Tuesday, September 07, 2010
New look for Gander Mountain
Mark Taylor is outdoors editor at The Roanoke Times.
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Creatures of habit that humans are, a shopper who haven't been to the big Gander Mountain store in Roanoke in the past month could have some navigation troubles on his next trip.
Walk in, head to the left looking for camping gear and you'll find shoes.
Head to the right looking for shoes and you'll find fishing tackle.
Firearms are no longer straight back.
And, well, you get the idea.
The store is one of a select few of the chain's 116 retail locations chosen for a major layout and stocking renovation.
The pilot program was completed recently in Jackson, Tenn. Roanoke is one of three stores where the project is ongoing.
Store manager Randy Bronson said the store was picked, in part, because it has been a solid business performer.
Work started in Roanoke about a month ago, and the store remained open during the effort. Bronson said he expects the project to be largely complete in two or three weeks.
"There is a lot of stuff still undone," Bronson said Monday morning as a robust crowd of customers made their way through the store, which is surprisingly orderly considering the massive amount of ongoing work. "But we've made a lot of progress."
The revamped store will feature not only a new layout, but expanded product offerings.
Standing inside the entrance, Bronson swept his hand around the store.
"The main reason is," he said before pausing. "Well, you can see it."
Gone are tall merchandise kiosks and bins that dwarfed anyone short of an NBA center. The new ones are chest high.
"It just opens things up," Bronson said.
This may be bad news for men who, under the old format, enjoyed being able to sneak off and buy things before the family's chief financial officer could spot them.
But it's a good thing for customer service, said Bronson, who said the new design will help the store evolve from a hybrid self-service atmosphere into one of full service.
"Not that we didn't want to serve you before," Bronson said. "But we didn't know you were there."
In the center of the store a large log, gazebo-looking structure will be the Tech Center. It will feature all of the location's high-end electronic gadgets, as well as optics. (But not rifle scopes, which will remain in the firearms section.)
Bronson said the Tech Center will be manned by staffers who are experts in the products, something that wasn't assured when the tech gear was spread among the different departments.
"Before, you didn't know if you had an expert or not," he said.
The fishing department will feature a unique display.
Protruding from a wall will be the front ends of a fishing boat and pontoon boat, which will be the merchandising areas for some fishing gear.
The camping section has moved to the back right corner of the store.
The camping section features more high-end camping gear, such as sleeping bags and tents from brands such as Marmot and The North Face, and backpacks from Gregory.
In the Roanoke region that kind of gear previously had only been available at smaller specialty backpacking and camping stores.
Dog training gear and supplies have been pulled from the far left corner and moved into a more prominent area in the rear center of the store, where firearms and ammo used to be.
Another change in that area involves the space that previously housed the archery range.
The range had limited use, and hopes that it would stay busy with wintertime archery leagues never materialized.
So, Bronson said, it made sense to find a better use for the space.
Part of the spot will be taken up with pickup truck equipment, but the big change will be the addition of a treestand display, with all stands set up.
And they aren't just set up just to look at. The stands are hooked on actual logs.
"You can sit in them and actually try them out," Bronson said as he took a seat in a big ladder stand. "My son said he wants this one so he can nap."
A single archery lane remains available -- in another part of the store -- for tuning bows.
Another big change is in the firearms department.
Instead of guns being set in racks on the floor, all new firearms are now behind a large counter. That's the format in most gun shops, including major outdoor retailers such as Cabela's and Bass Pro Shops.
"We were abnormal," Bronson said.
Clothing areas remain in the center of the floor, with changes in that area primarily centered on expanded product lines, including high-end brands such as Sitka Gear hunting clothing and Patagonia outdoor wear.
Outdoor retail notes
Sportsmans Liquidation opened earlier this year at 4086 Electric Rd., next to Texas Steakhouse in the Madison Square Shopping Center.
The store stocks close-out and overstock gear, in the same vein as a Big Lots or T.J. Maxx. While it's not the place to go to find a specific piece of equipment, shoppers who don't mind browsing can find some good gear at good prices.
Archery fanatic Wes Goff is working to get the word out about his archery shop in the Smith Mountain Lake area.
Goff's business is Smith Mountain Archery, a small shop he's running -- for the time being -- out of his home in Moneta.
Goff sells bow accessories and also works on bows. But the shop's big draw is the fact that it is a licensed dealer for Mathews, arguably the most-sought-after bow brand on the market. The shop's other bow brand is Elite Archery.
A full-time employee at VDOT, Goff has his shop open for several hours in the evenings, as well as on weekends.
More information is available online at www.smithmountainarchery.com or by calling Goff at 312-0664.
