Wild Captives Archery clubhouse is owned by Kendall Tichner.
Spend a day with her and there's a good shot you'll discover a side of yourself you didn't know existed.
She's a former corporate marketing executive who traded her laptop for a bow and arrow. She's now a small business owner and content creator who unintentionally started a movement.
Five years ago, she had a completely different life.
"I was living in Los Angeles, and the pandemic happened. So, I was away from my family, single for the first time in a long time, and, wanting to leave a big corporate job," Tichner said. "It was actually, like, my first time ever having a moment to think, what do I love to do? My first time not working for someone else, not being in a relationship with somebody else. And so, it was kind of the first time in my life I could put myself first."
She documented the whole process online.
"I picked up archery just to try it, you know, and I filmed that journey. I had no idea what I was doing. I ordered a bow online, and I ended up ordering the wrong bow, the wrong size string, the wrong size arrows. I didn't have any of the equipment. I didn't know how to string the bow, and it was really confusing," she said.
That documentation went viral, building her a following of over 700,000. It changed everything.
"I think just seeing especially a woman who's not in like a video game, learning and being pretty good with a weapon, it just like really drew a lot of people, a lot of like, a diverse group of people," Tichner said.
Her followers are different than you would traditionally think of with archery.
"A lot of archery in America has been like, linked in with gun culture, but it's a very like, peaceful, minimalist, spiritual sport," Tichner said. "I wanted to create a brand for people who weren't going out hunting and who just wanted to do something that made them feel powerful."
So what does the brand Wild Captives stand for?
"We're all wild, but we're stuck captive in these systems," she said. "I hope to grow it to be modern Boy Scouts for adults in cities."
People asking her for advice on what to buy and how to start pushed her to start her business.
"I created a beginner kit. So, I designed a bow that's, like, very simple for people to learn how to use for an entire family. You know, it can work well for, like, an 8-year-old to a 100-year-old. I have videos of my grandmas," Tichner said. "It comes with everything you need."
Women all over the world have been purchasing them. From viral videos to physical products, Tichner had built more than a brand, she'd built a community.
"I've had men in middle America buying the set for their queer child. I've had two women buy one to shoot next to their mother's grave, who was an archer. Like we've had really beautiful stories," she said.
She's created a safe space for the LGBTQ+ community.
"It's like one of the most marginalized targeted groups in America, like, you know, usually doesn't feel safe in these really stereotypically heteronormative, like, masculine shooting ranges," Tichner said. "So the range originally was just a demo space for the bow when I launched it, but then so many people came in. And a lot of this company has been me reacting to what people like and need and ask for. And so just you know, it was a demo space then a lot of New Yorkers were just like, it's so nice to have a space that feels, like, comfortable and like home. And so I've just been keeping it going."
For Tichner, it's not just about the archery, it's about reclaiming something we've lost.
"People who are stuck at their computers all day and who just have lost touch with their humanity. Like, we need to get back into community and back into like, doing simple things with our hands, like our bodies," she said. "I love that people walk in and they're like, shy to pick up the bow. And then afterwards, they leave, and they're just glowing."
There's one story in particular that resonated with her.
"A teacher who reached out, who was saying that like a little girl wasn't thriving in school, and then she showed her some of my videos, and she felt like really empowered that she could like, you know, take a different approach to life," she said. "It's like my goal is to just make people feel empowered and happier, and, like, I do get to do that every day. That's awesome."
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