Nock Point thrives as Mountlake Terrace archery center, offering 26 shooting lanes, equipment, friendly services

Published 3:15 pm Wednesday, March 24, 2010

When The Nock Point archery business opened in 1987, it never made much money — until now.

“We were lucky if we made five thousand annually,” said Jody Hickey, who owns the business with her husband, Bill.

Their love of the sport and desire to help others kept them going. They put everything they had into the store, stuck it out and now it’s a thriving archery business in Mountlake Terrace.

“Archery comes and goes in waves. It used to be really hot in the 1970s,” she said.

By the 1980s, it was somewhat of an elitist sport, she said, but the couple always felt that it was an enjoyable family sport.

“We wanted to help educate people and let them know how much fun it was,” she said.

The Hickeys were into archery long before they opened their business. They were among the original founding members of the Washington State Bowhunters organization, which was established in 1976.

This all-volunteer, non-profit group promotes archery education and represents bowhunters throughout the state.

“Our goals are service oriented,” she said. “We offer anything and everything that relates to archery,”

The center has a pro shop that sells major brands of bows and accessories for a variety of prices.

Customers can get their bows repaired and even order custom-built arrows. Most arrows come ready made, but many archers like to choose their own fletching, the feathers that maintain aerodynamically stable flight.

“We have one shooter who has everything pink,” she said.

Growth seems to be the operative word around The Nock Point, which refers to the place on the bowstring where the “nock” or “end” of the arrow is fitted for shooting.

The business began in a 3,000-square-foot building a few miles away from its present location, a 7,000-square-foot building that became the center’s home in January. The new facility has 26 shooting lanes for target archers, which is up from only eight lanes at the old location. The pro shop space is much larger as well.

The economy has not adversely affected the archery business. In fact, it expanded recently to meet growing demand.

“You don’t really need a lot of expensive equipment to enjoy the sport,” Hickey said.

The business boomed in 2007, decreased somewhat in 2008, remained flat in 2009, but they expect it to grow in 2010.

“It is one of the largest archery centers on the west coast. We’ve seen more and more new customers,” Hickey said, noting that customers at The Nock Point come from all “walks of life” and are particularly pleased that it supports young archers in a very big way.

“We encourage young people to shoot. It teaches self-discipline and self-respect. We’ve been involved with kids from the start,” she said.

The Nock Point offers Junior Olympic Archery Development (JOAD) classes, which are part of a national program that encourages children to participate in archery.

Classes at The Nock Point help kids learn and improve their fundamental archery skills. Kids can train for competition, get to know local archers and learn advanced shooting techniques. JOAD classes are generally offered on Sundays and Mondays. The program has grown its enrollment from 12 to 50 kids in just three years, she said.

The business also supports the National Archery in Schools Program (NASP), sponsored by an organization that promotes student physical education and participation in archery. The Hickeys works with local schools, selling them equipment or whatever else they might need for NASP.

One might think that this sport is mostly for men, but not so. According to Hickey, participants are about a fifty-fifty, female-male split. It helps that manufacturers build bows especially to fit women’s physiques.

Hickey’s own love of archery was born from outdoor adventures as a youth.

“My family camped, hunted and fished,” she said. The sport requires good skills and she has honed hers, shooting for the last 35 years. “You need a lot of practice and to know your own range capability, which is especially important when hunting animals.”

Private lessons are available, as well, through a joint venture with Next Step Archery, a business located at the same site and owned by Bill and Judy’s son, Bob Hickey. He offers one-on-one basic and advanced archery lessons for a range of skills, from the first-time archer to Olympic archers and professional archers.

For more information about classes, business hours and The Nock Point’s location, call 425-672-8080, or visit www.thenockpoint.com. The center is located at 22313 70th Ave. W., Mountlake Terrace.