CHERRY RIDGE TOWNSHIP -- A name well-known for its rifles and ammo is making bows and crossbows and just relocated to Wayne County.
Winchester Archery is making the bows at its new location near Honesdale.
The company's president, Tim Barber, went through the process of turning a piece of aluminum into a compound bow at the new location, a former car dealership along Route 191 near Honesdale. It's nowhere near the company's former headquarters in New Jersey.
"I thought it would be a perfect fit to take Winchester Archery out of the urban area out in the country where it belongs," said Barber, who lives in Cherry Ridge Township.
For the past two weeks, the dozen employees, some of whom are new hires, have been assembling the relatively new company's bows and crossbows, then shipping them to dealers and customers around the globe.
Rob Doney is one of those new employees at Winchester Archery and said not only is the move good for the local economy, he has a job he loves.
"You're taking a bunch of raw material and turning into something that takes an arrow and puts it somewhere else. You can't not love that," said Doney.
The kids who come to Aldenville Archery near Honesdale learn on Winchester Archery bows. So the company is hoping to hit the bulls eye with a sport that's gaining in popularity with kids in Northeastern Pennsylvania.
"We're extremely excited to have them be local now. There's so much interest in archery right now. To have them be local and promote it, we're thrilled," said Jeannie Brooks of Aldenville Archery.
Winchester Archery's president said the company could double the number of workers it has within a year.