Flint Township View

Aiming to please

Bear Foot Archery caters to bow lovers of all ages




Matt Brown, owner of Bear Foot Archery, repairs an arrow for a customer. Brown shows cusARCHERY tomer Ron Rawlings how to switch off the Nockturnal Lighted Nock he installed on the arrow.

Matt Brown, owner of Bear Foot Archery, repairs an arrow for a customer. Brown shows cusARCHERY tomer Ron Rawlings how to switch off the Nockturnal Lighted Nock he installed on the arrow.

SWARTZ CREEK
— Bow lovers of all ages and skill levels are heading to Bear Foot Archery, 1520 Seymour Rd., for all of their archery needs. Owned by Swartz Creek resident Matt Brown, Bear Foot Archery has been at its current location since Aug. 1, 2009. Before that, Brown had the business on Van Fleet Rd. for three years.

A native of Flint Township and Carman-Ainsworth graduate, Brown decided to open his shop four years ago to fill a void in the industry, and also for himself.

“I was tired of not getting bow set up right, so I decided to open my own shop,” said Brown, who has been shooting bows for 20 years and hunted deer for six years. “I’ve always wanted to be my own boss.”

The full-service pro shop specializes in custom-made bow strings, and prides itself on being an archery-only shop. Bear Foot Archery does everything with bows, from bow set up and sales to warranty work. “We do it all,” Brown said. “We welcome everything from long bows to compounds.”

Bear Foot Archery carries four major bow lines: Mathews, Mission, Elite and PSE. The shop, which also carries crossbows, draws the bulk of its customers from Genesee County but sees customers from as far away as Ann Arbor, Grand Rapids, Midland, Clarkston and Waterford.

One of the unique features of the shop is the indoor range, which is popular with customers. Range rates are available on a daily or monthly basis. Cost is $7 daily or $15 monthly, and range members have unlimited access to the range during store hours. The only exception will be Saturdays in January when the Kids League starts up. The Kids League, which is for children ages 15 and under, is an eight-week league for children ranging from beginning to advanced levels. Cost is $5 a week, and children 16 and older can join the Adult League.

“Last year, we had about 10 kids and it worked out really well,” he said. Brown is still finalizing the details of the Kids League, and those interested need to call the store for more information.

While the shop currently does not offer classes, Brown said he would eventually like to add classes in the next year or so. “I work with everybody individually when they come in,” he said. “I’m the only one here, so it’s hard to offer classes but I’d like to after I hire an employee.”

In addition to selling and servicing bows and the indoor range, Bear Foot Archery also processes deer for customers.

Hours 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Friday and noon-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. For more information, call Bear Foot Archery at 810-630-8050 or visit www.bearfootarchery.com.


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