With the shell largely complete, crews are now turning the inside of Little Rock’s new Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World into a retail hub, installing tools of the trade such as cash registers, counters, an interior log entryway and murals of woods, fields and lakes.
The 104,000-square-foot store is set to open in mid-November. Bass Pro will hold a job fair this week for people interested in applying for one of the approximately 250 full and part-time positions.
“Arkansas can rival almost any other state for fishing, hunting and camping,” said Will Anderson, an Arkansas native who will serve as the store’s general manager.
Anderson said that he’s been surprised so far by the interest the new store is generating.
“The anticipation for us coming in has been unreal,” he said, noting, for example, that when he stops somewhere for lunch, he’s greeted by a steady stream of people wanting to ask questions about the store. While acknowledging part of that is coming from Bass Pro being “the new guy in town,” Anderson said it reflects an attitude that “People want to talk to us.”
The new Bass Pro Shop will anchor the new Gateway Town Center just west of the junction of Interstates 30 and 430. The store, announced in June 2012, will be located on part of 169 acres owned by developer Tommy Hodges. A Boston-based developer is planning an 80-store outlet mall adjacent to Bass Pro.
Hodges said the combination of Bass Pro and the outlet mall will create a “destination” that will attract shoppers on a regional basis unlike anything currently in Pulaski County.
“If you put a Bass Pro and an outlet mall next door, they both are destinations … so there’ll be traffic coming up that interstate that wouldn’t stop here otherwise,” Hodges said. He said he expects the sale of about 30 acres for the outlet mall will close in October, with the first stores opening 12 to 18 months after the Bass Pro opening in November.
Hodges said he also expects to make announcements in the fall for his plans for the remaining 100 acres in the Gateway Town Center, which he said will be used for retail, restaurants and hotels. A new First Security Bank branch is being built near the Bass Pro Shop and is expected to open in late fall.
Currently, there are 58 Bass Pro Shop retail stores in the U.S. and Canada. The stores offer hunting, fishing, camping and other outdoor gear, and all but one have a Tracker Marine section for boaters. Although some stores also have restaurants, Bass Pro decided not to include a full restaurant at its Little Rock location since its original announcement.
Bass Pro spokesman Katie Mitchell said the company plans to open six more stores by the end of the year, and 20 more are in the works over the next three years.
Anderson said each store’s decor is designed to reflect the community where it’s located, including the scenes depicted on murals and the animals chosen for display. “Each store takes on their own flavor,” he said.
“Our niche is that we can be for the novice or for the avid outdoorsman,” Anderson said. The store is looking for employees who are able to do things such as teach children how to cast a fishing pole as well as answer complex hunting or fishing questions.
On a Tuesday afternoon, workers were busy in every part of the new Little Rock store. Some were installing cash registers, others were installing the logs that decorate the store’s main entrance. Construction dust covered the floors, but the imprints of animal and bird tracks - including duck, deer, fox and turkey - could be seen in the concrete floors that will be polished before the grand opening.
In one area, the words “White River Fly Shop” could be seen embossed on the floor, marking the spot where fly fishing gear will be displayed.
Adam Wolken of Springfield, Mo., is responsible for painting the murals that will decorate the store. He’d nearly completed a 120-foot-long, 20-foot-high mural of Arkansas scenes, including a depiction of Petit Jean State Park’s Cedar Falls.
Wolken, who said he’s done similar work at more than 30 other Bass Pro stores, said it took him 13 days to do the mural. He will also paint outdoor murals that will depict scenes from Arkansas, and will be located behind balconies lining the main entrance leading to a man-made rock wall and pool/aquarium that will be stocked with live fish.
Kevin Willis arrived in Arkansas about a week ago as a member of the team that will integrate the balcony murals with other materials to create three-dimensional scenes that will feature dozens of stuffed animals.
“I was in New York for five weeks before this,” Willis said, adding that he’ll be working in Little Rock at least through the end of September preparing the three-dimensional scenes.
As workers prepare the inside of the store, Anderson is on the hunt for employees. Bass Pro’s job fair will be held from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Wednesday at the Metroplex Event Center at 10800 Colonel Glenn Road.
Anderson said the store’s staff will be key.
“Our main goal is to staff the store with the best, most enthusiastic outdoors staff I can find,” he said. “What fisherman doesn’t want to work in fishing ?”
Business, Pages 67 on 08/18/2013