By Sharon Linstedt, The Buffalo News, N.Y. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News
Nov. 14--Buffalo will not be home to the first Bass Pro Shops store in the state, but the mothballed Memorial Auditorium is still in line to become the retailer's flagship location for New York.
The company announced Wednesday that it will build a small-format store in Central New York, but that has no bearing on its interest in Buffalo, said Mark Lichtman, principal of the development team overseeing efforts bring a Bass Pro store to Buffalo's waterfront.
'I talked with Johnny Morris (founder of the company) and he is still absolutely interested in Buffalo,' Lichtman said. 'While it would have been great to be their first store, we're still convinced Buffalo will be home to their biggest, most exciting store in New York State.'
Bass Pro said Wednesday that it will open a Sportsman's Warehouse store in Auburn, west of Syracuse. The 50,000-square-foot store is the smallest format the Missouri-based chain operates.
By contrast, the Bass Pro Outdoor World store contemplated for the Aud would be at least 140,000 square feet in size, outfitted with everything from indoor archery and gun ranges, to putting greens and an in-store cafe.
And while Sportman's Warehouse stores are considered a local shopping destination, full-blown Outdoor World stores draw visitors from 300-mile radius.
Martin Macdonald, director of corporate communications for Bass Pro, declined to speak specifically about Buffalo's chances of landing one of the Outdoor World stores, but did say the company is looking for a presence beyond the Auburn location.
'The project we are pursuing in Auburn is part of a larger strategy to bring Bass Pro Shops to New York. We are continuing to look in New York,' MacDonald said.
The company is interested in entering the New York market not only because of the population base it could reach, the Bass Pro spokesman said, but also because of the state's outdoor heritage and residents' interest in hunting, fishing and other outdoor pursuits.
Lichtman's BOS Group, which was named designated developer of the Erie Canal Harbor Entertainment District in June, brought a 12-member design/engineering team to Buffalo earlier this month for an inspection of the Aud and walks through the 4.5-block area included in the development zone.
One of the key conclusions reached during the four-day Buffalo visit was that the Aud would remain structurally sound in a conversion from sports arena to sporting goods mega-store, according to Lichtman.
'The big question was how sound it would be after the seating is removed. We were concerned the auditorium seating was helping bear the load of huge, open expanse,' he said. 'It turns out we can scrape away the entire interior and not have to put in support beams. It will allow us to create a one-of-a-kind retail space.'
The design team also sized-up how to address other critical issues such as traffic flow, parking, signage, development of adjacent properties, the state's Gen. Donovan office building, and how to integrate efforts to restore the city's historic canalfront.
'It's still a very complicated project, but everybody came away even more excited than before,' Lichtman said. 'We'll be out with a design package, a full master plan, in early December and it's going to be extremely compelling.'
While the company has yet to sign a letter of intent for a Buffalo store, he is confident of Bass Pro's interest.
'Intuitively, I believe it's going to happen. We're not there yet, but between their interest in Buffalo and the store we feel we can deliver, we're all very excited,' said Lichtman, a Buffalo native, who has been involved in Bass Pro store development in nine other cities.
Buffalo Mayor Anthony M. Masiello said his level of optimism is also increasing.
'Until we're actually building there's going to be a level of doubt this is real, but knowing what's going on behind the scenes, I'm very confident there's a Bass Pro in our future,' Masiello said.
Under terms of the development contract, BOS Group has until next June to deliver the all-important letter of intent from Bass Pro to make all the planning a reality.
There are currently 16 Bass Pro Shops stores open around the country, with six more in development. The nearest store is in Detroit. The popular shopping spot is viewed as an anchor to a collection of new retail, restaurant and entertainment venues that would be built in the revitalized waterfront district.
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(c) 2002, The Buffalo News, N.Y. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.
