old Stock

No matter the retail situation there is always going to be a certain amount of stock that simply doesn’t move. This often serves as an ordering lesson, but sometimes product that is otherwise sound doesn’t catch on due to it being too far ahead of its time or not effectively advertised. Ideally the object is to move this product and free up space for new stock without taking a bath on it. Internet auctions such as eBay are a simple solution, though eBay does require time. If you have a low-level employee you can assign this task to, all the better. Discount tables are also a standard way to rid a store of unwanted inventory, staring at, say, 50 percent off, and working upward as time dictates.

In my experience there comes a time when you must cut your losses and just rid your store of unwanted merchandise once and for all. I recall a discount table of fishing lures, for instance. We inventoried and marked those items down so many times we had more invested in labor than the product was worth, but corporate wouldn’t allow us to price it to sell or simply give it away. We could have saved money tossing it all in the trash. Sometimes you’ll save money in the long run by losing it in the short term. By donating it to local archery clubs for raffles, state conservation departments for kids’ programs and similar causes, you at least receive a tax write-off on that lost merchandise.

The Show Circuit & Orders

Attending archery shows is always a worthwhile investment in resources, large among them the annual ATA Show, this year held in Louisville, Kentucky. This provides a better oversight of what the year has in store (as many companies won’t unveil new product until this big event), and perhaps more importantly as a small-shop owner, it makes you privy to 10-20 percent-off, show-order specials. These are discounts that save you money during the remainder of the year. Others include dealer shows such as Kinsey’s, as an example, or buying-group meetings/shows such as NABA or ARRO (an arrow-buying group), where discounts of up to 40 percent are sometimes available to attendees.

Many of these show specials involve scheduled shipping, but these orders can often be set up on a “call-before-ship” basis, allowing you to cancel scheduled orders if you already have enough of that product on hand at that time.

Inventory should also have given you better insight into what your customers want and what products have proved to be duds. While drop-ship distributors have become a way of life, don’t discount buying groups (which seem to have lost a bit of edge in recent years, but can still be useful). Don’t allow yourself to fall into a rut. Keep looking for that better deal.

Reorganize Your Work Area

The New Year and its temporary downturn in business in many regions can also prove a great opportunity to reorganize your work area or shuffle your shop layout for added efficiency. The busy season preceding hunting seasons and the holiday buying frenzy can leave your pro shop in complete disarray. Maybe it’s also time to come up with a better system.

One of the slickest work areas I’ve witnessed to date included sturdy, 4-foot metal cabinets holding heavy-duty steel drawers and thick laminated hardwood tops. The stout wood tops allowed mounting bow presses, vices and such and provided a quality work surface, the lower drawers filled with plastic Plano slotted cases holding various vane styles and colors, different-weight field tips, specific brand inserts and nocks and common replacement parts and hardware. All drawers were clearly labeled. It made a very nice-looking and efficient work area that was much easier to keep in order even during the busiest times.

A Better Plan?

The New Year is also the time to reassess your business approach, determine what is working and what is not, and make adjustments accordingly. Simply eliminating a single weak link and replacing it with something stronger is ground gained. This might apply to your buying, merchandising or employee schedules. Give your business a hard look, critically and with an open mind, and you can likely discover possible improvements.

One of the easiest ways to get on the right path is to seek the services of a professional consultant. For example, Noble Sinclair and team, of Albuquerque, New Mexico’s, Archery Shoppe (505-878-9768)—one of the most successful archery businesses in the country, evidenced by feats such as becoming one of the largest Hoyt dealers in the entire West—charges $300 a day per person plus expenses, coming into your shop, analyzing specific areas of your business (product ordering, pro-shop layout, employee situation, as examples) and advising you on how to make your shop operate more smoothly to save money and make more money.

Sometimes a fresh perspective is all that’s needed to break through a current plateau, out-compete your competition or get you out of that business slump. It can prove money well spent.

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Consistent Service Profits Require Consistent Process

Howie’s Tackle & Archery is a perfect one-stop-shop for any outdoorsman that finds themselves in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin.

For over 30 years, Howie’s Tackle has been making “The Original Howie Fly”. This little fly has been hammering record breaking salmon, trout and steelhead all over the Midwest for all those years. On top of that, they also sell top-of-the-line archery gear and provide motel rooms as well as a fishing-charter service. We sat down with owner Mike Richard and got some insight on what it takes to manage such a successful and multi-faceted business. 

Headquarters: Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin

Owner: Mike Richard

Store Facts: Opened in January 2011. The store covers 2,000 square feet. Its showroom floor and work areas cover about 1,400 square feet, and its shooting lanes cover about 600 square feet. Richard also owns and manages the Cherryland Motel, which connects to the store.

Staffing: Three full-time employees and three part timers.

Bow Lines: Mathews, Mission, Hoyt and Carbon Express crossbows.

Arrow Lines: Carbon Express.

Inside Numbers: The store generates about $300,000 annually, of which about 15 percent comes from archery and bowhunting.

Inside Archery: How do you ensure consistent, maximum profits from your service center?

Richard: “You start by making sure you recover your time with the customers. If you keep track from Day 1, and log the time you spend with each customer from when they walk in until when they walk out, you realize you don’t make much by the hour. It’s a tough situation because archery isn’t highly profitable to begin with.”

Inside Archery: How do you maximize each of those hours?

Richard: “You must be consistent in what you charge, but just as important, you must charge for everything you do, no matter how minimal the work might seem to customers. You can’t be afraid to be fair to yourself. They’re paying for your expertise. Remind yourself that you can’t call your attorney without getting charged for the phone call.”

Inside Archery: Do you charge by the hour or by set job rates?

Richard: “I guess we do both. Our chart basically has an hourly rate for service and repairs; and set rates for common, everyday jobs like tying or adjusting peeps, or installing or adjusting rests. We also have a flat rate for replacing strings and cables. You kind of know what to expect there. We post the rates chart on our wall where customers can see it.”

Inside Archery: Is it difficult to make your employees enforce the rates consistently?

Richard: “I’m blessed with two good guys who are excellent bow technicians. They know our rates and everything is itemized. So, it’s just a matter of them charging what’s posted in the shop. You also must take good care of skilled technicians. It’s hard to find people who are reliable and knowledgeable in bow repairs. If I had to go find someone right now, it would be difficult. You don’t find those skills everywhere.”

Inside Archery: How do you assign the service and maintenance work?

Richard: “It helps that all three of us are qualified to take care of almost anybody and any work that comes in. Our two main guys do most of the service work, and they pretty much handle it as it comes in. Another of our archery guys starts helping out in September. He runs our charter boats on Lake Michigan until then. The fishing usually stays pretty good until we get into the early bow season, so that works out well for us. If we were just archery, we’d have a hard time making it in this area.”

Inside Archery: You also operate a fishing-charter service, and you rent motel rooms. Do those businesses complicate the service workflow in archery?

Richard: “Repairs and service usually start picking up about the third week of July. It’s never a specific date. Guys start thinking about bow season the first time they feel any little chill in the air. They start coming in to make new bow purchases, or to upgrade or replace components like strings and cables.”

Inside Archery: Do you have a standard goal or a maximum time allowed for repairs and maintenance work?

Richard: “We try to turn things around as quickly as we can, but it can be a tough mix in that midsummer, early crunch period. If they bring their bow in during July when the Kewaunee-Door Salmon Tournament is going on, they have to understand we’ll be in a crunch with fishing work. For the most part, though, it’s never more than two- to three-day turnarounds unless we have to order something like custom strings and cables. That might take four to five days. We order 98 percent of the strings and cables we need, but we will make them for recurves and older crossbows if we can’t order what they need.”

Inside Archery: How do you determine your rates? What are your criteria, etc.?

Richard: “No matter what it is, we generally want to hit about a 30 to 40 percent profit margin on our work and sales, and that means about a 30 percent margin across the board on components. We make most of our better margins with the accessories and components. Some people buy online and bring it in, but most of our customers are regulars, and they’ll buy the components from us.”

For more information, visit Howie’s Tackle & Archery’s website, or check out their Facebook.

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Short’s Marine in Millsboro, Delaware, opened in 1949, and the archery division opened in 2008. Kelly Racz manages the archery division, and he has had great success working with national distributor, Kinsey’s, to keep his shop running smoothly. Racz has been an archery retailer since the 1980s. He enjoys working with manufacturers and the reps who visit his store. For the most part, though, Racz works with Kinsey’s to plan and stock his inventory. Why? He cites convenience, reliability and the business relationship he’s forged the past 20-plus years with Kinsey’s.

Bow Lines: Mathews, Mission, Bear, TenPoint, Wicked Ridge, Horton and Excalibur.

Arrow Lines: Easton, Beman, Gold Tip and Victory.

Shooting Lanes: Customers can test-shoot their bows in this 8-by-40-foot range that’s housed in a converted freight container.

Services: Short’s Archery offers a complete line of service and repairs for its customers.

Inside Numbers: Racz estimates that bowhunting generates more than 95 percent of the archery department’s revenues. “We’re primarily a bowhunting shop,” he said.

Inside Archery: Why rely on a distributor to supply so much of your inventory?

Racz: “Loyalty and history. I’ve been in the industry more than 30 years, and I had another archery shop before I was absorbed into this one. I’ve been working with Kinsey’s more than 20 years, through good and bad. They’ve always supported us and found ways to help. They’ve bent over backward many times to help us. I’ll always remember that.”

Inside Archery: Loyalty counts for much, but can you put a price on it?

Racz: “I look at it like this: How much do you really save by going factory-direct on kisser buttons? If you buy 500 for a few cents cheaper, is it worth losing your relationship with the distributor over the extra profit? We put our cards on the table and find something that works for both of us. What you can’t do is put a dagger in someone’s back after they’ve helped you over and over again for 20 years.”

Between great customer service, detailed sales and order analysis, Racz wouldn’t give up his relationship with a distributor for anything! To read the rest of our interview with Racz and Short’s Marine, check out the July issue of Inside Archery or download the Inside Archery app for free for your Apple or Android device!

Short’s Marine

www.shortsmarine.com

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For more information, visit Mouldy’s Archery’s website.

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For more information, take a look at their Facebook page or their website.

Photo Credit: Xpert Archery

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For the third year in a row, the American Country Music (ACM) & Cabela’s Great Outdoor Archery Event pitted teams captained by country music stars Luke Bryan and Justin Moore against each other for bragging rights as the best archers—until next year!

Team Luke consisted of Lucas Hoge, Austin Webb, Kristy Titus, Tyler Farr, Dustin Lynch, Rhett Atkins, and Willie and Jep Robertson.

Team Justin had Wade Middleton, Eric Paslay, Jamie Lynn Spears, Josh Abott, Zach Martin, Brantley Gilbert, Chase Rice, and Casey Donahew.

The event was held at the Texas Rangers Youth Ballpark in Arlington, Texas, on April 18, 2015. In addition to ACM and Cabela’s, the North Texas Make a Wish Foundation made an appearance at the ballpark that afternoon, with two young archers—Emily and Bryson—to join Luke and Justin’s teams and get in on the competition.

Luke Bryan’s team took home the trophy, but Rhett Atkins took home the Top Archer award.

For more information, tons of pictures to come, and a video of the event, visit Cabelas’ website.

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For more information visit Weaver’s Archery’s website.

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