THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, September 29, 1996 TAG: 9609270229
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 04 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY LINDA McNATT, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: SMITHFIELD LENGTH: 110 lines
SHE'S A FULL-TIME mother and a full-time business partner.
He's an Isle of Wight County native who can't remember when he wasn't stalking the woods for game, either alone or with hunt clubs. For years, he was a carpenter.
So when husband John burned out on construction, Pam Kitchen said, there was no doubt about what they would do.
``From the time we first started dating, all he ever talked about was hunting,'' she recalled. ``He told me even then that his dream was to someday open a sporting goods store.''
On Aug. 31, the dream came true when the Kitchens opened Straight 'N' Arrow, a play on ``straight and narrow.''
The name of the shop that specializes in archery equipment and equipment needed to hunt with black-powder weapons should be interpreted in two ways, Pam said: ``We hope it will be indicative of our Christian faith,'' she said. It also was taken from a biblical verse in Zachariah: ``His arrow shall go forth as lightning.''
The Kitchens have been married for five years. Pam, a graphic artist who still does freelance work, isn't a hunter yet. She's been too busy for the last three years being a mother to son Caleb. But she does already have her own bow, and she's lived hunting, especially bow hunting, long enough and read enough to spout expertise almost as quickly as her husband.
``Bow hunting is the hardest way to harvest an animal,'' she said. ``It's a greater challenge than using dogs and a shotgun. Deer, especially, have such a keen sense of smell and hearing. And you have to get a whole lot closer to the animal when you're bow hunting. You don't have the range you have with a gun.''
John said, ``You can't shoot a bow 60 or 70 yards like a shotgun. You've got to be within 20 yards of your target.''
And bow hunting, he said, is becoming more and more popular, along with black powder hunting. Black powder percussion weapons provide the same challenge to the hunter - give the game the same fair chance - as bows.
``Without a lot of practice, the accuracy just isn't there with black powder,'' John said. ``With both sports, it takes a greater level of skill, and there's a lot of luck involved. People who get involved in these sports are people who do their homework and spend a lot of time in the woods.''
The small shop, just off South Church Street and on the right side of and behind Southern Accents, has a large variety of specialty items. Because archery is what John favors right now, the emphasis seems to be on the bows and arrows.
Straight 'N' Arrow also features custom-built arrows. Once people have bow hunted for a while, John said, they know what they're looking for in an arrow, often have selected personal color combinations.
``When somebody is just getting started, when they first buy a bow, I like to spend a lot of time with them to make sure they're comfortable with it,'' he said. ``It's a very individual sport. It's very important to get the hunter set up to his or her own style.''
Bow hunting is appealing because it offers a longer hunting season than traditional hunting. The season starts Oct. 5 and extends through Nov. 16, but you can actually hunt with a bow throughout hunting season.
And if you're not hunting, you can practice.
Not only does the new shop offer a complete line of accessories for hunting - like clothing, targets and an array of tree stands - but it also offers a full line of practice items.
Been searching for a plastic deer marked specifically to indicate a clean shot that will kill the animal but not damage the meat? Straight 'N' Arrow has it for $159, and it's a popular item for real enthusiasts, Pam said.
John also does custom work, like bow tuning, custom-built arrows, and the Kitchens are in the process of turning a long, narrow hallway into a shooting lane for bow tuning.
Straight 'N' Arrow is the only archery supply store in the Isle of Wight/Southampton/Suffolk area, Pam said, and so far, the Kitchens have been pleased with the response of local hunters.
``I put in my first all-nighter just the other night,'' John said, smiling. ``It's keeping us busy.''
Already, there are plans to expand the small shop and to add fishing tackle to the line. And the Kitchens are looking into soon becoming a game-checking station and selling hunting licenses.
Right now, the husband half of the partnership has just one concern: getting into the woods this hunting season.
``She knows, if she doesn't let me in the woods, she won't be able to live with me,'' he said, glancing at his wife.
``Well, we don't open until 9 a.m.,'' Pam said, smiling at her husband. ``He can do the early hunts.''
The shop is open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
In other business news in Smithfield, Smithfield Station, popular restaurant and marina with an areawide reputation, has a new general manager.
Mark Mohrbach, a native of Temperance, Mich., joined the staff in mid-month. Mohrbach will be responsible for overseeing operations of the entire hotel, restaurant and marina complex, owned and operated by Ron Pack.
Mohrbach brings with him to Smithfield experience with a major hotel-restaurant chain, and most recently, management experience with Cracker Barrel Restaurants.
He has a degree in culinary arts and management and began his career as executive chef for a Ramada Inn. Later, he was food and beverage director of a large resort in Jackson Hole, Wyo.
The Station's new general manager is married to Shannon, and the couple has two children.
``After having worked for several large companies, it's a real pleasure to work with Ron and Tina (Pack),'' Mohrbach said. ``Having owners on site makes it possible to buy needed equipment and make changes in a manner more responsive to customer needs. I'm really looking forward to making Smithfield my home.'' MEMO: Linda McNatt writes a regular feature about local businesses for
The Sun. If you have ideas, fax them to her at 934-7515, or call her at
934-7561. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by JOHN H. SHEALLY II
John Kitchen shows his wife Pam how to use some archery equipment at
their sporting goods store, Straight 'N' Arrow, in Smithfield. by CNB