Archery expert sets up shop in Millsboro

There are few people in Sussex County who know more about archery and bows than Kelly Racz.

For more than 20 years, Racz has been one of the area's top bow experts, earning nearly all certifications available while building an extensive knowledge of all things archery.

Now after spending time with Short's Marine, Racz has branched out on his own to open Kelly's Outdoors in Millsboro.

Located at 29920 John J. Williams Hwy., Racz's new shop offers premier bows, including Matthews Solocam, Mission Archery and Bear Archery. Kelly's also has top-of-the-line crossbows from TenPoint, Wicked Ridge and Mission.

To start off, the shop will be heavily focused on archery, Racz said. Though he does carry a selection of scents, scent eliminators and other accessories that can be used in other forms of hunting. By the time shotgun season rolls around, he said, he expects to offer ammunition. No firearm sales are in the immediate plan, but he won't rule it out in the future.

“We called it Kelly's Outdoors in case we want to branch out into other things,” he said.

For now, he said, he wanted to get the store off the ground with something he's known for.

“I have to start with what I'm good at,” he said. “I have the name and reputation with the bows, so we'll start there.”

Kelly's is an authorized warranty center for all the bow and crossbow brands it carries, meaning if any bow or crossbow needs repairs Racz and his staff can do it. Similar repairs at other retailers would likely need to be shipped back to the manufacturer, Racz said.

Racz said there isn't anything he is afraid to tackle, whether fitting a novice hunter with their first bow or helping an expert archer find what they need.

“It all comes down to service,” he said. “That's where we know we can stand alone.”

While small, Kelly's is equipped with a small indoor tuning range, where customers can test bows Racz has repaired or hunters can get a feel for a bow they're interested in.

This isn't Racz's first endeavor as a business owner. He previously owned R&R Sports Center in Lewes with his parents until his father fell ill and the family chose to sell the shop.

Now that Racz is a business owner again, he said, he's trying create long-term security for his family. Not only did he purchase his shop, but he bought all three units in the Ivy Square shopping center.

“I've got some equity here just in case my kids want to pick up the ball and run with it later in life,” he said. “Then I have something I can hand down to them instead of them working for someone else.”

Kelly's is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday, and from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Sundays. For more information, call 302-934-7517 or email kellysoutdoors@verizon.net.