New Cabelas Store to Open in Berks Count y, PA

“Outdoor retailer Cabelas is receiving $27 million in taxpayer funding to help pay for building costs for its new retail location at I-76 and PA 61 in northern Berks County. The 225,000 square foot superstore will feature a 30-foot indoor mountain, more than 100 stuffed wild animals, and 55,000 gallons of aquariums. Officials from the Department of Community and Economic Development view the store as a "big job-creation project" which has the potential to anchor a tourist destination that will bring in six million visitors a year. State officials feel that if Pennsylvania didn't offer the economic incentives, a neighboring state would have.

Slated to open this Fall, the store is expected to employ about 600 (half of them part time) and generate $58 to $75 million in sales a year, resulting in $3.5 to $4.5 million in sales taxes for the state.

Stephen Herzxenberg, executive director and economist with the Keystone Research Center, a Harrisburg think tank, questions whether the large state incentive, amounting to about $45,000 for each created store job, was necessary.”

“That does sound like a lot of money.

But, I live close to the Dundee, MI store and this thing is crazy successful. The parking lot is almost always full - very often with out of state plates.

There is a new high school in town, made possible by the larger tax base. Many new spin off businesses have come to town and housing starts are way up.

Also, the project helped to improve local infrastructure a lot. This allowed Daimler Chrysler the ability to plan a new $400 million engine plant in the town's industrial park.

From a pedestrian's perspective, there has been a notable renovation of the village's parks and sidewalks.

And you can buy all kinds of camping gear there.

So, as crazy as it sounds, it's probably worth the money.”

“30 foot mountain? Does this mean a rockwall or a practice path to try those new boots out (or both)? We drove by the construction after the March AT hike and it looked H-U-G-E. This store will be a great boost to employment in the area.

My question is I've always known Cabella's as being a hunting/fishing store First, camping Second, and hiking/backpacking Third. Are they still primarily hunting/fishing or will they cater to the backpacking crowd as well?”

“Don't get too excited about the extra stuff. The thirty foot "mountain" is just a display for stuffed goats, bears and other stuff. No climbing or boot testing involved. It would be a good place to take a second grader to show different types of fish species, however.

You are correct in the hunting, camping, backpacking rating. But, the store is so big that it will have most everything that an EMS or REI would have. And they hold backpacking seminars and things like that in their community relations rooms. Backpacker mag. sent a crew there recently.

Prices are on the mid to high side, but good deals can be had. The return policy is excellent.”

“That would be I-78 and Pa 61.”

“i can't wait, i saw the partially constructed building, it's going to be HUGE.”

“Have any of you other PA hikers all of a sudden been getting Cabelas catalogs in the mail when you never received them before.”

“...will they cater to the backpacking crowd as well?"
~Capn Bobo

I stopped at the Sydney, NE store a couple years ago to check on crampons and ice axes. The sales clerk said they didn't carry any "extreme" items...

PB'ing?
Barely shows on their radar screen.”

“They carry a smattering of BP stuff in their master catalog, but REI it ain't.”

“How far is that from, say, Massena, NY? It sounds as if I could actually visit a Cabela's at last.”

“Gremlin - it's 417 miles from Massena to Hamburg, Pa according to Mapquest.

Here's Cabela's press release about the new store in Hamburg

Must Hike - yeah, I got a catalog from them recently. I thought wtf, I don't hunt or fish, so how did I get this? Once I got past all the dead animals, I saw a lot of neat stuff.”

“Went to the special invitation opening/cocktail party last night.


ugh.


Cabelas look like a a GREAT hunting, fishing, archery and CAMO store. Really .. .I can't imagine needing anything they don't have.

It is NOT a backpacking store. No packs (except camo), no camping stuff except car camping. N tru backpacking sutff to speak of at all.

Lots of dehydrating equipment (to prepare your vension).


For what it is, it's an amazing store. But it truly, and unapologetically, caters to the hunting, fishing, car camping, atv riding demographic.

I thought that for the northeasten, Connecticut, lower hunting demographic that there might be less hunting and more backcoutry/backbacking . . . .NO SIR.


Half a HUGE floor dedicated to CAMO. 80 linear feet of used rifles/shotguns. 50 linear feet or more of new and used handguns in display cases, and equal amount for new rifles/shotguns. A gun library for collectibles, including old Winchesters and Henry's from the 1880s, 90s that were going for $45,000.”

“There's a new one due to open up in Maine next year. LLBean is already rebuilding it's hunting a fishing section in response.”

“You mean LLBean is going to start selling hunting and fishing equipment again.”

“Cabela's up 81 has bad pricing, bad service, and as you mentioned, there backpacking selection is almost nil.

Good store for hunters who don't mind paying too much, but that's about it.

Everybody made such a big deal about the size of the store, but it looked like most of that space was air.”

“We've got one due to open in the next day or two, if it isn't already open, in Hammond, Indiana. Jon will love that kind of product. Me, not so much.”

“why would they open one in Berks county when theres already one in Pottsville?”

“They always have done Axe - not that much, but they have done.”