Gander Mountain to open first store along the Grand Strand on Thursday
Gander Mountain’s grand opening Thursday will bring another outdoor specialty retailer to serve the fresh air lovers of the Myrtle Beach region.
The store off U.S. 501 beside Tanger Outlets is the second Gander Mountain in South Carolina, the other is in North Charleston.
The chain, which started as a catalog retailer in 1960, is named after a glacial ridge near the Wisconsin town where the business began.
Here's the cover of the @gandermtn catalogue from 1973 pic.twitter.com/D2froVdw8N
— Dawn Bryant (@tsn_dawnbryant) April 13, 2015Gander Mountain might be known for its firearms selection -- guns line the back wall of the new store -- but in the Myrtle Beach area store, “this is going to be our thing,” General Manager David Weber said standing by racks of fishing rods and gear.
Gander’s entry into the Grand Strand market doesn’t bother another large outdoors retailer, Bass Pro Shops at Myrtle Beach Mall, because the stores are different, with different product lines and decor, said Chris Baker, Bass Pro’s general manager.
“Anytime it spikes more interest in outdoor activities, it’s a good thing,” Baker said. “It drives more people to be outdoors, which in turn gives us all more customers.”
Hours
Gander Mountain, 1049 Glenforest Rd. off U.S. 501 at Carolina Forest, opens at 10 a.m. Thursday after a 9:30 a.m. ribbon cutting.
Hours will be 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday; 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday
Items you will find at the store
Firearms, fishing and marine gear, archery items, outdoor apparel, hunting gear, footwear, seasonal hunting corner (now features turkey hunting gear, marine fowl is up next), kayaks, sunglasses, camping gear
Items that Gander doesn’t sell
Boats, ATVs, clothing specific for indoor sports “We don’t have basketball shorts,” general manager David Weber said as he walked through the apparel section. “We wanted to stay true to who we are.”
By the Numbers
▪ 46,500 square feet | Size of store
▪ 50 employees
▪ 2 | Number of Gander Mountain stores in SC. The first opened in North Charleston about eight months ago.
▪ 5,000 to 7,000 | Expected number of people a day during the grand opening
Grand Opening
Grand opening events start Thursday and continue through Sunday with appearances by athletes, TV personalities and musicians, including former University of South Carolina football player Marcus Lattimore from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday.
Check out a time lapse video of the Gander Mountain construction from start to finish here.
Crews working at site where Gander Mountain will build its first #myrtlebeach area store, off US 501 next to Tanger pic.twitter.com/ErBmVtZC4X
— Dawn Bryant (@tsn_dawnbryant) October 9, 2014This story was originally published April 14, 2015 at 6:02 PM with the headline "Gander Mountain to open first store along the Grand Strand on Thursday."