Don's Archery Shop – 1963

Archery cheesecake courtesy of the Harry Volk Jr. Art Studio

I got an email the other day from longtime blog reader Rae, who had a pretty good question for me.

"In your media meanderings," she wrote, "have you seen anything related to an indoor archery range in Lorain?"

I had to admit I hadn't.

Rae's email continued. "My Dad took me several times to an indoor range in the early 60's. I remember it being near a park; I remember big trees like Oakwood." She seemed to think it was somewhere in Central Lorain.

"It is one of those memories that hits you as you're waking up," she added.

Well, I can certainly identify with those feelings – I get'em all the time! So I stopped at the library to try and find the answer for her.

Anyway, a quick look in some early phone books revealed that Lorain did indeed have an indoor archery range back then.

1963 Lorain Phone Book Ad

Don's Archery Shop at 326 W. 37th Street advertised its Shawnee Indoor Archery Lanes as "Northern Ohio's Largest Archery Center."

I guess the store was ahead of its time. Who knew that the blockbuster movie The Hunger Games would make archery hip almost 50 years later?

Don's Archery Shop continued to appear in the phone book for a couple years, before the listing was shortened to "Indoor Archery Range" with the same address and phone number. But by 1970 the business was no longer listed.

Anyway, Rae is going to drive over to that 37th Street address to see if Don's Archery Shop hits the bullseye when it comes to her 1960s memory.