Flaming Arrow opens shooting range in Evergreen

Flaming Arrow Archery owner Nicole Tindale recently moved her shop to Evergreen and couldn’t be happier.

The new location at 1282 U.S. 2 E. offers space for an official-distance 20-yard shooting range toward the back of the store, a huge benefit for customers who want to give equipment a test run or mingle with fellow archery enthusiasts.

At its previous sites, Flaming Arrow could manage no more than a “little tiny range,” Tindale said.

Flaming Arrow Archery was founded on U.S. 2 near Reserve Drive by Dennis Brieske more than 14 years ago and Tindale took over a few years ago after Brieske died. She first moved the business to a relatively quiet spot on Kelly Road in south Kalispell.

Tindale is pleased to now be in a bustling commercial area.

“We’ve never been this close to town. I think it’s a great spot,” she said. “With Snappy’s and Army-Navy so close, we work together and we all have similar customers. And saying we’re right across from Nickel Charlie’s is easy to explain.”

The Flaming Arrow shooting range has room for 16 people and Tindale plans to hold archery leagues for adults and children. Saturday-morning shooting for kids begins May 4 and Tindale also wants to offer Thursday after-school sessions for young archers.

The cost for an adult full-day open-shooting session is $8. Punch cards and monthly or annual passes are also available.

The retail stock includes both recurve bows and longbows. Among its extensive selection, the shop stocks Bowtech brand merchandise, including the Diamond line, bows from Bear, bowsights by Black Gold and Spot Hogg, and a wide variety of arrows.

Tindale does not yet have a working phone line nor has she done much marketing of the location change, but loyal customers and drop-in traffic have kept the shop busy since it opened earlier this month. Tindale plans a grand opening at the end of May or early June.

Tindale had worked with Flaming Arrow Archery for more than a decade before taking over the store. She is an archer herself and especially enjoys one of the fastest-growing pursuits in competitive archery.

“I love the 3D archery, the little foam animals you can shoot,” she said. “Between here and Libby, there’s an outdoor 3D shoot every weekend.’

For more information, visit www.flamingarrowarchery.com

For questions, click on the contact tab and send an email message through the site.

Reporter Heidi Gaiser may be reached at 758-4438 or hgaiser@dailyinterlake.com.