By Randy Arrington
SHENANDOAH, July 22 — If you find yourself driving slow along Massanutten Avenue in Shenandoah, you just might stumble across one of the best kept secrets in Page County. Although a little tricky to locate, customers have driven from as far away as Pennsylvania and West Virginia just to walk through its doors. It’s a secret that’s been slowly spreading for four decades.
Of course, if you’re an archer, hunter or outdoorsman, then there’s no secret — you probably already know all about Steve’s Archery & Guns.
Walking in the door of a former garage, the unique store greets visitors with a mounted bear’s head above a mounted deer’s rear end (whitetail on alert) to the right of the entrance. Each customer has a moment to enjoy the mounts due to the daunting shelves and racks in front of them — overflowing with literally thousands of products encompassing anything an outdoorsman can conjure.
“I have about anything that a hunter would want,” owner Steve Rodgers said.
The space that Rodgers expanded from his garage in 1993 is filled with arrows, archery supplies, targets, hats, turkey calls, gun oil, scopes, reloading supplies, tree stands, more hats, camouflaged apparel, blaze orange apparel, gloves, more hats, crossbows, compound bows, recurve bows, sites, more scents, gun cleaning kits, fletching supplies, black powder guns and a wide range of other long guns and pistols…and of course, more hats, some with face covers.
On Saturday, archery and hunting products, a raffle, free food and drinks, and a few more hats were spread out on tables outside the store along the “driveway” of Rodger’s home. Jacked-up pick-ups lined Massanutten Avenue as the backyard business celebrated its 40th anniversary with a Customer Appreciation Day.
“It’s important because of the longevity of it,” Shenandoah Mayor Clinton Lucas Jr. said on Saturday. “He’s been in business right here in this location for 40 years…he’s been here and been profitable…this is a hunting community, and he knows what they need.”
Allen Louderback, District 2 member of the Page County Board of Supervisors, addressed the dozens in attendance, noting the location’s long-term success while operating “off the beaten path.”
“I got no overhead, and the building is paid for,” Rodgers responded when asked if he’d ever move his business downtown. However, with serving most of Page County and 11 counties in the surrounding region from the east side of the Blue Ridge back to West Virginia and up to Pennsylvania…it seems he’s got a pretty strong customer base.
“During COVID I thought business would go down, but it actually expanded,” Rodgers said. “There were more hunters off from work, with more time to hunt and business boomed over the last two years. Gun sales doubled; archery sales doubled…and the business has continued to grow and grow.”
Back in 1983, some archery buddies of Steve’s began to gripe when they had to travel to get some fletching done. They knew he was capable of doing it and encouraged him to start offering that service so they wouldn’t have to go so far…so he did. Then he started selling arrows…and bows…and targets.
“And it just grew from there,” Rodgers said.
He started out in his father’s garage nearby, but would later utilize his own garage behind his home. The store’s stock quickly filled the original space, which was only about a quarter of what it is now after the expansion. Today, the back of the store is lined with dozens of long guns, dozens more hang from the ceiling — some even in “hot pink” for female hunters — and rest sit in front of the glass case filled with handguns.
Rodgers also teaches gun safety and is a Hunter Education Coordinator for Page County. Hunter Education classes are required of young hunters ages 12 to 16 who seek a Virginia hunting license.
“I like doing a classroom because it’s hands-on… as opposed to online,” Rodgers said in reference to the habits of today’s youth.
The shop also offers various classes including a turkey workshop, archery class, a demonstration on deer processing, and other hunting topics. He also offers bow and crossbow repair and maintenance.
Word of mouth has been the fuel that kept Steve’s Archery & Guns going and growing for four decades. While the store doesn’t have a web page, or a traditional storefront, it does have a Facebook page. All 13 Google reviews the site has received were all five stars, complimenting the wide selection and friendly, knowledgable service.
Steve’s formula for success and longevity in this business is simple:
“My passion as a hunter.”
Steve’s Archery & Guns is located at 261 Massanutten Ave., Shenandoah. They can be reached by phone at (540) 652-6393 or send email to: stevesarchery@yahoo.com
Visit their Facebook page at
https://www.facebook.com/StevesArcheryGuns/
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