Two weeks ago I happened upon a brand-new archery pro-shop here in Southern California. Being in the market for some new Easton arrows, I did a search for local dealers. Was I ever surprised to see Archery Outpost appear in my results. Why was I surprised? First off, I had never heard of them and I check out a lot of websites for info on local shops each week. Second, well, they are three streets over from my house. I can walk there and had no idea they had set up shop. How awesome is THAT?

Debbie at the front desk greeted me with a huge smile and I knew I was home! The owner, Laura Kelly and Bernie “The Bow Whisperer”, are super nice and make you feel like family. I met up with fellow DIY Bowhunter Frank (wingbone) and Laura graciously gave us a tour of the new facility. This place has 36 shooting lanes and can accommodate 144 archers. Impressive! Up the stairs is a wide-open kitchen area where you could have a birthday party or just eat your lunch. A bonus is the viewing area from up there. You can waltz on over to the balcony and watch the other archers honing their skills. At the bottom of the stairs is the pro-shop. I’ll be sure to have Bernie go over my bow with me to fine tune it all. Even though I have hunted for 26 years and feel like I know my gear inside and out, there is always something that can be tweaked to be better.

Their product line is growing each day and the staff is great. Very welcoming and humble. Yes, I said humble. They don’t knock what you are shooting or try to build themselves up to seem like better people. They are down to earth, very polite and really just want to help you be a better archer.

Range time is great value, too. You get 4 hours for $5. Add a 3-spot target for $1 more and you’ve got a fun afternoon ahead of you. I also found that many of the archers who are shooting are very friendly and just want to talk archery. I met Steve and another gentleman last night who were very enthusiastic about shooting. We just talked and if I had more time I probably would have swapped some stories.

Archery Outpost is having their Grand Opening Celebration and BBQ on March 20, 2010. It is going to be an all day event. They will be having raffles, games of skill, a bow raffle, special demonstrations, and live music. I am very excited that they are open and have such a great staff. I am looking forward to the grand opening, too. Who knows, maybe I’ll win something. No matter what I am going! Here’s their info:

Archery Outpost
10714 Reagan St.
Los Alamitos, CA 90720
Phone: (562) 598-3444
Store hours: Monday – Saturday 10am-8pm, Sunday 12-5pm. 

So bring your bow and fling a few arrows! Meet the staff and embrace a new local pro-shop. We hunters love the fact that there is a local shop with what we need to get the job done. You can be brand-new to the sport or have been shooting for 26 years like me. There is something for everyone and we can all learn from each other. I hope to meet some of my readers over there. Keep an eye out for the DIY Bowhunter members, too!