Neet Archery - Has it closed

Neet Archery has been an American Archery manufacturer for almost 70 years. A family run and owned business. I discuss the USA made manufacturer. I ask is there a future in soley made USA products?
I discuss why I think Neet has closed. I ask why when American archers are patriotic they largely choose to buy Chinese quivers over the USA made quivers.
I question if Neet is a sewing business or if it should be an Archery Accessory distributor who should make premium products in America and source lower cost items from overseas?
I discuss all the USA archery businesses which have closed over my 40 years in the Archery Industry.
www.archerysho...

[@jimrodtka852]

....reminds me of archery in the 70's as a kid :) Shame that old school business model isn't viable any more. I think history will show that everyone looses.... :(

[@ArcherySuppliesLonsdale]

Agree 100%. Back in the day you would compete on ideas, methods location. Now it is hard to compete. I think USA use to be focussed on business and that has now changed. I feel China is very focussed on business and you will probably see India move the same path.

[@petrokemikal]

Nobody cares anymore about longevity or quality.. That has literally been bred out of existence..Its all about cheap and delivery speed now.. I waNT a quiver now and I want it for buttons.. China drove the machine, and its well oiled the world over now..

[@garymickus6412]

I have never been a businessman but I value your videos about the the archery business. Very few videos on this subject.

[@Voxguitarsrock]

Agreed. Steve's insight into the business is as invaluable as it is fascinating

[@ArcherySuppliesLonsdale]

I find it quiet sad. When I was young these business people inspired. It was a thing to own your own business build it up and employ people. Now all or most of the Archery businesses I have known and the people have moved on. I dont see that passion or drive now. Neet for me was an amazing story - Brenda worked for her parents as young child. We were a similar age, so we grew up together. The business was in a rural setting and for me it was just amazing - how you buy build and setup such a business.

[@garymickus6412]

@@ArcherySuppliesLonsdale A fine tribute to a great company!

[@Alan_Edwards]

Dude...I have had that exact quiver since the late 90s. Paid like $50 for it at the time and it was well worth the money because it is still going strong. Very well made stuff.

[@matthewbarton1356]

I spoke with Brenda a few months ago when I went to order a tab and some other items & couldn't find them. I had the number so I called, yes they did shut down sadly. She is tired and just wanted to retire. There was no one that she trusted enough to leave it to.

[@BBDragon66]

It's a shame that this happens to many family run businesses. Unless you have kids or even an employee that has the same dedication you did for the company, it is going to reach the final day then shut down. It is better to shut down than to hand it to someone that runs the name you built up into the ground.

[@ArcherySuppliesLonsdale]

Yes I imagine she is. I get very tired. I dont recall her ever having a holiday. Lots of hours most days. I wonder what happened to it all. I hope she and her family are well. I bet Covid was hard for her. My freind closed Predator down during Covid a great bow. Now try and find good gear. The prices are 3X and wait time is normally over a year. I find it sad - I never made it to the Neet Factory I always wanted to visit. Country people are normally lovely so down to earth. It is amazing that no one would buy the company and continue it. That tells you alot about how things have changed.

[@stephenryder8143]

You've got crickets we've got spring peepers !!

[@ArcherySuppliesLonsdale]

Yes I do - I hope they would be frogs. Annoyed my last partner.

[@paulpurpura191]

Greetings Steve from central Virginia. I live about 3 hours from Washington DC. Your comments about America are spot on! Your point about going from a capitalist economy to a government subsidized economy can be summed up in one word - socialism. I dare not say any more. Keep up the great work! I have learned so much from you.

[@henrik_worst_of_sinners]

There are no meaningful difference between the two. Both come out of hellenistic pagan thought which was ruminated during the enlightenment in the West.. London is the base of both modern versions of it. Karl Marx is burried in London. They feedback into eachother. Capitalism generates individualism which in turn forces socialism to be and it cycles on. It is a magic circle.

[@ArcherySuppliesLonsdale]

I agree and yet my friends in China seem more capitalist than America. There were no hand outs in Covoid. They work 6 days a week 12 hours a day. They are making new products all the time. I suggest something then a few months later there is the product. I dont understand China. But they build infastructure to support business. The businesses when they grow in China can seem to move to larger buildings. In the USA and Australia there is so much red tape. Covoid government would fine businesses here 10,000 if they found something wrong. China feels like USA in the 1990's to deal with. The owners own the company. They talk to you. I can't think of a USA Archery company now where the owner talks to me. Most are owned by big funds.

[@josephtreadlightly5686]

I've been watching Steven now for @ least 5 years. I took alot of his recommendations on arrows. I had made bare shafts forever but Steven with his world market views has given me great info. Now my arsenal for especially recurve products has grown. I was always a 5.2 mm arrow guy but now I have 4.2mm & even some new 3.2mm shafts I am making into arrows. It's not just the American makers who might suffer but also the On-line guys in America. It's no longer location/location/location anymore, unless u have the cheap labor & workforce to make it happen. 😮

[@Alan_Edwards]

And it's only going to get worse if a certain woman gets elected !!

[@SL-he2wt]

Thanks for this heads up. I just ordered a Neet leather quiver as backup as I love mine so much. It was on sale as you mentioned. I hope the business owners just decided to retire over just not being able to support their business. Overall it is just sad to see them go......if they really did.

[@spirobouloukos511]

As always thanks for the content. Hope your back is ok?

[@ArcherySuppliesLonsdale]

Improving - back shooting a bit now. thank you.

[@old2470]

I have the same quiver you are holding. Best quiver imo compared with the rest.

[@ArcherySuppliesLonsdale]

My mothers one is the same mums would be 40 years old - as good as the day it was sold. The Easton quivers loose their look in a few years.

[@Steelhorse814]

Steven, I buy straight from Neet , arm guards & shooting gloves for youth archers , I Mentor . It's always Fast Shipping , I Hope & Pray they don't go out of business ! I'm from the USA and watch everyone of your video's when I get alert when I new one comes out ! I've bought a lot of Archery products after watching your reviews , Your reviews are always Honest and Straight about a product ! Keep the Great Videos Coming! Stay Safe & Healthy ! God Bless !

[@Dakuan73]

Do you have a link or number to reach them directly?

[@ArcherySuppliesLonsdale]

thank you - yes it is sad Neet have retired.

[@JG0929]

Hahah! I love the fact you called out the US archers wearing their “patriotic” quivers that are made in China. People are clueless and cheap. High quality or Low price - pick one.

[@ArcherySuppliesLonsdale]

Americans are very loyal to USA products. When I see people using an Easton Quiver made in China. Here is a really good local company making high quality products which last. So then it is a question did Neet not make the right product or are people just talk? Maybe people dont think about it. Dad worked at Chryler/ Mitshibushi so it was a thing dad drilled to us if you want Australian made you buy Australian products. Now we no longer make things and just import. Australia and USA us to be a net exporter of products now we have debt and we buy our products from overseas.

[@jamesanthony7127]

Steve..please do a follow up video... Martin Archery is in business...I spoke with them just now

[@ArcherySuppliesLonsdale]

Martin is a hard one. It has had so many owners. I honestly think they would be best to start with a new name. I did a video where I brought 100+ bows when they arrived they wanted to supply other people in Australia. So I guess I lost $40,000 in that one purchase. I still have alot of bow left. It is a huge risk for a shop to take on a new brand. You need to build trust. With Martin in the old days. We were all close. I think Terry Martin shafted my father - Dad would have 200 Martins in stock. Terry supplied the shop next to him 4 bows. Dad got the shits and that was really the end of Martin. Once you loose the trust and you dont support your dealers loyalty is lost. Archery Business is low margins high costs, high customer service. We might spend 2 hours wih a customer then you need to support that product and no cost for a lifetime. This is why you will see more archery stores close. My store in Canberra sold 5 million a year I had a huge local base of archers. No one ever setup or wanted that business. So there is no shops in that area. Its a wealthy area lots of hunting. I find it very sad. I would setup my son in Canberra with a shop. But you need the drive and the passion for the sport. The profits are just not there sadly.

[@roserpens]

I love my 15 year old Neet quiver.

[@HondoTrailside]

I checked Lancaster and they still have some stock, mostly for lefties. Sept 2024. I checked with 3 Rivers and they have some but prices are 2-3 times the clearance prices at Lan. and not the kind of things I like. Actually no nice quivers there are all, at least as to how they look in pictures. I guess leather is getting pretty expensive. For trad quivers, most of the nice ones use assembly methods that were developed to look traditional, though in some cases new over the last 40 years. And they do not require any needle and thread, and are often assembled with lace, or even more novel leather to leather methods. So while design requires some insight, your don't need much skill to make them. Which is why I make my own. Some of the greats are actually quite helpful on design. The new owners at American Leathers have actually improved some of their designs, and seem to be keeping quality high. Sunset Hill still makes some of the very best Hill quivers, concensus is he makes the best, and helped me, but I haven't owned anything by him. Raptor is still making the best hunting side quiver, it is one I use even when shooting compounds. They either upped their aesthetic, or decided they need to have more parts if they were going to keep ahead of the DIY crowd, though I prefer their original model, the new one is maybe even slightly better... I just like simple. Their new lacing look is the look that used to be executed on holsters with Roo lacing, though this looks beefier. Still should be at home on the range in Australia.

[@BBDragon66]

LOL I have and still use that exact quiver.

[@ArcherySuppliesLonsdale]

So good you never need another one.

[@dougkiefer7073]

Spot on !

[@stickboy6772]

The fact is we are in a global economy and i wish more options existed for archery here. I would LOVE an Olympic style recurve i could afford.

[@ArcherySuppliesLonsdale]

I have a USA Olympian in the my store today. The stores in the USA just dont stock any target stuff. I find it strange. My staff shoot all styles they hunt, they target shoot. My next video features James - he is Australia top recurve archer. His bow and limbs are a little over $380 Australian or $250 US dollars. He shoots 200 arrows a day at 14. But it is hard if there are no shops to help you try and setup and learn

[@NicholasANappiNick]

I live in New Jersey Steve the USA has turned to poopoo since the 2008 recession 😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢

[@kengunnett2017]

If you cannot pick up the phone and call Brenda directly, then you weren't really friends.

[@jamesjgill]

Yamaha was brilliant. I shot Yamaha and some of my best scores was with an Eolla. I had a Check It sight and though heavy it was good. Toxonics was well made. K was brilliant, though I think Shibuya produced nearly identical products. Not sure what happened there. Angel still makes the best quiver. You can tell because they never updated the website in over a decade. They keep selling quivers.

[@shredfreak83]

Neet kinda lost it's place with the rise of all the small leathercraft businesses, tons can custom make you a quiver for the price of a neet quiver. if you want something plain & basic it's not that hard to make your own since the arrow tube inserts are readily available pretty much everywhere. it's just a cool hobby to have, and while you can get really good in a short amount of time it's not really viable as a business model to be honest. I know of some that make more money selling the design & blueprints to quivers, bags, ... then actually selling high end products themselves. Hiring staff will have you run a net zero operation, and good luck finding competent leather crafters to begin with. while going solo gives you a stupidly high workload, not to mention insane demands that will never go past a joke inquiry to begin with. It is what it is sadly enough.

[@EDHBowman]

See PSE

[@HondoTrailside]

People leave the business, then the remaining large copy cat businesses from China or wherever, put the prices up. I don't think we make progress. We make progress on cost with commodity products that drive prices underground, say a drill driver. But premium products, you just get people who don't know the market, throwing fancy stuff at a gullible audience. I buy a lot of stuff from China that I am perfectly happy with. And I do most kinds of archery, so far no crossbows. But with traditional stuff, I buy American. They make the best stuff, and buying from china would be as appealing as having sex with an inflatable doll sounds to be. I don't expect them to buy paper lanterns from us, and they don't know squat about our practices. And even the people taking our business to them aren't deep enough. A smart electrical engineer, welder, can drag a cheap welder out of China, with some difficulty. And we can have a welder we would never have been able to afford at any level for under 100 bucks, and it will do decent work around the farm. But they can't get the personal stuff right. Something like Olympic archery isn't that personal, as long as the gear works. I have shot American, Italian, Korean bows, doesn't matter so long as they work.