Tag: Bass Pro

Bass Pro Shops Coming to Kentucky Oaks Mall

Posted on | by Joe Bell

Bass Pro Shops to bring 115 jobs to Paducah

The Paducah Sun  February 12, 2026

PADUCAH — Bass Pro Shops plans to open a new 70,000-square-foot destination retail store in Paducah, bringing an estimated 115 jobs and a $25 million investment to the community.

The store will be built from the ground up at 3470 James Sanders Blvd., on an approximately 8-acre site adjacent to Kentucky Oaks Mall. Company officials say the location is expected to open in late 2026 or early 2027.

City leaders approved a development agreement and incentive package during Tuesday’s Paducah City Commission meeting, clearing the way for the project.

Mayor George Bray called the announcement an “exciting milestone” for the city, saying the development represents more than a new retailer.

“The construction of this new location represents more than the opening of a retail store,” Bray said in a news release. “Because Bass Pro Shops designs each location to reflect its surroundings, this project will create a true destination — one that draws families, outdoor enthusiasts, and visitors from not only the region but also the entire United States. This store will be a place not only to shop, but to gather, explore, and experience the outdoor lifestyle that is such an important part of our community. We are incredibly proud to welcome Bass Pro Shops to Paducah and to see our city continue to grow as a regional destination.”

The store will be the first Bass Pro Shops location in Kentucky built from the ground up, according to City Manager Daron Jordan.

“This milestone would not have been possible without the vision and commitment of the Kentucky Oaks Mall Company team, including Co-President Anthony Cafaro, Jr., as well as the leadership of Johnny Morris and the entire Bass Pro team,” Jordan said in the release. “Their confidence in Paducah speaks volumes about our community’s strength and bright future.”

Anthony Cafaro, Jr., co-president of CAFARO, which oversees Kentucky Oaks Mall, said this development will help ensure the continued viability of Paducah’s commercial corridor.

“We are grateful to the City of Paducah for their vision and partnership in bringing this project to life,” he said. “This development would not have been possible without the City’s commitment to maintaining the viability of Kentucky Oaks Mall and the surrounding Hinkleville Road commercial corridor, and we are proud Bass Pro Shops will be the catalyst for this new chapter of growth.”

The nearest store to Paducah is currently in Nashville, Tennessee. Company founder Johnny Morris said the Paducah location will serve outdoor enthusiasts throughout western Kentucky and the broader region.

“We are proud and excited to be able to serve the great outdoor enthusiasts in the Paducah region and the entire Bluegrass State,” Morris said. “We are looking forward to helping families and friends get outside and make happy memories together in the great outdoors.”

Officials say employment information will be released closer to the store’s opening.

 

Bass Pro Shops Grand Opening

Posted on | by Joe Bell

Shoppers hooked on Bass Pro Shops

New store reels in lovers of the great outdoors

LOCAL NEW  

NOV 16, 2023

MASON COLE

Reporter

mcole@tribtoday.com

Staff photo / R. Michael Semple Jim Gintner of Howland, along with Vivi, 4, and Brennan, 6, try on some Bass Pro Shops hats Wednesday during the grand opening of the new store in Niles.

 

NILES — Bass Pro Shops officially opened its doors at the Eastwood Mall Complex after a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by hundreds of customers Wednesday.

The grand opening gave lovers of the outdoors a chance to take advantage of deals on merchandise, with early Black Friday bargains and giveaways.

The ceremony, titled the “Evening for Conservation,” culminated with a percentage of proceeds on sales going toward local conservation efforts.

“This evening for conservation is a big deal,” Jimmy Houston, hall of fame angler and television host, said. “It’s a tremendous thing because the money raised here tonight will stay right here in this area.”

While initial plans were for 10% of every dollar spent during the evening to go toward local conservation efforts, Houston announced that Bass Pro officials were raising the donation to 20%.

Johnny Morris, founder and CEO of Bass Pro Shops, said he hoped the store would be embraced by residents of the Mahoning Valley.

“When you go into the shop, we hope you’re very proud,” Morris said.

“I walked in here a couple of weeks ago, I’m so proud. I just want to say thank you to every craftsman and woman, every artist, every talented person who worked on this. They worked hard to make this store your store, and it’s very unique to this region.”

According to a news release, Bass Pro Shops has a history of conservation support throughout Ohio, including work with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Wildlife.

The release said that in the past three years alone the company has granted over $100,000 to local organizations and conservation projects through the Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Outdoor Fund.

The Niles location is the seventh in Ohio, and the only location within 150 miles of the Mahoning Valley.

Bruce Miller, general manager of the Niles location, said he is thrilled to see Bass Pro’s entry into Trumbull County.

Miller said the store will provide outdoorsmen with all of the products and equipment that they might need.

“This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for me,” he said. “I was born and raised in Youngstown, Ohio, and to bring this legendary brand back here and just to represent Johnny Morris and everything that he has built with this brand is absolutely incredible. We’ve got hunting, fishing, camping, clothing, anything that you can imagine to get you to the outdoors and enjoying the natural resources that we have in this area.”

The 93,000-square-foot store features a 5,000-gallon trough aquarium with 70 native fish. The store is filled with antique artifacts displayed along the walls, next to hand-painted murals celebrating Ohio farmlands and local hunting and fishing scenery, according to the news release. There also are several North American big game mounts and taxidermized wildlife dioramas lining the walls.

Anthony Cafaro Jr., co-president of the Cafaro Company, said the store will draw shoppers from across the state to the Eastwood complex.

“We’re thrilled to have Bass Pro Shops here at the Eastwood Mall complex,” he said. “This is the jewel of the Mahoning Valley, just having a destination retailer that is not just going to pull people from the local community, but from the region, it’s just outstanding.”

Product giveaways will be available over the five-day grand opening event. The store will be open for regular business hours the rest of the week.

 

Bass Pro Shops part of Ohio’s Eastwood Mall Growth Spurt

Posted on | by Joe Bell

 

02/15/2023

Bass Pro Shop joins in the regeneration of Ohio’s Eastwood Mall

Al Urbanski

Real Estate Editor & Manager – Chain Store Age

 

Over the past two years, Eastwood Mall outside of Youngstown, Ohio, has executed leases with a bevy of new restaurants and landed a Meijer superstore. This week it hauled in Bass Pro Shops Outpost.

“Shaking hands with [Bass Pro Shops founder] Johnny Morris to bring one of his amazing retail stores here is a crown jewel addition to this complex and the entire region,” said Anthony Cafaro Jr., co-president of Cafaro Properties.

Eastwood is Cafaro’s largest property, encompassing 1.7 million sq. ft. of enclosed mall and 1.4 million sq. ft. of power center space.

The 63,000-sq.-ft. Bass Pro Outpost will be located in the Howland Commons section of the complex, across from the soon-to-be opened Meijer and Home Goods stores. It is expected to be open and running in early 2024.

Outposts carry less theming and merchandise than Bass Outdoor World stores, which run as large as 500,000 sq. ft. It will be Bass Pro’s seventh location in Ohio, but the first in the Mahoning Valley that has a population of 540,000 people—a large percentage of which commutes to work in Cleveland and Pittsburgh.

“This part of the world is home to a proud sporting heritage,” said Morris, who began selling fishing tackle out of his father’s liquor store in 1972  and has since grown it into a 177-store chain. “Our latest Bass Pro Shop in Ohio will make it easy for people and families to enjoy time together in the woods and on the water.  For that we, we are deep down proud and excited.”

Over the last 24 months, Cafaro has also embarked on a wide expansion of Eastwood’s food and beverage options. They will number more than 30 when a new spate of restaurants open, many of them fast casual and sit-down establishments such as Longhorn Steakhouse and Mission BBQ.