Sportsman's Warehouse opens Friday

MOSES LAKE — This smells like a brand new store — fresh-cut wood, new paint, drywall.

Though most of the display cases look like they are finished, some things still need to be built, cashiers to be trained, and last minute items to be put on display.

But if all goes according to plan, the new Sportsman’s Warehouse in Moses Lake, full of fishing rods and camping gear and hunting clothes, will be open for business on Friday, Feb. 17.

“We’re very excited,” said store manager Bobbi Jo Harris. “There are a few things that need buttoning up by the end of day, but we should be ready.”

The Utah-based retailer, which operates 75 stores in 20 states, announced plans to open its Moses Lake outlet in August of last year. The store will employ 47 staff, though up to 75 people have been involved in moving the store in and getting it fully stocked for its upcoming grand opening.

The Friday opening, however, is what Harris called “a soft opening.” The store will be open for business, but they won’t hold a formal ceremony for another week.

“We’ll have a ribbon cutting Thursday, Feb. 23, at 8:30, and then we will be formally open after the ribbon cutting,” Harris said. “That day, the first 250 families will get a $20 gift card and a hat.”

The new Sportsman’s Warehouse will continue that giveaway to the first 50 families on Friday, Feb. 24, and again on Saturday, Feb. 25, she added.

Harris pointed to the stuffed animal heads on the wall — deer, antelope, a moose.

“All of the taxidermy is local,” Harris said. “The taxidermists are pretty excited to have their stuff up.”

Charles H. Featherstone can be reached via email at countygvt@columbiabasinherald.com.