Official State of Iowa Website Here is how you know
Iowa Disability Benefits Network
1-866-968-7842

Bob Farmer - The Shooting Shop

The Shooting Shop
106 North 3rd Street
Anthon, Iowa 51004
712-251-1510
www.theshootingshopllc.com

Bob Farmer is a firearms enthusiast and owner of The Shooting Shop in Anthon, a small town in northwestern Iowa. The Shooting Shop sells a variety of firearms and accessories, including cases, slings, scopes, factory ammunition, reloading equipment, supplies, and just about anything else related to shooting. Bob offers custom reloading of ammunition, including obsolete cartridges that are no longer available from manufacturers.

The Shooting Shop also features a large 20-yard indoor archery range. Bob sells individual or family memberships that allow members access to the range at any time during business hours. Bob works closely with Whitetails Unlimited, a non-profit organization dedicated to the betterment of the white tail deer population and the preservation of its habitat. Groups like the local Whitetails Unlimited chapter use Bob’s facility to host youth tournaments, 3-D archery, and other events.

About eight years ago, Bob was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, an inherited condition that causes serious visual impairment. When he could no longer perform the job he had, he turned to the Iowa Department for the Blind for assistance in starting his own business. With a lifetime of experience handling and shooting guns, he completed formal training through the American Gunsmithing Institute to gain expertise in gun repair and customizing. Even though firearms may seem to be an unexpected line of business for a man who is legally blind, it is what Bob knew and enjoyed. He opened his shop in 2010 in a converted garage in Kingsley and quickly outgrew that location, moving to the former Masonic Lodge building in Anthon where he is now located. The 2600 square foot building provided the needed space for a showroom, gunsmithing area, and the archery range. He maintains a website where his customers can access the latest details on upcoming archery tournaments and in-store bargains.

Bob has sold about 100 firearms each year since he opened the shop. He is known for buying and selling older, restored guns, and the gunsmithing area of his business has really taken off. His success started with financial and technical assistance from the Iowa Department for the Blind (IDB), and the Iowa Self-Employment Program (ISE) through Iowa Vocational Rehabilitation Services (IVRS). Bob says the best part of his job is working with people and, as his business has grown, he appreciates the independence that comes from being a small business owner.