HOLLAND, Michigan—For many, a neighborhood shop is just a place to buy something and leave. For Brandon and his family, who own Long Range Archery & Firearms, it has become something closer to an outdoor coffee shop, a community hub where friendships form, skills are passed on, and conservation efforts stretch well beyond the store’s walls.
To mark the shop’s 11th anniversary, I sat down with Brandon to talk about community, survival, and what it takes to run a family-owned archery and firearms store in West Michigan.
Brandon: Yeah. So going further past just a retail store, it is about a community. We work with 80 different nonprofit organizations, such as Christian schools, churches, Safari Club International, [and] Rocky Mountain, those types of things. And I think the last number I saw was we helped raise over $2 million in charitable givings or conservation efforts.
But a little closer to home is just the amount of people that come here three, four, five times a week just to hang out. And it is a community. It’s kind of your outdoor coffee shop, if you would. I’ve made some of my best friends here, really, really good people.
When you come through the door, it’s a “hey, how are you.” When you leave, it’s “have a great day, have a great weekend.” We know who these people are, who their families are, what they do for a living. So it goes so much further than the dollar.
Brandon: Not only is it just selling you the item, but we’ve now kind of expanded into the education piece. I have two training companies—MDFI Training, which is handgun, shotgun [and] carbine training, and then Long Range Shooting School that myself and Kurtis here at the store run.
We don’t want to just sell you something and go, “Hey, figure it out.” Now we can mentor you, explain what the different items are, and then from there, jump into one of our classes. We’re going to give you a 10-hour day of how to properly utilize that. Set up your data with your long-range hunting rifle. So we’re really trying to bring in that full-circle community.
Brandon: It’s not unusual to see the same trucks in the lot. People come here because it’s more than a shop, it’s part of their routine, part of their community.
It’s even become something of a running joke among our regulars. They’ll say, “What else can we give Brandon money for?” because they’ll buy a rifle, then have us do the barrel break-in, then take one of our training classes. They call it the “Bank of Brandon,” and everyone laughs about it. But really it speaks to how much people trust us to handle every step from purchase to setup to education.
We’ve also got customers who drive three-plus hours, and a few who come from out of state. One family from Reno, Nevada, actually plans their vacation around Holland. They’ll ship their bow ahead of time, we’ll get everything set up, and then they pick it up when they’re here for vacation. It’s that kind of loyalty that makes this place feel bigger than retail. It’s a place where relationships form, where people know they’ll be remembered and welcomed back.
Brandon: I was still active duty Army when my brother and dad made the final decision to buy this from the previous owners. My brother had worked here during college. And when he said he was done, the owner basically said, “Before you walk out the door, let’s go to lunch.” During that lunch, he slid a note over and said, “This is how much I need for it. I want you and only you to buy it.”
At that point, my dad still had a full-time job. The stars aligned that my grandma was selling her condo for a cash offer. It just happened to be the exact amount my brother needed. They made a bunch of budgetary cuts, turned a profit the first year, and about a year and a half later I got out of active duty and joined.
We started firearms with four guns on a peg wall. The big catalyst, like a lot of shops, was COVID. We literally sold a full pallet of nine millimeter—96,000 rounds—in 45 minutes without ever putting anything on social media.
Brandon: Conservation is at the root of this. Being able to sustain populations of the animals that we hunt, making sure they flourish and are healthy. That’s why we work with charitable organizations to buy back lands, restore them to natural habitat, and not push animals out.
But on the human side, it’s about getting outdoors, getting off screens, making lasting core memories with your family and friends. Deer camp, right? A lot of Michiganders don their Stormy Kromers and red flannel jackets, head up north, and it’s not even about hunting. It’s about the relationships and the memories.
As far as firearms, education is huge. We have to be good advocates of the Second Amendment. Every day you read in the news somebody doing something stupid with a gun. That only hurts our cause. We need to be not only gun owners but responsible armed citizens.
Brandon: Just thankful that we’ve had a successful 11 years. Thank you for being amazing customers, friends and community members. This is not our 11th-year sale—we call it our Customer Appreciation Day. We’re bringing in all of our reps, we’ll have free giveaways, about $20,000 in raffle items, and Reenders Blueberries is donating donuts in the morning.
It’s just a little way of giving back.
Long Range Archery & Firearms is celebrating 11 years this Saturday, August 23, from 8am-4pm. Details about the Open House can be found on the Instagram account @longrangearchery.
Eric McKee is a lifetime resident of West Michigan. Married with two energetic boys, he spends his days balancing work with dad life. Also, a firm believer that Almond St. Claus Windmill Cookies are the ultimate snack (and maybe a little too good).
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