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GENTLEMEN, start your wallets
Based on a tour of the new Gander Mountain store that's opening in the building at 3708 Plank Road in Spotsylvania (the old Wal-Mart), this will be a place where an outdoor enthusiast can spend a few coins and outfit just about any hunting, fishing, or camping adventure.
As of Monday, the workers applying the striking, rustic face to the retail shop were scrambling to finish their work. Inside, an army of Gander Mountain "associates" from other stores, as well as merchandisers and shelf stockers from various gear and clothing manufacturers, were hustling to fill out display racks and shelves.
Gander Mountain was founded in Wilmot, Wis., in 1960, primarily as a catalog business with one main retail outlet in Wilmot. The Gander Mountain catalogs were popular for more than 30 years before that portion of the business was sold in 1996.
Today, the company is headquartered in Minnesota and is steadily expanding its retail presence. The 78,000-square-foot Fredericksburg store will be the 70th opened by Gander Mountain, according to John Stainbrook, the store's operations manager.
Gander Mountain closed its initial public offering of 6,583,750 shares of common stock on April 26 at a price of $16 per share. Gander Mountain's stock on the Nasdaq was trading at nearly $25 a share on Monday.
The new Fredericksburg store will employ more than 100 local residents, according to Stainbrook. Only he and store manager Jason Edwards are from out of town, with Edwards relocating from Laramie, Wyo., and Stainbrook hailing from Pennsylvania.
Each has impressive chops in the outdoor arena. Edwards has served as a fishing and hunting guide from New York to Alaska; Stainbrook is a licensed captain and lifelong hunter and angler who loved to fish the Great Lakes.
"People are truly friendly here, just like in the West," Edwards observed, adding he's very impressed by the incredible diversity of hunting and fishing opportunities near Fredericksburg.
When many people hear of an exclusively outdoor-related "big box" retailer, they often think of the elaborate retail outlets of other outdoor-oriented companies such as Bass Pro Shops or Cabela's. I don't believe the Gander Mountain store will have the full-up ambiance of some of those other retailers. I didn't see nor hear any plans for in-store waterfalls or eye candy such as dioramas featuring moose, mountain lions and other engaging creatures.
But they will display works from local taxidermists. In fact, Spotsylvania taxidermist Ken Divivi was in the store hanging some big-game mounts during my tour.
The store is loaded with merchandise, somewhere between 40,000 and 50,000 separately bar-coded items, according to Stainbrook.
There are extensive sections devoted to saltwater fishing, freshwater fishing, and fly fishing. Certain items will be available for bulk purchase, including tubes, jig heads, bobbers, sinkers, etc. A section is set aside for the catfish angler. The store also will carry live bait ranging from crayfish to crickets, minnows to eels. Frozen blocks of chum in assorted flavors--clam, menhaden and more--will be available.
There's a boating section, an ATV section, a paintball section, and a huge camping section with a wall of backpacks towering to the ceiling.
The apparel sections take up the center of the store, with displays featuring everything from the latest camouflage to the most stylish casual wear. Columbia, Browning, Carhartt and Gander Mountain's private-label "Guide Series" clothing make up the bulk of the offerings.
The guns and ammo portion at the back of the store was still being stocked, but the racks and row after row of various types of rifle, shotgun and handgun ammunition, plus reloading supplies and equipment, left no doubt that shooters should find what they need.
Stainbrook said the company expects to frequently have big case-lot discount sales on ammunition.
Gander Mountain also will offer gunsmith services onsite. It has hired John Arcularius, who has a degree in gunsmithing, was trained as a U.S. Marine Corps armorer by the U.S. Army School of Ordnance, and is now an Army reservist and serves as a part-time gunsmith for the Army Reserve Shooting Team.
Dalton Baker, who's currently on active duty in the Marine Corps and is an expert at working with "precision weapons," will assist Arcularius.
"We're going to be able to do anything you want to with a firearm, from installing muzzlebrakes to backboring shotguns," Arcularius said.
Gander Mountain buys used firearms outright and accepts used firearms as a trade-in for new firearms, Stainbrook explained. Each used gun is thoroughly tested before it's resold and will come with a 90-day warranty, he added.
Adjacent to the guns and ammo is the archery section, where the store will have a full-service shop to set up and tweak bows. A six-lane, 35-yard indoor archery field is also being created. Stainbrook said that will be used to test bows from the shop, but may also be used, eventually, for a league or to rent out for practice on an hourly basis.
The store's managers say they want to become a resource for the region's community of outdoor enthusiasts and are offering their "Gander Lodge" free of charge to groups wanting to hold meetings. The Falmouth Flats Fly Fishers have already taken them up on the offer and will begin holding meetings there next month.
Brad Gates, president of the Falmouth Flats Fly Fishers, said: "I am excited about the wide variety of hunting, fishing and camping options that Gander Mountain provides to our local community. It will provide a great deal of fun for many people, young and old alike."
Seminars sponsored by the store will be held every weekend, free of charge.
The store had hoped to have a "soft" opening by week's end, but managers noted that this was tentative because some of the exterior work is still being finished. The grand opening won't take place until June 24. The store will be open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays.
As I wrapped up my tour, I had to chuckle as I moseyed through the outdoor-cooking section and spied an end-cap display with a variety of "Whoop Ass Hot Sauces." That's what these big retailers can do. If they keep customer-service levels high and products in stock, they can come to town and "whoop ass."
They will be the retailing world's 500-pound gorillas as soon as they open their doors in our area. While some may rue the change, others will be asking, "Can we run a tab?"
KEN PERROTTE can be reached at The Free Lance-Star, 616 Amelia Street, Fredericksburg, Va. 22401, by fax at 373-8455 or e-mail at kmunicate@aol.com.