Another sporting goods retailer could land in Porter County

A spokesman for outdoor sporting goods retailer Bass Pro Shops confirmed the company is considering a store in Porter County.

"We have talked with folks" in Portage, Bass Pro Shops public relations manager Larry Whiteley said Monday.

Whiteley wouldn't name a specific site under consideration in the city, but Ameriplex at the Port was named last month by a state economic development official as a possible location.

Indiana Economic Development Corp. President Michael Maurer told The Times in September that Bass Pro Shops' talks with Ameriplex had reached a stage similar to outdoor sporting goods rival Cabela's negotiations for a site in Hammond, 20 miles to the west and, like Ameriplex, just off of Interstate 94.

Ameriplex Vice President Tim Healy has declined to comment on any plans by Bass Pro Shops and did not return a phone call Monday.

Bass Pro Shops wasn't ready to announce whether a store is planned for Portage, Whiteley said Monday.

However, an announcement, "if it happens, could be pretty quick," he said.

A store in Portage would be the second in Indiana for the privately held Springfield, Mo.-based retailer, whose Clarksville store is one of 27 locations in 17 states, according to the company Web site.

Like competitor Cabela's Inc., Bass Pro Shops markets to outdoor lovers with a line of fishing, hunting, camping and marine items.

The company started in 1972 with a single store in Springfield, Mo., and started its catalog business a year later.

Its stores resemble rustic lodges and, along with its line of retail goods, feature indoor waterfalls, aquariums and other attractions.

The 300,000-square-foot Springfield store features fresh and saltwater aquariums, live animals in their native habitat and interactive nature displays.

Plans were announced in August for a 143,000-square-foot Bass Pro Shops location in Bolingbrook, Ill., described in company literature as "part museum, art gallery, conservation education and entertainment center."

Nebraska-based Cabela's operates 13 stores nationwide and has five more planned or under construction.

The publicly held company targets outdoor sports lovers with a combination of retail goods and in-store attractions, including lifelike outdoor scenery and wildlife habitats, similar to Bass Pro Shops.

Cabela's is buying Woodmar Country Club in Hammond for $14 million as a future store site, contingent on environmental studies.

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