While many other large sporting goods chain are facing tough times, Fargo, N.D.-based Scheel announced it will open a store in North Texas. Regional chain Scheels operates 27 sporting goods superstores in 12 states across the Midwest and Southwest.
The store will be built in the The Colony’s Grandscape development. At 300,000 square feet it will be about 12 times the size of a traditional sporting goods big-box store such as Dick’s Sporting Goods or Academy Sports & Outdoor store. Special attractions planned for the store include a 16,000 gallon aquarium, 65-foot high operating Ferris Wheel, a wildlife mountain and sports simulators. The store will have a restaurant and fudge and gelato shops.
The Scheels store won’t open until 2020, but the announcement is a big catch for the $1.5 billion Grandscape located on State Highway 121 with so many competing projects in the works nearby, according to local reports.
Scheels is an employee-owned company that’s run by the great-grandson of the founder. CEO Steve M. Scheel said the company has been scoping out Texas for 10 years. The Colony store will be the biggest Scheels, he said. Construction will begin in 2018. Similar to Bass Pro and Cabela’s, the store has a big hunting and fishing department. Other departments include traditional sports, biking, camping and apparel.
