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Cabela’s eyes Hooksett for site of super-store
By MATTHEW CALL
Union Leader Correspondent
18 hours, 10 minutes ago

Hooksett — A national hunting, fishing and outdoor gear supplier is planning a major retail development at Interstate 93’s Exit 11 that is expected to draw customers from across New England.

“New Hampshire has a lot of participators in the outdoors, and we recognize that,” said Ed Eckman, site evaluation manager for Cabela’s, a catalog and store retailer with the trademark “World’s Foremost Outfitter.”

Cabela’s hopes to build a store on Route 3A just south of the I-93 Hooksett toll booth. The company is negotiating to buy 54 acres at 350 West River Road, most recently under the control of the Palazzi Corp. The parcel is assessed by the town at $1.08 million.

The Cabela’s business model is identical to that of L.L. Bean on a larger scale: Internet and catalog sales combined with limited store locations. The Sidney, Neb.-based chain has 14 retail stores, including a 250,000-square-foot store in Hamburg, Pa., and another in Fort Worth, Texas, that covers 230,000 square feet.

The store made a pitch to Hooksett town councilors in a closed session for a special town meeting to create a tax increment financing district aimed at paying for improvements to the site, which is across from the Tri-Town Ice Arena. All or part of property taxes from new buildings in the designated TIF area may be used to pay for the improvements.

The TIF district is needed for road and sewer upgrades as well as pre-excavation work, Eckman said. The company is pushing for a voting session before Hooksett’s regular town meeting, scheduled for May.

The town created a TIF zone at a town meeting in 2001 that channeled $2.6 million into an area now populated by Target, Kohl’s, Home Depot, Staples and BJ’s off Exit 10.

Hooksett’s town attorney is drafting a timetable for the special town meeting, which has not yet been scheduled, according to Town Manager David Jodoin.

The Hooksett store most likely will be 120,000 to 140,000 square feet, according to Eckman. Typical Cabela’s setups include aquariums and taxidermy displays.

“They see this as a real tourist destination,” Jodoin said.

The site also could hold up to three more businesses such as a hotel or restaurant, Jodoin added.

“It’ll bring in business 150 miles away,” said Michael Bergeron of the state’s Department of Resources and Economic Development. “It’s going to be a great opportunity for Hooksett and the state.”

The Hooksett Cabela’s would not be the largest retailer in town if local planners approve a proposed 224,000-square-foot Wal-Mart Supercenter on Route 3.

While it's good news for us from what I've heard of Cabella's,   Riley's in Hookset is one of the better stocked gun stores in the area and will probably hurt from this.

I suspect Rileys will do OK b/c theyre a niche market compared to Cabelas. They also have more than a civilian business. OTOH I bet KTP and to some extent Beans will feel the heat as will the smaller sporting goods stores.

Does Cabela's have the gun collection that KTP has?  If they do then it will likely steal a large amount of KTP's NH customers.  Which is too bad because I love KTP.

Based on my visit to the Sydney and Mitchell stores their collection is almost the same....slightly smaller. Theyre about equal in all other sorts of gun related items (ammo, reloading etc). One thing Cabelas has that out classes everyone else is The Gun Library. Its a room off the main gun area stocked w/ amazingly expensive guns. We're not talking about 1 or 2k but 5 and up to about 80k (per weapon). They also have an excellent line of hunting gear plus car/truck stuff, boats etc. I think this is really going to hurt KTP which is charging ME sales tax. For Mainers its not going to be a long trip since Rt101 is a quick E/W route. I think it will also impact Beans since they have similar or better offerings but are closer to metro Boston/MA.

Quoted: Reilly's is a great store-I hope this helps their business. But it'll be nice to have a Cabela's within driving distance. Bass Pro in Foxboro, Cabela's in Hooksett, Kittery Trading Post in Maine. Helluva weekend road trip from here! And finish up with shooting subguns at JLM's place............

Tim, info that I got from a local commercial Realtor indicates that Bass Pro in Foxboro might be doubtful. Turns out that the intent was to actually locate it on Bob Kraft's property (site of the Patriots and Revolution stadium)! Somehow I don't think that Bob Kraft will allow a "gun store" on his property! I also got that same impression when I called the Stadium to inquire about renting part of it for gun shows . . . promised a call back that never ever came!

Cabelas in Hookset!
That would be cool.
I've done a lot of outdoor gear business with them.

This is interesting. Especially since Cabela's announced that they are going to open a store in East Hartford, CT. www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/community/aboutus/retail-detail.jsp?detailedInformationURL=%2Fcabelas%2Fen%2Fcontent%2Fcommunity%2Faboutus%2Fretail%2Fretail_stores%2Feasthartford%2Feasthartford_press.html
Since Cabela's expects to draw customers from as far as 150 miles, New Hampshire and Connecticut are sounding possibly to close. Will they do two stores?

The distance between Hookset and East Hartford is about 146 miles, actually, so Cabela's knows what they are doing.   The NH store will grab everyone in their circle including Northern Maine, NH and Vermont and CT will grab itself, NY, RI and and Mass.  This is going to be FANTASTIC to New Englander's.  It's about time that the stupid stores realized how many sportsmen there are in this congested part of the country. We're not like WV or PA.  We've got real population squeezed into a much smaller place that those big states.  

And, yes, their gun collection is better than KTP. I travel to KTP a few times a year and I had the chance to visit the Cabela's in PA over the Summer.  I was STUNNED about how BIG Cabela's was and the variety of merchandise and sports they covered.  I had to leave in about 20 minutes because I'd have blown my entire trip schdule if I had stayed and all I did was walk into and then out of the store.  It's freakin huge!  Cabela's will become a "destination" all to itself.  Mom and the girls will go to Manchester CT  or Nashua NH and shop the mall.  The guys wills stroll through Cabela's for hours poking here and there picking out everything from a huge assortment of 2wt fly rod setups to dog-training collars to every imaginable gauge of shotgun and hunting rifle.  

It can only get better, boys and girls.

Rome
Enfield, CT  

There was something on the news this past summer about Cabelas building a store in Scarboro ME, I hope that's true too, although I wish they would build one farther north, I love KTP but it's a 1 1/2 hour drive for me.

from what I heard from a town official is that they are very very interested in opening a store in Scarboro Maine due to its close location to L L Bean who I guess is a competitor and Maine beeing a good location as far as buisness opertunity.  I do beleive if they do put one in East Hartford,Conn. then Scarboro, Me. would be far enouph away. From what I heard they have been looking at a particular lot of land very keenly. I guess its all comes down to the politics of the deal now,  hope it all works out.

This is an interesting article on Cabela's.  They are also building a store in Montreal, about 70 miles of my town.  

CONNECTICUT NEWS

Outdoor Retailer Cabela's Looks At Site In Bay State
January 26, 2006
By DAN UHLINGER, Courant Staff Writer  Cabela's, the national retailer of outdoors merchandise that wants to build a flagship store for New England in East Hartford, has told officials in Plainville, Mass., that it is considering a site there for another store.

A spokesman for the company said Wednesday it is merely "real estate scouting" and Cabela's is "still fully committed to the East Hartford project."

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"I wouldn't say we're seriously looking there [in Plainville]," said James Powell, a Cabela's spokesman. "In fact, just to be clear about that site, we haven't committed to anything."

About 95 miles from Rentschler, the Plainville site is about a five-minute drive from Cabela's chief competitor, Bass Pro Shops, which announced in November that it was planning an Outdoor World in Foxborough, Mass.

Cabela's announced last summer it wanted to build several stores in the Northeast and the East Hartford superstore totaling about 200,000 square feet would be its flagship.

The developer of Rentschler said Cabela's "outdoor experience" store on a 10-acre lake would be a key component of the $2 billion mixed-use development that was being planned for the former airfield.

Shortly after Cabela's set its sights on the 650-acre tract owned by United Technologies Corp. where the University of Connecticut football stadium is also located, ING said it was planning a new building for 2,000 workers.

But earlier this month the Dutch financial services company said it had to withdraw its plan because of unresolved issues with the site and its December 2007 deadline for moving the workers out of leased space in Hartford.

Shortly after ING's decision, Edward Eckman, the site evaluation manager for Cabela's, decided to send a letter to Joseph Fernandes, town administrator for Plainville, expressing the company's interest in a site on Route 1 near I-495.

Fernandes said Wednesday that he viewed the Cabela's letter dated Jan. 23 as the "opening salvo."

"We haven't explored much of anything," he said. "My understanding is they have an option on a site owned by Larusso Corp."

Fernandes said the company told him "it was not one or the other site." Cabela's was not trying to decide whether Plainville was better than East Hartford, he said.

James Watson, a spokesman for the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development, said Wednesday that state officials have talked to Cabela's about the letter.

"We've been assured it has no impact on our current discussions with the East Hartford site," Watson said.

Dan Matos, the developer of Rentschler, acknowledged that Cabela's plan for Massachusetts could prompt "some degree of nervousness" about the company's intention to open a store at Rentschler.

On the other hand, Matos said, the company stated long ago that it wanted to build two or three stores in New England.

"My feeling continues to be that they're strongly committed to putting a store in East Hartford. They've reassured us about that," he said.

"That Cabela's continues to move forward with other store opportunities in New England should encourage those of us working on the East Hartford store to move decisively forward on the 2007 schedule [for opening] so that we don't lose Cabela's to an alternative location," Matos said.

Road and other infrastructure improvements were an impediment to ING's time schedule, Matos said, and continue to be a hurdle for development of Rentschler. But Matos said progress is being made in overcoming the challenges.

"The East Hartford store is going to be open much sooner than [any other store] within hundreds of miles of there," Powell said.

It is not uncommon for Cabela's to have stores within driving distance of each other.

"There are parts of the country where our customer base has a density that almost requires us to place stores within the same region of the country," he said.

East Hartford Mayor Melody A. Currey said the town has pre-qualified three engineering firms for making the infrastructure improvements once they've been identified.

"Things are moving along. I'm continuing talks with DECD, the governor's office, UTC and Matos and we're continuing to move ahead," she said. "UTC assures me they have a pretty firm commitment from Cabela's."

Quoted: Does Cabela's have the gun collection that KTP has?  If they do then it will likely steal a large amount of KTP's NH customers.  Which is too bad because I love KTP.

I like KTP too, but their prices atend to be high and you have to pay sales tax.  Not that I think Cabela's is cheap...but the lack of sales tax on a rifle...will be nice.

Do you have to pay the sales tax if you are having it exchanged at the NH location?  I think that they sell it under that location and yo are free from tax but I can't remember.  I will ask if I buy a gun from them in the future

This is great news. I work about 5 minutes away from the site in East Hartford, CT and with another one only 145 miles away, it's worth the trip when taking a mental health day up North.

Why wait for Cabela's...

Last Sunday I went to the new Dicks Sporting Goods in Concord.

WOW.. They have great prices.

They have better prices than Wally World.

I went in there to check it out and walked out with more ice fishing gear.
You should have seen the very low price on their Ice Shanty's.
The guy in the gun department said that the next location will be either Manchester or Nashua.

Just received my Spring (!) Cabela's catalog and just inside the cover, it lists the stores it's going to open in 2006 and 2007.  East Hartford is listed as opening in 2007.  I don't think that Cabela's would have printed that if it wasn't pretty sure that they were going to go forward with it.  

Having only visited one Cabela's superstore  in Reading (Hamburg) PA, I can tell you that it is a destinations.  Unlike any other sporting store I've been to (Bass Pro in the Keys) the Cabela's is really a destination.  And, I love the fact that they carry so many brands and virtually all the accessories that I'd like to shop for.  They've got a fantastic selection and great prices.  It's going to be wonderful having them here in Connecticut.  East Hartford is only a few minutes from where I live in Northern, CT.  

Good luck with the other stores. Maine could use one, I think.  I'm tired of LLBean's lack of choices and their emphasis on clothing.  The Trading Post in Kittery is really the only other choice and I usually leave a bit underwhelmed with them as well.  Their prices are nothing to write home about, either.  Cabela's would be a great addition to Maine, I think, as well as New Hampshire.

Rome

They are all carrying clothes these days. Its the only way to please the Miss's, that you dragged along, when you go shopping for the toys.