Area dart salesman aims for bullseye with new hobby shop

Jeff Carter’s career as a dart salesman began in the early 2000s when a co-worker asked him to play a round of darts at a local pub after their shift ended.

Carter, 64, recalls being uninterested at the time, but he decided to tag along anyway.

“The very first day, I got hooked. I started carrying a briefcase full of products from that day forward,” he said.

His small dart collection eventually grew large enough to prompt him to open his first brick-and-mortar shop, Triple 20 Darting Supplies, in Dimondale in 2010. About five years in, he rebranded as Metro Darts, but he ended up closing the store in 2017.

In the years after, he continued to sell darting, billiards and disc golf supplies out of the garage of his Dimondale home, where he’s resided for nearly three decades. However, on Nov. 2, Metro Darts was reborn in a 2,500-square-foot space at Royal Scot Golf & Bowl in northwest Lansing.

The new storefront offers not only a wider variety of supplies but also a competitive playing space that includes 14 regulation dart boards and a pair of soft-tip electronic boards for online competition. Customers can set up private league tournaments or enroll in beginner training sessions.

Carter hopes to buy two more electronic soft-tip boards, which automatically calculate and record scores and can connect players with competitors from all over the world. A dedicated soft-tip league is in the works as well.

Metro Darts owner Jeff Carter explains how his electronic dartboard registers scores and allows players to compete with opponents throughout the …

The competitive playing space is just one way Carter is navigating the “lost art” of running a darting shop.

“It’s a penny business, not a dollar business. So, my goal is to think out of the box when I do things. I’m just trying to do the best I can with what I’ve got,” he said.

Another creative effort is a new VIP membership option. For $30 per month, dedicated enthusiasts can gain access to a special members-only dart range, a 10% discount on all merchandise, a monthly prize drawing, free instruction and more.

Metro Darts' 'VIP only' darting range.

Carter also hosts a “luck of the draw” competition every Saturday at 7 p.m. Entry is $12 per person, with $2 going to the house and $10 added to the payout for the winner.

Aside from darting, Carter is also betting on a growing disc golf scene. According to the disc golf app UDisc, Michigan has at least 521 courses statewide. Carter has designed five of those courses himself, including one in Battle Creek and several Up North.

“My son and I started playing eight or nine years ago when there were only about 200 courses in the state. Now it’s blowing up,” he said.

Metro Darts' current disc golf selection.

A collection of billiards supplies and more than 1,000 varieties of playing cards are product areas he’d like to expand upon if wider interest arises, he said.

All in all, Carter has no plans of easing off the gas, and he’s not afraid to try something new if it helps the scene grow.

“I really live and die for this stuff,” he said. “I think once you really find a niche, it’s a passion, not a business.”