Freedom Outdoors shooting range opens in former Colonial Shooting Academy spot

The new Freedom Outdoors location at 6020 W. Broad St. (Jackie DiBartolomeo photo)

A sizable West Broad Street shooting range building has a new operator, a new look and is officially back in business. 

With a new red-white-and-blue exterior paint job, Virginia Beach-based Freedom Outdoors aptly opened last week on July 4 at 6020 W. Broad St., taking the place of Colonial Shooting Academy, which closed last year. 

The 60,000-square-foot range is Freedom’s fourth and largest location, joining others in Atlanta and Douglasville, Georgia, and Virginia Beach.

The Richmond location, which was renovated by Freedom Outdoors, has a selection of guns for rent and for sale, 52 shooting lanes and three shooting ranges, including a tactical range in the building basement and a shoot house, which store manager Meghan Taylor said can be rented out by military police or other large groups looking to train. 

The location also offers archery equipment and plans to implement an archery range in the next few months, Taylor said. 

Taylor said that in the first week the store’s been open, “The community comes in and they’re very excited we’re here. They’re very excited this is the one-stop they need for everything.”

Colonial Shooting Academy went dark last summer after 12 years in business, citing “market volatility, inflation and other factors” as the reasons for the closure.

Freedom Outdoors purchased the former academy building March 6 for $6.5 million.

Freedom Outdoors co-owner Skyler Thomas has a history with Colonial Shooting Academy. Freedom’s Virginia Beach location was previously owned by the academy and Thomas worked there.

In 2018, Thomas and multiple partners purchased the Virginia Beach location and rebranded it Freedom Outdoors, the company’s first.

The Douglasville and Atlanta locations opened in 2023, after Freedom Outdoors acquired Stoddard’s Range and Guns, which previously owned the locations.

Thomas told BizSense in March that when he saw the West Broad Street building was going up for sale, the team jumped at the opportunity to purchase it, having been in a growth phase for the past few years.

“We’re finding a place with a good foundation and good bones, and our goal is to ‘Freedomize’ it,” he said in March. 

Thomas did not respond to a request for further comment by press time Thursday. 

Freedom offers a $43.95 monthly range membership and a $63.95 monthly premier membership. A premier membership offers perks such as discounts on training courses and merchandise. Military and law enforcement members get a $5 discount on monthly memberships.

Freedom membership will extend to the new Richmond location and across all four of its locations.

Freedom Outdoors Richmond is hiring and plans to have about 60 employees total, Taylor said. 

Freedom Outdoors Richmond is open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sundays. 

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