It all started in 1969 with a broken bowstring.
Eugene Davenport drove from his home in Paden to Prague looking for a replacement string for a bow he had purchased in Oklahoma City. Nowhere in Prague had what he was looking for, and it wasn’t available in Shawnee.
After driving an hour to Oklahoma City to pick up a new string, Davenport decided someone needed to put in an archery shop closer to home. That someone turned out to be him.
Davenport’s, the business, started in Davenport and wife Susie’s dining room in fall 1969. They already had an archery range set up in their yard, so customers could test their bows and equipment before buying them.
Their first inventory order was for $593 with Fred Bear. Susie watched the store and made custom arrows while Gene worked at AT&T. Their first customer was Joe Sargent, who bought a Super Kodiak bow with all the accessories for $150.
After a few months, business was so good the couple expanded to their garage and put up a sign on the highway. For years, the only advertisement the store had was that sign and customer referrals. At first, business was a little slow — the first archery competition in 1969 had only 15 participants, but as time went on and customers told their friends and family about the store, business grew.
After a few years, the store expanded to include black powder guns and accessories and CB radios.
In 1976, the business was doing so well the couple purchased the U Save Hardware Store in Prague and moved the store to town. They sold out the hardware inventory, then added more gun inventory and opened the pawn shop in the same building.
In 1996, after 27 years running the business, Davenport and Susie were ready for a break. They sold the store to their son Jeff and retired, but they still help out at the store from time to time.
Brian Seaton, Jeff’s cousin and an expert bow technician, took over Susie’s job as fletcher, aka arrow maker.
The business is now the oldest family-owned and operated archery shop in the state. It is the No. 1 dealer of Mathews bows in Oklahoma and the 40th in the nation.
For more information about Davenport’s, call 567-3844.
|
|
|
It all started in 1969 with a broken bowstring.
Eugene Davenport drove from his home in Paden to Prague looking for a replacement string for a bow he had purchased in Oklahoma City. Nowhere in Prague had what he was looking for, and it wasn’t available in Shawnee.
After driving an hour to Oklahoma City to pick up a new string, Davenport decided someone needed to put in an archery shop closer to home. That someone turned out to be him.
Davenport’s, the business, started in Davenport and wife Susie’s dining room in fall 1969. They already had an archery range set up in their yard, so customers could test their bows and equipment before buying them.
Their first inventory order was for $593 with Fred Bear. Susie watched the store and made custom arrows while Gene worked at AT&T. Their first customer was Joe Sargent, who bought a Super Kodiak bow with all the accessories for $150.
After a few months, business was so good the couple expanded to their garage and put up a sign on the highway. For years, the only advertisement the store had was that sign and customer referrals. At first, business was a little slow — the first archery competition in 1969 had only 15 participants, but as time went on and customers told their friends and family about the store, business grew.
After a few years, the store expanded to include black powder guns and accessories and CB radios.
In 1976, the business was doing so well the couple purchased the U Save Hardware Store in Prague and moved the store to town. They sold out the hardware inventory, then added more gun inventory and opened the pawn shop in the same building.
In 1996, after 27 years running the business, Davenport and Susie were ready for a break. They sold the store to their son Jeff and retired, but they still help out at the store from time to time.
Brian Seaton, Jeff’s cousin and an expert bow technician, took over Susie’s job as fletcher, aka arrow maker.
The business is now the oldest family-owned and operated archery shop in the state. It is the No. 1 dealer of Mathews bows in Oklahoma and the 40th in the nation.
For more information about Davenport’s, call 567-3844.
