About . . . Pacific Yew, Inc.
Pacific Yew, Inc. was founded in October, 1995 with the following purposes in mind:
(1) Crafting fine yew longbows for the archery community.
(2) Instructing archers in the crafting of bows and other tackle.
(3) Promoting the use of self crafted equipment for archery and bowhunting.
(4) Making a living doing something I love very much.
For most of my life, I have been involved in archery. This relationship includes competitive target shooting, bowhunting and nearly 30 years behind the counter and workbench of family owned Northwest Archery Co., Inc. It was a privilege to be in a position to teach many new archers to shoot, and to tune their own tackle. I've had the opportunity to serve on Boards of both local and national archery and bowhunting organizations and though these associations have gotten to know archers from many different states and also in different countries throughout the world.
My family has always been a cornerstone of my archery involvement. The time that I shared in the family archery business was a great period in my life, but it had long been a dream of mine to pursue a path of my own. This event arrived for me in 1995 and with the support of my wife, son and all my family, it has been both a personally challenging and fulfilling experience.
I began crafting longbows as a full time bowyer in 1990. My Pacific Yew Bowcrafting Workshops followed in 1993, currently with over 300 successful students to date. I have always been fascinated by the beauty and simple utility of the longbow. Jacques Brunnet, friend and archer from the Haute-Savoie in France, has coined the word "beautility", a combination of terms that seems to fit the longbow well.
In 1998 Pacific Yew, Inc. moved to a larger facility near the Snoqualmie River, just West of Fall City, Washington. In doing so we were able to triple our shop, wood storage and classroom facilities. We look forward to a long future in archery and to the continueing creation of new generations of archery enthusiasts and bowyers.
Jay St. Charles
