The Englishes originally operated the shop in the basement of their home, which is located just near the site of the current storefront, before moving to the separate facility to accommodate the shop’s growth.
Eventually, the English’s passed the business on to son and daughter-in-law Evan and Layne English. And in keeping with tradition, Evan and Layne plan to pass the shop on to their son, Dean, when the time comes.
“We are now three generations’ strong,” Layne English said.
The shop has once again outgrown its quarters and this time, the Englishes plan to construct a facility that will not only accommodate its current business offerings, but allow for continued growth.
“We’ve been dreaming about doing this for about 25 years,” Layne said. “But we actually started discussing the details, and I got out paper and a rule, around April of 2022.”
The new 30,000-square-foot facility will be constructed on the shop’s current 15.4-acre property. Olde English’s current store is around 4,800 square feet.
The site’s terrain varies in depth, and the new expansion will consist of a pre-engineered metal building situated upon a hill overlooking the current store, on a section of the land that’s visible from the highway.
The new store will include a larger, 8,000-square-foot showroom for firearms and archery, an educational and event space, as well as an “archery super center,” with expanded servicing facilities and a 12,000-square-foot indoor archery range, Layne said.
“Ever since COVID, archery has just gone crazy,” she said. “There have been some range closures in the area and some businesses are no longer active, so that is a huge need and has driven a lot of what we’re doing.”
The company’s current building will close eventually, Layne said, but will be done slowly and in phases. The building itself will continue to be used for shipping and receiving purposes, she said.
Layne said she and Evan want to make a space for customers old and new to have an in-person experience that highlights the best of what the company has to offer.
The store sells firearms, archery accessories, ammunition, knives, safes, educational tools, some clothing items and accessories, and more from a list of well-known brands and lines.
“With the push to online and people shopping from home, the people going out to the brick-and-mortar stores are looking for an experience, so that’s what we’re trying to do,” she said, adding that the business plans to add to its already expansive collection of retail items.
Layne said the most important thing about the expansion is that it is customer-focused and driven.
“We pride ourselves on great customer service, but it’s even more than that; it’s about the relationships,” she said. “We have regulars who come in every Thursday at 6 and that’s their hang out time ... nobody’s a number, and that’s the biggest thing for us.”
Layne said the business plans to host a 50th anniversary celebration in summer 2024, during which the new facilities will be officially opened. To learn more, visit www.oeoutfitters.com.
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