Cabela's in Cloquet? Finally?

Cabela’s considering four Carlton County sites for retail store
Jane Brissett Duluth News Tribune
Published Saturday, March 17, 2007

Four places in Carlton County are under consideration as sites for a new Cabela’s store.

Pat Oman, economic development director for Carlton County, said Friday that he’s been working with a search firm, Cresa Partners, for a year to find a location for the outdoor retailer. Cabela’s and Cresa officials are expected to visit the four Carlton County locations within the next two to three weeks. A decision probably will be made about a week later, Oman said.

Cabela’s seems to be seriously interested in building a store in the area, presumably because of the traffic to the northern reaches of the state where people participate in outdoor activities, and also to catch Canadian traffic, according to Oman. “They’re certainly going all-out to gather information,” he said.

“We do know we’re sort of on the short list,” Oman said. There is at least one site outside the county on that list, too, but Oman said he didn’t know where it is.

Cresa Partners has been scouting locations in the Northland for months. In January, Duluth Mayor Herb Bergson said Cabela’s had looked at sites in Duluth.

The Carlton County sites all are on Interstate 35. They are:

* In the Moose Lake area.

* Near the Carlton exit.

* Near the Cloquet exit.

* Near the Esko exit.

In some cases, the company is looking at several properties in the same area.

Thomson Town Board Chairwoman Ruth Janke said that the parcels under consideration in the Esko area are privately owned.

Cabela’s is looking for at least 20 acres on which to build a 100,000-square-foot store, which would be Minnesota’s fourth Cabela’s store, Oman said.

Company officials are moving quickly to make a decision, he said. “They’re considering this a top priority,” he said.

Cabela’s officials did not return phone calls from the News Tribune on Friday.

Oman said he was told Cabela’s is looking for a minimum of 20 acres, visibility from the interstate, easy access off the freeway, traffic volumes that would justify the location and an available workforce. He said he is unsure how many people the store would employ, but noted that the stores have full- and part-time jobs and offer full benefits.

The Thomson Town Board is in favor of the store locating within its boundaries, Janke said. “It would be a great help for our tax base. We don’t have much. We’re kind of a bedroom community,” she said.

Cabela’s is a unique retailer and people travel long distances to shop at its stores. “As much wildlife museums and education centers as retail stores,” is the way Cabela’s Web site describes the outlets.

The Owatonna store was the second-most popular tourist attraction in Minnesota in 2005, with 4.5 million visitors, according to the Department of Employment and Economic Development. The Mall of America in Bloomington was the top draw.

The largest Cabela’s in the state is the 185,000-square-foot Rogers outlet. The Owatonna store is 150,000 square feet and the East Grand Forks store is 60,000 square feet. No state currently has four Cabela’s stores.

Cabela’s reported $2.06 billion in total revenue last year. The company has 18 stores open and is growing aggressively, with 12 stores under construction. It is headquartered in Sidney, Neb. It began as a mail-order company and does a large catalog and Internet business.