At Patriot Place, Bass is big lure
Hard-hat workers swarmed the two-level, 150,000-square-foot Bass Pro Shops store in Foxborough last week, putting the finishing touches on the chain’s first outlet in New England, part of the much-heralded Patriot Place center.
In a man-made indoor pond, several live turtles were getting used to their accommodations. Nearby, taxidermist-stuffed animals - coyote, fox, turkey, and bobcat - awaited dispersal to other parts of the venue, which includes an arcade where visitors fire toy guns at stuffed animals that respond by waving their tails or standing on hind legs.
Retail specialists predict that when the outdoor and sporting goods megastore opens Wednesday - one of the first at Patriot Place - its ripples will be felt throughout the region.
"They are almost a tourist attraction," said Richard Fenker of the retail consulting firm Experian Business Strategies. "When they get this big, they become entertainment."
Bass Pro officials say they do not know how many people will show up for the grand opening, but note that 20,000 came to the grand opening of the chain’s first store in California this year.
The company specializes in fishing, boating, and hunting equipment, but it also sells apparel, camping and hiking gear, and general merchandise. The new store includes an indoor archery range.
In about a month, a sit-down restaurant is slated to open inside the Foxborough store. The store will also offer classes and demonstrations, and a 100-person meeting room that will be open to Scouting groups and sportsmen’s and environmental clubs.
"We consider ourselves more than just a sporting goods store," said Tom Keating, head of promotions for the Missouri-based company. "It’s a whole experience."
Company representatives note that while most customers will come from within 50 miles of the store, others will travel 500 miles to visit.
The arrival of Bass Pro Shops, which has 46 outlets in North America, can help and hurt local merchants, according to retail specialists.
"It can negatively impact smaller fishing and tackle stores and some of the outfitters, but as far as the economy goes, they tend to bring in more business than they would take away," said John Bemis, executive vice president and director of leasing and development for the real estate firm
Area merchants appear not to be worried about the arrival of Bass Pro, according to Susan McQuaid, president of the Neponset Valley Chamber of Commerce.
Members of the chamber recently heard a presentation on Patriot Place from officials of the Kraft Group, which is developing the area next to the stadium as a shopping and entertainment center.
"People seem enthusiastic about what is taking place," McQuaid said. "Certainly, a Bass Pro Shop is something we haven’t seen in this region. They are trying to make it a place where people can bring their families."
Bass Pro Shops is not the only outdoor specialty retailer targeting the area. Two days after Bass Pro’s opening, L.L. Bean will open its second Massachusetts store at Mansfield Crossing on Route 140 in Mansfield.
While the two retailers will sell many of the same products, the scale of the operations will be very different. The L.L. Bean store will be about 25,000 square feet, while Bass Pro Shops will be six times larger. The other Massachusetts L.L. Bean store is in Burlington.
Laurie Brooks, spokeswoman for L.L. Bean, said the Freeport, Maine-based company has a strong and loyal customer base. She said the two national chains have the same objective.
"What we are all competing for is our customers’ time - using our products and getting out into the outdoors," Brooks said.
The market for outdoor products and services has been growing nationally, according to Denise Conroy-Galley, senior vice president of marketing and research for the Outdoor Channel. She noted that a recent US government survey identified 87 million Americans as outdoor enthusiasts, up 6 million from 2002.
Both L.L. Bean and Bass Pro Shops are planning big celebrations next week. The L.L. Bean store will open at 9 a.m. and stay open around the clock until 8 p.m. Nov. 18. The event is in the spirit of the L.L. Bean Freeport flagship store, which never closes.
Grand opening events for Bass Pro will start at 6 p.m. Nov. 14 and will include appearances by NASCAR driver Martin Truex Jr., television fishing star Jimmy Houston, and New England Patriots Rodney Harrison, Mike Vrabel, and Matt Light.
Patriot Place, which is scheduled for completion in the fall of 2008, is to include a hotel, multiplex cinema, New England football hall of fame, medical office building, a dozen restaurants, and about 70 stores.
Robert Preer can be reached at preer@globe.com.
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