IF YOU GO
WHAT: Cabela's grand opening
WHERE: 7250 Cabela Drive, just west of Interstate 75's Liberty Way exit
WHEN: Doors open at 10 a.m. Aug. 19
DETAILS: Grand opening celebration will stretch from Aug. 19-22 and feature giveaways, sales, special appearances and more.
The newest addition to the region’s growing options of outdoor retail chains will have its work cut out in a crowded market.
Cabela's, set to open Aug. 19, joins national and regional outdoor retail chains including Field & Stream, Bass Pro Shops, Dick's Sporting Goods, REI, Gander Mountain and Dunham's Sports that are also open or in various stages of development along the Interstate 75 corridor from Cincinnati to Dayton.
The 82,000-square-foot West Chester Twp. store was designed to offer more products specifically for local customers, according to company officials.
“We know that fishing’s big here, so we have a bigger fishing department in this store than we would at other stores,” said Cabela’s spokesman Nathan Borowski, adding that boating products also have more of a presence at the new location. “No two stores have the exact same format.”
The 18-acre Cabela's site sits across the street from the $350 million Liberty Center project scheduled to debut in October. It also features hunting, camping and outdoor gear.
Cabela's, which opened in spring 2013 in Columbus, plans to open a 70,000-square-foot store next spring in Centerville, about 23 miles from the West Chester location. A fourth Ohio location is scheduled to open in 2017 in the Cleveland suburb of Avon, according to according to Jim Daugherty, general manager for the West Chester location.
“We know Ohio is really big for us,” Daugherty said.
Borowski said what sets Cabela’s apart from others already in the region or developing storefronts here is the experience that it offers.
“This isn’t just a place to come in and get the stuff you need and get out,” he said. “You can come in here and have fun, look at all the taxidermy displays, learn about the outdoors, try the indoor archery range, test products. And then our staff, our staff is very passionate, very knowledgeable. The people working here are the people out hunting, fishing, hiking, camping in this local area.”
In-house courses will vary by season and offer tips, lessons and insights in areas such as firearms safety, hunting safety, fly tying, choosing the right gear, fitting gear properly and more.
Each store also performs its own “fine tweaks” to the make taxidermy displays, product offerings and hand-painted murals as local as possible, he said.
The West Chester store — Cabela’s 72nd nationwide — also offers a rod-and-reel demo area, fly shop, boat shop, a Gun Library wih new and vintage weapons, in-house archery range, café, fudge shop and a deli offering wild boar sandwiches, bison, smoked elk and other wild game dishes.
The Bargain Cave features out-of-season, returned or discontinued items at marked-down prices.
The new location, which will employ more than 250 people, also is “much more efficient” because of a redesigned floor plan that sees taxidermy mounted high above the floor to allow for maximum space to sell more products, Borowski said.
Even those tagging along with Cabela’s customers are likely to have an adventure of their own via tours of the 3,000-gallon aquarium, interactive displays and a gift department stocked with everything from candles to comforters, Daugherty said.
“There’s something for everybody here,” he said.
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