A local business owner finds his archery shop does more than just sell a product. It’s a place for him to visit with his customers and help solve their problems.

“I’ve gotten to meet a lot of different people, and hear a lot of different stories …” Robert Mutschler said. “Everybody has a deer story if they hunt. It’s just kind of fun to listen to other people’s stories. Well I listen; they talk while I’m working. Like I say a lot of times, there’s more talk that goes on in here than anything else. But that’s kind of what I enjoy.”

Mutschler has owned and operated Bob’s Archery & More out of a section of his home in Bricelyn since 1992. He sells bows, accessories and he can also repair bows.

Mutschler is usually open from 4:30 to 8 p.m., and most of the day on Saturday: “Most of my customers know if I’m home, I’m open,” Mutschler said.

Mutschler chose those hours because his customers can stop after work, and Mutschler said he also works at Winnebago Industries Inc. as a senior production assembler.

Sales and repairs are only part of Mutschler’s business, and he said he helps customers fix problems with their bows and their form. Customers often shoot on his outdoor range so he can help solve their problem.

Whether it’s a problem with their bow or a problem with their form, Mutschler said he enjoys interacting with customers and solving their problems.

“The biggest challenge is if someone comes in with a bow they’ve already purchased and haven’t really been familiar with what they needed to look for,” Mutschler said. “If they come in, there’s a formula you use to know what their draw length is going to be.”

Mutschler said in archery, a bow has to be fit to a specific person. An improper draw length can cause many problems for an archer, because Mutschler said it varies on the size and strength of a person. Customers who buy bows from other stores often don’t have the draw length set correctly. He said he can easily correct this on an adjustable bow, but sometimes he has to tell the person the bow just won’t fit them.

“Somebody that purchases a bow from me, I’ll work with them, and I set the bow all up, and I’ll let them go out and shoot until they feel that they’re comfortable and it’s doing what they want it to do,” Mutschler said.

Mutschler said he often starts new archers at a low draw weight to learn their form first, even if that affects speed and accuracy starting out.

“You want to draw the bow back and hold it in the same place all the time and you want that to be a natural thing, so you just draw back and you don’t think about it. Then you just kind of increase the weight as they grow,” Mutschler said.

A new customer can buy a bow and all the equipment needed from Mutschler for about $300, but he said bows can cost more than $1,000. Currently, Mutschler has about six new bows and four used bows in stock, and he can also order bows. He said he carries a small number of bows because of the cost to of a large inventory and because of changing models.

Mutschler also said his customers can sell used bows through his shop, and he doesn’t ask for a commission, because the seller often buys a new bow through him.

Mutschler wasn’t involved in archery until he took it up as something to do with his son, who had bought a bow from a larger department store, but Mutschler said the bow wasn’t working correctly. When trying to correct the problem with his son’s bow, Mutschler said he found there were few places that fixed bows. After he found a shop to fix the problem, Mutschler said his son enjoyed archery much more.

Shortly after, Mutschler met a man at work who had a business similar to the one Mutschler now owns. Mutschler expressed his interest in archery, and the two men often talked over lunch.

“I had quit deer hunting because I didn’t like being limited to just a weekend with how many other people out there shooting,” Mutschler said. “Where in archery, the season opens up the second weekend of September and runs all the way until the end of December, so you have more time that way to enjoy the hunting part of it.”

Most of Mutschler’s customers are hunters, and he said if he forgets to turn the open sign on, his good customers will still stop by. Some customers only stop every few years, when they’re trying to prepare for the hunting season, but Mutschler said he’s had customers from a wide variety of areas.

Mutschler’s busiest time of year starts in early August when people are getting ready for hunting season to start in September. Mutschler said he wants customers to prepare earlier this year, so he plans to have specials starting in July.