CHESHIRE, Mass. — A new armory has opened up bringing residents a closer place to get sporting supplies.

Jason Levesque, who grew up hunting, opened Stafford Hill Armory on May 15.

"I've grown up hunting and shooting, so just kind of naturally progressed into this. Then as the kids got older, trying to figure out a way to spend a little less time at work, so trying to ease out of my day job and into this, so I can set my own hours and hang around with them a little bit more," he said.

He currently works at Southern Vermont Medical Center as a nuclear medicine tech. He plans to continue working in Vermont but wants to spend more time at the Armory.

Stafford Hill is a road in Cheshire. At the top there is a monument named after early Cheshire settler Colonel Joab Stafford. This history inspired the shop’s name.

"The longer I've been up there, the more history you learn about the place, and I figured it was a nice tribute."

Levesque started selling guns online in 2024 after getting his federal license. But he wanted a place in town where enthusiasts could have their needs met in person.

"Currently, the next closest ones are either North Adams or Pittsfield, maybe a different perspective on things too, you know. Everybody has their own little niche. Some people like pistols, some people like long guns. I've always kind of gone for different things, as far as different calibers and stuff like that, so I did get some feedback from the first couple of weekends that people like the variety," he said.

He hopes to add more inventory and more variety. He currently carries guns and ammo but also ice fishing supplies as well. Not only that, but he also sells Garmin GPS products, a hunting necessity.

"I hunt with some folks up in Vermont, and the way that we all work together is over radios. Garmin makes a GPS map that is a radio, so you can see where the others are. Safety is good in that aspect, and then it's also kind of coordinating with each other as well. So, there's there's a few different product lines that they offer, but it's the little stuff like that that I wanted to get access to, if somebody's looking for it, give them the option to do a local," he said.

Levesque is the President of the Cheshire Rod and Gun Club and found out about the space from a board member.

"One of the longtime members up there, and his wife is one of the current board of directors right now. They own the building. So, as I was starting to do a little bit of research on if there was anything available in town, they caught wind, and we talked, and here I am," he said.

He currently sells memberships for the club as well.

Levesque said the hobby is not as difficult as you might think to get into.

"I'm self-taught on most everything that I know about all of this stuff, so it's not impossible. If you're unsure, just read, there's plenty of information on pretty much any avenue you could possibly get into, you know, fixing your own bow or making your own ammo, whatever your interests are, there's plenty of information out there," he said.