Everyone has a mental picture of what success means for his or her company, said Jon Brickey, the owner of Competitive Edge Archery Center.

For Brickey, a former high school teacher and coach, that mental picture is him standing behind a group of youth archers in a big team photo.

A shooter since age 13, Brickey saw a need for an archery facility in Bend when The Archery Den — the store where he purchased his fist bow in the 1980s — closed a few years ago. To fill the void, he opened Competitive Edge Archery on Southeast Reed Market Road in May.

The 7,000-square-foot building houses a recently completed 24-lane shooting range and a six-lane short-distance range; a repair and service center; and a retail space filled with bows, arrows and accessories. A video analysis room for archers to watch and critique videos of their practice is under construction.

More than 100 people, an equal split of adults and children, come into the Bend archery center each week to shoot, said the 44-year-old Bend resident. His customers range from 6-year-old children to high school archery club members and professional archers.

“We cater to archers,” he said, “whether that archer hunts, shoots targets or is picking up a bow for the first time.”

It’s more than just a pro-shop, he said. It’s an archery center.

“The thought of standing behind a bench all day working on bows just doesn’t appeal to me,” he said. “We want to be active, we want to have people in the shop, we want to teach, coach and learn ourselves. We want to be interactive.”

Brickey said he’s created local leagues, clubs and classes, which all give people a reason to come in and shoot.

“The retail will take care of itself if you bring people through the door,” he said.

At $9 to rent equipment and shoot, the price is less than a movie ticket, he said.

“It does not have to be expensive to get exposed to this sport. Point of entry is such a barrier for people these days,” he said, referring to the cost of activities for kids. “We have to make it easy for these people to come back multiple times because archery is something that you get better at over time. If I charge these kids a lot, I’m not going to see them again.”

The goal is for first-time students to continue and take it up as a hobby, he said.

Brickey said he holds a beginning archery class Monday evenings to introduce customers to the bow and how to shoot. Once archers have familiarity with the equipment and know the rules and regulations, he said they can take his “Exploring Archery” class on Tuesday nights. In addition to the Monday and Tuesday group lessons, he said he also offers open shooting time, other lessons and has leagues of varying levels that shoot throughout the week at his facility.

“Everybody shoots together,” he said. “You are rarely ever shooting against one person; you are shooting against everybody and yourself.”

The leagues are about giving people a venue to get better, he said. They have a competitive and a recreational option. The archers who shoot recreationally will shoot the same targets at the same distances as those who are competing, but won’t have prize money on the line.

Brickey said he wants people to grow through their equipment.

“The better people get, the more informed decisions people make about what they are purchasing. They’re more educated investors.”

Purchasing equipment can range from $200 to $2,000 for a setup that includes bows, arrows and accessories, he said.

Brickey said his customers are all walking through the door for the same reason: to become better archers.

“The glorious thing about archery is that there’s no size requirement, there’s no height requirement, there’s no strength requirement … that make people good at archery,” he said. “It’s just, do you want to work? Anybody can do it.”

Q: What is your favorite part about the business?

A: The shop personally for me is satisfying two of my needs: The entrepreneurial need to start, build and grow something, and the ability to work with and coach kids again. I’ve coached track and field, basketball, volleyball and skiing for 25 years. When we have these kids and programs running through here, that’s what jacks me up.

Q: There are no taxidermied mounts on display in your center. What’s the rationale behind that?

A: While we support hunting, we try to create an environment where everyone feels safe. What you choose to do with the sport is up to you. We’re supporting the sport of archery, not only the sport of bow hunting.

Q: Do you host archery competitions?

A: On Sunday, the Pacific Northwest Shoot-Up Tour, a target archery competition, will be held here. There will be between 25 and 30 competitors from mostly Oregon and Washington. Over Martin Luther King weekend, we’re doing the Competitive Edge Classic. Our goal is to be the highest paid-out indoor tournament in the Northwest with competitors from Oregon, Washington, Idaho and California. We limited it to 100 participants, and we basically got those reserved in a week and a half. We have people banging down our doors to open it up, but we’re not going to do it. We’re going to keep to our original number.

Q: Where do you see your business in the next five years?

A: The shop is a catalyst for more things. This is just one step; it’s not the end goal. My goal is to have between 125-150 students run through here a week by the beginning of the year. Right now we have clubs at Bend High School and Summit High School. We’re in the process of starting clubs at other middle and high schools. From starting a National Archery in the Schools Program here in Central Oregon to growing it throughout the state, when people think of archery in the Pacific Northwest, I want our name to be at the top of mind awareness — and for more than just selling stuff. I could also be leaving in two weeks to go to Mongolia. We’re in the process of starting a National Archery in the Schools Program there. If everything goes through, I’d be doing the initial training of the teachers who will teach it to the students in Mongolia.

The basics

What: Competitive Edge Archery Center

Where: 1320 S.E. Reed Market Road, Bend

Employees: Two full-time, one part-time

Phone: 541-633-7633

Website: www.competitiveedgearchery.com