Success Stories

Premium Partner Success Story: Superior Shooters Supply Superior, WI

In 1977, the last thing on Patricia Kukull’s mind was deciding how many boxes of Federal Premium ammunition to order or how many Premium Partner promotions to partake in. At the time, she and friend Gerald Bolin were partners in the liquor business when she was talked into joining the local trap shooting team. “When I agreed to join, there wasn’t anywhere locally to buy reloading components,” Kukull said. She and Bolin would venture three hours south to a reloading store in Faribault, MN and bring back any supplies needed, store the items in her garage and sell to anyone interested at the trap club. “For a long time, this was the only means of obtaining the supplies we needed,” Kukull said.

About two years later, Kukull and Bolin decided to leave the “garage store” behind and open a small storefront. “We still worked both jobs for a while, until finally the sporting store took off and we needed to expand,” Kukull explained. Three years of hard work and plenty of business later, the two co-owners built a new building nearly twice the size of the original storefront, just down the block.

In 1982, Superior Shooters Supply, located on the beautiful shores of Lake Superior, in Superior, WI was built and opened its doors to any and all fans of the outdoors. Superior, neighboring Duluth, MN (located just across the lake) and the surrounding area is a hotbed for outdoor enthusiasts and sight-seeing tourists year round, making it an ideal location for an outdoor store. “The lake definitely helps us sell our clothing inventory all year long, and even though the economy here is never roaring, folks always seem to make sure they have those extra dollars for hunting and the outdoors,” Kukull said. Two state universities and a local population of 112,000 between Superior and Duluth are two other factors working in favor of Superior Shooters Supply.

With the location of the store being on the border of such a large outdoor attraction, they are able to draw customers from the two states. “This benefits us because even though we may not be a large superstore, we are still able to move items off the shelf quickly,” Kukull said.

With only six full-time employees, it’s hard to believe that one store can be so successful. “Even though our staff may not be big, we make up for it in our service and inventory,” Kukull said. “We take great pride in the fact of knowing most of our customers by name and now I notice we are catering to the grandkids of customers we started out with.”

The customer is the number one concern when it comes to Kukull and Bolin’s business and they make sure to stand by that. “Since we are a smaller store, we sometimes get requests for an item we do not normally carry, but we always do our best to get the customer what they want, while still keeping things simple and smooth,” Kukull said.

Besides carrying the necessary supplies to meet the hunting and outdoor needs of the Lake Superior area, Superior Shooters Supply makes sure to maintain a strong presence in the community. Each year, Kukull and Bolin host a Christmas party for their customers and employees out in their warehouse, as well as an open house earlier in the year. The open house began in 1991, when an addition to the building was made in order to expand the ammunition inventory. It is designed to bring in as many factory and dealer representatives as possible, and allow the customers an opportunity to ask any questions and get to know the products better. “The customers really enjoy talking to the reps because they can talk to us [store employees] anytime,” Kukull said.

Superior Shooters Supply began working with ATK and the Premium Partner program when they first opened their doors as an outdoor sporting store. “We have always been involved with the dealer promotions because our customers love them and they really allow us to stay connected with the latest products and services. For example, the varmint one this past spring was a little different than our neck of the woods, but our customers just loved the t-shirt,” Kukull explained.

The combination of a great location, loyal customers and two business partners with the drive to succeed, has been the right formula for Superior Shooters Supply. Kukull and Bolin have taken their “garage store” outdoor supply business and turned it into a community staple. They understand what it takes to make it in the outdoor sporting industry and that is shown through their dedication to their customers and manufacturers, as well as their participation in the Premium Partners program. “We do our best to stand behind what we sell, and it’s nice to know that ATK is behind us. The fact that someone is there to answer our calls is great.”