Gotham Archery

Bow visited Gotham Archery in New York City, nestled away on a quiet street in Brooklyn in December of last year. Before that, one of the world’s major cities only had a handful of places to shoot indoors in the outer boroughs, and still now, finding outdoor shooting spaces in one of the most densely populated cities in the West involves a long journey out of town. The industrial space had been converted into a range and pro-shop for archery, with a well established sideline in axe and knife throwing.

Gotham were keen to point out that they aren’t a club as such, in the sense that you can’t be a monthly or yearly member. Nevertheless, they cater for casual and experienced archers alike, and have picked up a great deal of positive press, having put a lot of effort into their branding and making archery – whisper it – fashionable?

“We aren't a club, so it is difficult for us to speak about the "club model" or its viability. We were established on day one as a for profit business.” said owner Chris Stein. "We have very high overhead running an archery range in one of the worlds most expensive and litigious cities. We don't want to present our new customers with the barriers often associated with traditional club models and we try to be as open and welcoming to whoever comes through the door. People of all ages, genders, with or without disabilities, people from all different backgrounds experience archery at our range and these people bond over the sport. So it's not necessarily over, we are just pursuing an alternate model.”

Gotham has been successful in its mission since it opened in 2014, and has recently expanded, adding another range in Manhattan. “We wanted to serve more people than we could accommodate in our Brooklyn range. From day one we always wanted to expand beyond one range. What better place to go to than Manhattan, so we can offer better access to the sport to a larger variety of people. It took us one year and looking at over 100 potential places before finding the right spot.”

“A lot of things have changed since we started in June of 2014. We started out wanting to create a large, modern and inviting space for archers of all skill levels with enough staff to constantly be able to assist multiple customers at once. As more and more people took our intro classes and became customers we added dozens of employees. Since opening we have had tens of thousands of customers. This growth challenged us to continuously improve and expand our offering and our space. We try to anticipate our customers needs and give them the best experience possible. We offer more flexible hours, work with a large number of suppliers to make sure our customers can get whatever suits their needs. We have a large JOAD program, host tournaments and 3D archery events plus much more. There is no business model for this business, it's really all challenging. Opening any kind of business in New York City is very difficult, making it sustainable even more so. We appreciate the loyalty and dedication of our customers, for

helping us achieve the success we do have."

What have been your biggest successes? “We have benefitted tremendously from having a handful of dedicated and passionate customers who really want us to succeed and who became ambassadors for Gotham Archery and close friends. We have loyal regulars who come to the range while being on call as brain surgeons, shooting next to people who may be city employees, artists, lawyers, UN personnel, you name it. Some of our customers come to relax, some come because they take this sport very seriously and are training for competitions. All share the passion and love for archery. Many became part of a circle of friends who met at the range. We often see family members, friends, co-workers introducing each other to the sport and bringing them out to our range.”

Do people who come to the club have realistic expectations around archery? “A lot of our customers are looking for something new to try on a weekend or they just saw the Robin Hood movie or Hunger Games and want to try archery for themselves. Often they are surprised to be able to do this in a dense, urban setting. Many customers came to spend a fun couple of hours shooting a bow at five yards. They observe other customers using more advanced equipment at 18 meters which motivates and exposes them to the aspirational nature of this sport. We take pride in the path which we laid out for these customers"

How do you turn people into devotees of the sport? “With good communication and enthusiastic instructors and staff members. We really do like what we do, so we love to talk about archery, give tips, exchange experiences, and sometimes go for a beer with our customers after work. We are as excited about archery as our customers are. Many of our archers have come a long way since they started shooting with us, and we believe some of them will go on to win competitions, however small or large they may be. Who knows what's to come, our archers best scores have not yet been shot. For many regional tournaments we have a group of customers of all ages who will coordinate their participation, share car rides and hotel rooms, and represent Gotham Archery there. This is born out of a passion for the sport and the community. Our long term plan is to introduce the sport to as many people as possible."

What would you have done differently, if you did it again? “We would have opened a bowling alley instead. Just kidding.”

"Some of our customers come to relax, some come because they take this sport very seriously and are training for competitions."

Archery is well-known for being a broad church, accommodating a wide variety of styles, traditions, and people. None of the people we spoke to here were keen to see tradtional clubs change or die, and all were keen to offer services that sat alongside more traditional models – and with a strong community spirit, too. Most readers will be aware of the spark that ignited their interest in the sport – but it is also necessary to have somewhere to fan that spark into a flame. The commercial clubs that have appeared in the last few years are gradually changing the archery landscape, and ultimately, changing the sport.

Thanks to Roman and Kate, Adriana, and Martin for their assistance with this article.

Links: www.archeryfit.com www.got-archery.com www.archerylegends.co.uk