About Us
Richard H. Vance started Vance's in 1938 as a general store. He passed his love of hunting and shooting onto his son Richard M. Vance. Together they transformed their general store into a full-time Sporting Goods store in January 1978.
Rich's wife, Lana, and sons, Todd and Doug, have worked in the family business for many years and have played a major role in the steady growth. Todd runs our retail operations and Doug spearheads our Law Enforcement Division. In 2002, Vance's merged their family business with Hebron, Ohio retailer, Buckeye Outdoors. The merge was officially complete in 2010 when the Vance name grew into Vance Outdoors Inc., replacing Buckeye Outdoors on the building and solidifying the company in the world of firearms.
In 2014, the Vance name expanded once again with the opening of their 3rd location in Obetz, Ohio. The 56,000 sq. ft. store is equipped with a State-of-the-art 24 Lane Shooting Range & Training Center.
The Vance's are proud to say that they have evolved their family general store into three distinct business lines, Vance Outdoors, Vance's Law Enforcement, and VO Online.
Then in 2020, the Vance's were pleased to open another store in Lebanon, Ohio. After 83 years of continued growth and expansion, the Vance family transferred 100% of the company stock to their loyal employees via an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) in 2021.
The latest store opening happened in 2024 in Springdale, Ohio and has made a wonderful addition to the Vance legacy. As we continue to grow, we strive to provide top quality customer service.
Richard H. Vance loved his customers and loved to converse with them. He taught his family that our customers were our real bosses. We were schooled in the many ways to make and keep our customers happy. Our mission has always been and will always be to make sure that our customers have a great shopping experience at Vance Outdoors.