Dear BassProShops,
Last fall, I visited one of your stores when visiting my brother in Colorado. If all your other stores are like the one near Boulder, you have amazing stores. The store was clean, well organized, and had an amazing selection of products. So I ask you,
Why do you not have a store in Minnesota?
Minnesotans eat, live, and breathe fishing. Our state is the #1 in sales of fishing licenses per capita in the nation. We also have the most boats per capita. We fish year-round. And our fishing opener is such a big deal, the sitting governor always goes out to try his luck.
Now I understand you are planning a store at the Mall of America Phase II expansion. While that’s all fine and good, you announced your plans over 4 years ago and ground has even been broken on the new site. Between the politicians and continuing recession, it may be a decade before it’s built. We need a store now.
If you built a store in the Northern outskirts of the metro area (like Lino Lakes or Centerville, you would have Twin Citians flocking to the store and blow away your competition. There is plenty of land right next to a major highway to build your city-sized store there and it would be far enough away from your future Mall of America store to tap into continuing business. I bet you could find a site and complete this new store before the Mall of America even breaks ground.
In my opinion, you are missing out on a huge opportunity by not being in Minnesota. It is a huge fishing/outdoor market that deserves a quality store that caters to the fishing (and outdoor) enthusiast that doesn’t require a day trip to visit. Cabela’s only has two stores in the state and both are at least a 45 minute drive for most residents in the Twin Cities Metro area. While I enjoy shopping Cabela’s, it is too far to visit on a regular basis and the product selection is no where near that of your stores.
Please revisit your expansion plans and reconsider Minnesota for a store sooner rather than later. Anglers and outdoorsmen would benefit greatly from your presence and your bottom line will as well.
Yours sincerely,
MNAngler
[ Author’s note: If you live in Minnesota and agree that BassProShops needs to open a store (or several stores) in the state, please leave a comment. I’d love to hear if other Minnesotans feel the same way. ]
Yes!
I am lucky to have the big three (Bass Pro, Cabela’s, Gander Mtn.) all within an hours drive from where I live. I feel for those who have to drive so far to visit these great stores…but there is an advantage for you. I have to make a days trip to find a place to fish without crowds, where there is good populations of fish, and where we won’t be run over by giant pleasure crafts. I’d prefer to have it your way, to live where it is uncrowded and peaceful and great fishing is all around you. Be careful what you wish for!
Kirk,
I am fortunate that I live so close to so much good, fishable water. So if I get BassPro in the state, I can have my cake and eat it, too!
Yes. Absolutely yes. With one small caveat… create a satellite operation called “Walleye Pro Shops” just a tich further north. Not all the way to Bemidji, mind you (although really… who would argue?) but just close enough that I would have enough “after gas tank” money to load up with goodies, yet far enough away to eliminate the danger of forgetting to make the house payment in lieu of purchasing fishing gear.
Heck… put it in Bass Pundit’s back yard. I could live with that.
I can’t. I can barely justify a trip to Cabela’s at this point. If BassProShops was that far out, they may as well stay out of state.
We definitely don’t go with the sole purpose of hitting Cabela’s … 3 hours to Rogers or 2 hours to Grand Forks. The Twin Cities area would definitely make the most sense for BPro.
I can’t believe you don’t have a Bass Pro in Minnesota! I’m lucky to live within an hours drive of a Bass Pro and love the store.
Yeah, really. Crazy, isn’t it???
Yes. A BPS would very nice in MN – but I was thinking North Branch though there’s a lot of space in the Lino/Centerville area too.
North Branch would be a good option, too. I think the key would be that it should be next to the highway just like that other big box sporting goods store near Forest Lake.
[…] Open Letter to BassProShops […]
Ditta, I agree!
I don’t know. Would you really drive to Lino Lakes to go to a BPS? The Cabelas in Rodgers is 45 min from St. Paul. The Owatonna store is 60. But there are also 5 Gander Mountain stores, literally, surrounding the metro: Maplewood, Lakeville, Eden Prairie, Maple Grove & Blaine – all about 30 min from St. Paul. And have you stopped by the Lakeville store this year? They are making it quite BPS-like, if you ask me. Plus Gander is a MN co. Then there’s the N, S, E & W Dicks and of course Joe’s. And all the Walmarts have a fishing section if you’re in a real pickle.
What are you hoping for in a BPS? Because none of the stores carry everything. That’s why it doesn’t matter to me so much; I guess. I’ll still buy the bulk of my gear on-line.
Yes, I would drive to Lino Lakes for a BPS because I live only 10 minutes from Lino Lakes. That beats the 30 min drive to Cabela’s. I don’t care for Gander Mountain or Dick’s because their fishing departments are only about 1/10th of their total store floor space. At BPS, it’s at least half. And at the size of Cabela’s, that’s significant. I like Joe’s, but again, they cater to all outdoorsy types and don’t just focus on anglers, so their selection is limited.
I don’t know if you’ve ever been in a BPS, but there really is no comparison. The selection is multiple times bigger than any other store. They cater to anglers and it shows.
Oh yeah, I’ve been to a bunch of BPS. (I’m not a native Minnesotan.)
All I have to say is I go to Florida once a year and when I’m there I go to BPS and I buy what I need for the year. Bass Pro Shops prices are way better than Cabela’s and they have a bigger and better selection on products. I strongly agree that they need a store(s) here in Minnesota. With their prices and selection I think that they would blow cabela’s out of the water!!!