By Christopher Michel
Staff Writer
Feb. 12, 2009
GREAT VALLEY - The Auge family never set out to make a living off of their archery shop.
When patriarch Carl opened Auge’s Archery on West State Street in Salamanca 16 years ago, he saw it as a means to keep enjoying his hobby of bow hunting.
Auge, a veteran hunter of 58 years, said bow hunting and his store has become a family affair.
“Our whole family loves to bow hunt. I decided to open the shop because there wasn’t another one (shop) like it in the area. It’s more of a hobby than a business to me,” Auge said.
With business always proving to be steady, Carl’s son Don is stepping up to the plate to keep Auge’s Archery going.
Don, a recent retiree from the Cattaraugus County Sheriff’s Department, where he served for 20 years, hopes to take on the role his father did.
“This is a business my mom and dad started,” Don said. “I hope to hand it down to my son when I get done with it.”
With limited competition in the area, Auge family recently decided to expand the business. Moving from the business’ original location in Salamanca, the Auges opened a second, bigger shop on Peth Road in Great Valley.
While bow hunting is a seasonal sport, the Auges hope to make their shop more of a year-round venture. Both Don and Carl said they plan to carry more inventory, will hold classes for bow hunting licenses with their three certified bow instructors and want to open up indoor practice lanes.
“We want to keep (bow) hunters active in the winter when they might not be going out in three feet of snow to hunt,” Don said.
For Carl, one of the perks of running an archery shop is the tradition bow hunting can bring.
“I think bow hunting is a family sport. We’ve seen a lot of kids in recent years getting into it,” Carl said.
He attributed the increase in youth bow hunting to parents and grandparents getting their kids involved in the sport.
“One of the biggest things for me is when a kid comes in with a picture of their first kill. They come in thrilled,” he said. “One kid had his dad drive him here from Franklinville to show us a picture of a deer he killed. It’s a lot of fun to work with kids.”
Agreeing, Don said he is pleased to see more kids involved in hunting.
“With the population of hunters in the area going down, it’s great that kids are getting into the sport,” Don said. “That’s one of our goals, to bring kids in here and get them started.”
Although small, Carl said Auge’s Archery has attracted a base of customers both locally and across state lines.
“We see customers from Gowanda, Springville, Arcade, Bradford (Pa.) and even as far away as Ohio,” Carl said. “They come every year.”
To celebrate the continued success of their business, the Auges will be holding a grand opening for their new location on Feb. 21. The event will take place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. With any purchase that day, customers can enter into a drawing for a new Diamond bow among other prizes.