Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Around the Campfire => Topic started by: Pappy on January 09, 2015, 05:18:05 am
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Meet a guy yesterday that just started a business in Clarksville, Called Twin Oaks Technology ;) :) anyway got to talking to him about what he does and what we do at TwinOaks and he said he had a Grand father in Midland,MI. that ran an archery shop for years, he is gone now and the shop closed but wondered if anyone knows where Midland is or have ever heard of this shop. It was called Erno's Archery ,didn't get the Grand Father's name but the Grand son is Todd Little, any info would be appreciated ,just curious and thought if I could get some info I could pass it along to the grandson. :) :)
Pappy
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When I lived in mt pleasant (20-30 mins away) I went to midland sometimes,but don't remember that shop. Midland is about 40 mins northeast of elm hall. Did ya ask rocky,kevin ,and the boys up there? One of them might know. Or one of the ole timer locals up there at the shoot might know,but its a ways off from august. Did ya ask Gary? He might know,but its a little further away from him. Maybe Pearly can help a lil more than my useless jargon. Lol
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No haven't went that far yet, just talked to Todd yesterday and since I know the smartest folks in the world hang out here this is where I thought I would start. ;) ;D ;D ;D
Pappy
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I live in Bay City, which is just a few miles from Midland. I haven't been here for very long, but I'm willing to do some digging and investigating if needed.
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I was able to find this, the middle column starts talking about Erno's
http://arrowtrademagazine.com/articles/may_11/May2011-DealerProfile,MJCARchery.pdf (http://arrowtrademagazine.com/articles/may_11/May2011-DealerProfile,MJCARchery.pdf)
I think the link is ok to post, but if not a mod can remove it
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Well from the article, the owner has something in common with you, Pappy, he booked his Gator Hunt with a guide out of Lakeland, Florida. :)
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Midland is about 45 minutes NW of Me. Back in the day when I worked in the Archery industry, the company I worked for used to ship product to Ernos, I remember hearing the name. I'll do a bit of digging and see what I can find out - Wirwicki might remember too. Bob
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That's a couple hours east of me I think but, Pearly might be close to it
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Struck out Pappy, the two People that would have known have passed away now. Bob
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I talked to an older guy at work today, he remembers the place a bit. Said last time he was in there was probably in the 80s. There was a big bear that Harold Erno shot with a bow. Not sure on the type of bear or the bow. From what I gathered so far, it seems like the place was a big hit, but didn't survive after Harold passed for too long.
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Thanks Guys, That is kind of what I thought, lots of good archery shops have come and gone over the years, kind of sad but that is the way things seem to go in every business now day, bigger/supposedly better and cheaper. :( :) :)
Pappy
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No one else may see this but I have some information for you. Talk about reviving some very fond memories. I know some of the history you are seeking. When I was about 13 years old my grandfather took my cousin and I to Ernos archery shop . The shop was located between Bay City and Midland on Midland rd at Ernos house . We wanted to hunt with bows instead of the spears we were using . We walked into Ernos shop and EVERY wall was covered like wall paper with Ernos competition papers. It would probably have been Mikes Grand or possibly Great grandfathers shop . Erno used to compete in tournaments , was friends with Fred Bear also. Erno fitted me up with my first bow, a 28lb green re curved fiberglass Bear bow and my cousin got a blue fiberglass Action bow. We became admirers of Erno, he was a really great gentleman who loved it when we came in to buy arrows from him which he made in the back room. I remember sitting and watching him make arrows , was fascinating to us. He laughed when we came in asking us what we did with the last arrows he had made, we told him we were fishing with our bows, he liked that . I miss that old man , he inspired and motivated us to become bow hunters. Tell Mike he has a pedigree in archery history with his grandfather. I do not know if Bear Bow Company still has their museum in Grayling or not but if they do Mike may be see pics of Erno hunting/competing with Fred. Mike McCarthy p.s. I am 64 years old now so my visits were over 50 years ago.
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No one else may see this but I have some information for you. Talk about reviving some very fond memories. I know some of the history you are seeking. When I was about 13 years old my grandfather took my cousin and I to Ernos archery shop . The shop was located between Bay City and Midland on Midland rd at Ernos house . We wanted to hunt with bows instead of the spears we were using . We walked into Ernos shop and EVERY wall was covered like wall paper with Ernos competition papers. It would probably have been Mikes Grand or possibly Great grandfathers shop . Erno used to compete in tournaments , was friends with Fred Bear also. Erno fitted me up with my first bow, a 28lb green re curved fiberglass Bear bow and my cousin got a blue fiberglass Action bow. We became admirers of Erno, he was a really great gentleman who loved it when we came in to buy arrows from him which he made in the back room. I remember sitting and watching him make arrows , was fascinating to us. He laughed when we came in asking us what we did with the last arrows he had made, we told him we were fishing with our bows, he liked that . I miss that old man , he inspired and motivated us to become bow hunters. Tell Mike he has a pedigree in archery history with his grandfather. I do not know if Bear Bow Company still has their museum in Grayling or not but if they do Mike may be see pics of Erno hunting/competing with Fred. Mike McCarthy p.s. I am 64 years old now so my visits were over 50 years ago.
This is quite interesting because it seems like I am telling this story about one of my mentors.
Edward Chervanak from Hackettstown New Jersey. I'm 70 and Ed died not to long ago at age 94
Ed sold me my first Bear bow a camo Grizzly 1962 if I recall correctly. He was the 1956 NJ state champ
and has been by and large forgotten over the years.
Zuma
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Thanks for the info Mike - Bob.
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thanks for the info, haven't talked to him in a while, not sure what happened to him. ;) Seems I meet lots of folks that come and go. ???
Pappy
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I am glad I could help and also I owe you thanks for rekindling those old memories. My whole family hunted together , for me it was not so much the actual killing as much as it was the time we spent camping out together. I remember going out to Saginaw Bay and hunting Carp in the summer and bow hunting for deer in the Fall , all with my uncles . Again thanks for rekindling those memories. Mike McCarthy
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I started going to Erno's Archery shop with my dad in the early 70's when it was ran from his house, out of a converted garage turned sales floor. The shooting lanes were in the backyard. One thing that has always stuck in my mind was the pop machine near the sales front door. It had several varieties of pop that was in the old glass bottles, you knew which one to pull by the cap, and there were three rows on the bottom with the caps covered. These were for the special pop the men drank, i.e. beer. My dad bought my first bow there, a Bear Kodiak recurve I believe.
The business got too big sometime in the middle 7's and they built a shop near Freeland, MI. By the early 80's the kids starting getting involved and putting their mark on the business. The line expanded out to darts and knives. This was at a time I started throwing darts and bought my first good set there. Erno's then started a traveling dart league, building portable throwing lanes and traveling with them to various venues. I was working at a restaurant in Midland called Sullivan's, and we hosted the league once a week during the winter for two years.
I have since moved to the west side of the state and have not had reason to be back to the Freeland area since the late 80's. It saddens me that one of the icons of my youth is no longer in existence.
Jack Retherford
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Thanks for the info Jack. ;)
Pappy
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I lived in Freeland, MI. and the shop was at the intersection of Freeland Road & Bay Road. I remember the stuffed bear and piles of recurves in a box on the floor. This was when all the craz started for compounds and people traded in there old stickbows. Man....If I only knew the value of that pile on the floor. A fellow I met later in life worked there and teased me with the collection he made from the castaways. John
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Is he still alive, John? ot his phone number? ;D
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I use to have his number and business card. He had a home based archery shop after Erno's closed...I believe on Seven Mile Road. His name was John ???. I moved from there five years ago to AZ. and now am in OK. When I get my shop set up I'll look for the roll-a-dex with my archery contacts. Sorry John