Nels started his own bow making business.
Grumley knew that mass producing bows by machines instead of individually crafting every bow by hand was not what he wanted, and despite Bear’s attempt at retaining him, Grumley left Bear in 1948. After observing Ben Pearson’s successful efforts to machine make bows, Bear changed from hand-made bows to mass produced bows using fiberglass and other modern materials.Īutomation did not sit well with Grumley, Bear’s principal old-school bowyer. The Grayling plant focused on making and marketing recurve bows and longbows. In 1947 the company moved to a new facility in Grayling, Michigan. The archery business was renamed Bear Archery. Early on each and every bow which Nels made was either stamped or signed with his name, along with the words 'Bear Products by Grumley' or 'Bear Archery by Grumley'.įred Bear sold the advertising side of the Bear Products Company in 1940 to focus on archery. Nels was a fantastic craftsman, and his skills were reflected in the quality of the bows he made. In 1938 Bear hired Nels Grumley, a woodworker and bowyer, and the company expanded to offer hand-made bows. The initial focus was on silk-screening and advertising support work for automotive companies.
Bear Archery was founded by Fred Bear and Charles Piper in Detroit Michigan in 1933 as the Bear Products Company.
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