West Michigan Cabela's

[Hamilton Reef]

West Michigan hoping to lure outdoor superstore Cabela's

http://www.mlive.com/news/muchronicle/i ... xml&coll=8

Thursday, September 15, 2005 By Rob Kirkbride

There's a good chance that one lucky town in West Michigan is going to land an awfully big fish.

Cabela's, the outdoor sporting goods behemoth whose average store draws more than 4 million shoppers a year, is looking at building a second store in the state and West Michigan is in its crosshairs. Muskegon County officials have quietly been lobbying for Cabela's to consider a lakeshore location.

Not excited by the prospects of another sports store? Consider this: Cabela's store in Dundee, a small village south of Ann Arbor, draws six million shoppers a year. Because many visitors come from a long distance to shop, Cabela's calls the store "the top tourist destination" in Michigan.

"Obviously, (West Michigan) would be a great site for us with the number of sportsmen and sportswomen in Michigan," said David Draper, spokesman for the Nebraska-based retailer.

"Our Dundee store has been such a great store for us. It wouldn't be too far fetched to think that we'd look at another Michigan location to serve some of the folks on the western side of the state as well as northern Indiana."

At least one West Michigan site is being considered -- a location strategically placed near U.S. 131, M-37 and I-96, all major routes leading to Northern Michigan. Muskegon Area First officials have suggested sites in both downtown Muskegon and near the U.S. 31 and I-96 interchange in Muskegon County.

Developers with plans to build a "town center" shopping, retail and commercial project on 220 acres in Walker near the corner of Walker Avenue and Four Mile Road say they have talked to Cabela's about locating the store there.

"When a Cabela's is built, things start to happen," Draper said. "Look at the Dundee store. There was a cornfield there. Now you've got restaurants, hotels, gas stations."

Dundee's valuation of village property increased 292 percent in the last decade, at least partially because of the arrival of Cabela's, according to Jim Roe, Dundee's village president.

The store itself employs 600 people and ancillary businesses have sprouted nearby. There are two new hotels, restaurants and gas stations.

"It's kind of unbelievable how quickly it all happened," said Roe, who like many in the farm town were baffled by the speed of development that surrounded Cabela's.

Attracting Cabela's is like winning a lottery. It is a dream that can lead to a few nightmares for small-town planners across West Michigan. Traffic increases dramatically, Roe said. And the rural character of the community is diminished.

Cabela's has had a presence in Muskegon County in the past six months. The outdoor superstore was the signature sponsor for the Salmon Shoot-Out fishing tournament July 15-17 at Great Lakes Marina in Lakeside. The retailer also have recently put billboards along U.S. 31 in Muskegon.

In Kent County, developers of the abandoned apple orchard on Walker Avenue between Four Mile Road and I-96 say they will continue with their plans to build a new "town center" project, regardless of where Cabela's decides to build.

The project is expected to cost in the "hundreds of millions of dollars," said Tom Carter of Trademark Property Co.

Cabela's was founded in 1961 by Dick Cabela and his wife, Mary. The family owned business has grown from selling Japanese fishing lures by mail order to the nation's largest direct marketer and a leading specialty retailer of hunting, fishing, camping and other outdoor gear.