Three years ago, Duncan and Hayden Purves, now ages 13 and 10, wanted to buy a bow and arrow, but they weren’t sure where they would get the money. With the help of a $50 loan from their mother, Elisha, the boys made 18 archery sets by hand. The boys took their handmade archery sets to a local craft fair where they were a hit: they sold 15 of the 18 archery sets they had made!
Inspired by their success, Duncan and Hayden decided to invest the profits back into what looked like it could be a big idea. They used their initial profits to purchase more materials and travel to more fairs and flea markets throughout North Carolina.
At Christmas in Davidson, they sold out and attracted the attention of The Village Store, who wanted to sell the boys’ bows. Eight months later, while attending a festival in Brevard, NC, the boys and their mom packed the car full of bows and brought them to O.P. Taylor’s Toy Store. The owner bought every one of them, and a week and a half later, he placed an order for the same amount. At O.P Taylor’s, Duncan and Hayden’s bows caught the attention of a national toy sales representative who noticed the bows when he was visiting the store.
At first, even as their business expanded, the boys worked entirely out of their family’s 800 square foot apartment, which had to function as an office, manufacturing plant, warehouse and shipping department. As demand for their product grew, the boys hired other neighborhood kids to help them make bows and arrows.
From these humble beginnings, 2 Bros Bows, LLC, was born. When 2 Bros Bows outgrew their small apartment space, they moved to their first warehouse. Moving to the warehouse, which was a thousand square feet bigger than the family’s apartment, was a big step.
2 Bros Bows has continued to expand their warehouse space to the 3000 square foot facility they currently use, which holds 6000 finished bows – a far cry from the 150 they were able to store above the futon in their small family apartment. Today, the boys’ archery sets are carried in more than 800 specialty retail stores across the United States, and they expect to surpass one million dollars in sales.
The relatively quick growth the boys’ business experienced has been a blessing but also a challenge. Keeping up with orders and new designs is challenging, but so is managing the business’ growth. In fact, 2 Bros Bows has had several different opportunities to expand quickly that they have turned down. Mom Elisha is clear that it’s not necessarily all about the money they can make at the end of the day but about running a manageable business that makes a quality product in the USA.
The main advice Duncan and Hayden would give other young kidtrepeneurs is to ignore naysayers and not give up. “Don’t let anyone bury your idea,” says Duncan. “Just tell them to keep moving. Every idea is a good idea.” “Keep on going,” adds Hayden. “Don’t give up. Aim high and think positive.”
Duncan and Hayden’s archery sets are kid-friendly and safe to use indoors – but still just as fun and exciting as real archery sets! Their soft foam cushioned arrows fly up to 30 feet. The archery sets come in a variety of patterns and colors. Camouflage, cheetah, flames, and tie-dye are just a few examples of their unique designs. Duncan sees the unique designs as one of the coolest parts of their products and is super-excited for the new “galaxy” design they’re currently working on. “What’s so cool about it is the stars on it glow in the dark,” says Duncan. As for their product’s appeal, “All I can say is people like a bow and arrow that doesn’t kill people when they get shot!” says Hayden. “It doesn’t even hurt!” adds Duncan.
Duncan and Hayden’s kid-friendly bows retail for $22.99, which includes one companion arrow. An archery combination set, which includes one bow, three matching arrows, one bulls-eye target and a quiver bag, retails for $52.99. The closest retail store to Mint Hill that carries 2 Bros Bows is Toys & Co, located off Sharon Amity Rd. You can explore their full line of products and find other stores that sell them on the boys’ web site: www.twobrosbows.com.
