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Since its opening, the East Peoria Bass Pro opening has been the cause of a lot of excitement.
East Peoria Bass Pro GM Jim Goff said that Bass Pro recognized that enthusiasm when the East Peoria grand opening exceeded Bass Pro’s average opening night when about 8,500 customers visited the store.
“It was a fantastic opening; there were thousands of people here and it was a great night,” said Goff.
East Peoria Mayor Dave Mingus agreed that opening night was a success for the community.
“The community has overwhelmingly expressed satisfaction at Bass Pro,” he said.
Not only was the opening night a success, but Bass Pro hasn’t seen any signs of the excitement wearing off.
“Over the last four weeks, our sales have stayed pretty steady across the board, so we’re pretty excited about that,” said Goff in mid-November.
Goff added that it was a “no-brainer” for Bass Pro to come to the East Peoria area based on catalogue sales and the amount of people who enjoy the outdoors.
However, he said that certain parts of the store have surmounted their expectations.
“We’re very surprised at how strong our restaurant has done,” said Goff. “We knew it was going to be a strong start, but it really exceeded all of our expectations.”
In addition to the restaurant and bowling alley, Mingus said that Bass Pro is not just for those who enjoy the outdoors.
“Even people who aren’t outdoorsmen enjoy the aquarium and the museum aspect of the facility,” he said.
Visitors can expect to see familiar scenes from central Illinois in the store’s décor and museum.
“We have different scenes throughout the store of farms in Metamora, and Kickapoo Creek; we have Lincoln’s cabin almost directly across from the aquarium. ... We try and grab a sense of what the area is about and cater each store to that area,” said Goff.
Mingus said that the educational factor of the store’s museum is part of what makes Bass Pro important to the community.
With the region-specific store and large customer draw, Mingus also said that Bass Pro has positively affected East Peoria in several ways.
“I think it has given a real morale boost to the residents. ... There’s a real sense of pride that Bass Pro chose East Peoria to be one of their outlets,” said Mingus.
Since its opening, the East Peoria Bass Pro opening has been the cause of a lot of excitement.
East Peoria Bass Pro GM Jim Goff said that Bass Pro recognized that enthusiasm when the East Peoria grand opening exceeded Bass Pro’s average opening night when about 8,500 customers visited the store.
“It was a fantastic opening; there were thousands of people here and it was a great night,” said Goff.
East Peoria Mayor Dave Mingus agreed that opening night was a success for the community.
“The community has overwhelmingly expressed satisfaction at Bass Pro,” he said.
Not only was the opening night a success, but Bass Pro hasn’t seen any signs of the excitement wearing off.
“Over the last four weeks, our sales have stayed pretty steady across the board, so we’re pretty excited about that,” said Goff in mid-November.
Goff added that it was a “no-brainer” for Bass Pro to come to the East Peoria area based on catalogue sales and the amount of people who enjoy the outdoors.
However, he said that certain parts of the store have surmounted their expectations.
“We’re very surprised at how strong our restaurant has done,” said Goff. “We knew it was going to be a strong start, but it really exceeded all of our expectations.”
In addition to the restaurant and bowling alley, Mingus said that Bass Pro is not just for those who enjoy the outdoors.
“Even people who aren’t outdoorsmen enjoy the aquarium and the museum aspect of the facility,” he said.
Visitors can expect to see familiar scenes from central Illinois in the store’s décor and museum.
“We have different scenes throughout the store of farms in Metamora, and Kickapoo Creek; we have Lincoln’s cabin almost directly across from the aquarium. ... We try and grab a sense of what the area is about and cater each store to that area,” said Goff.
Mingus said that the educational factor of the store’s museum is part of what makes Bass Pro important to the community.
With the region-specific store and large customer draw, Mingus also said that Bass Pro has positively affected East Peoria in several ways.
“I think it has given a real morale boost to the residents. ... There’s a real sense of pride that Bass Pro chose East Peoria to be one of their outlets,” said Mingus.
In addition, Mingus expressed the importance of Bass Pro for the economy, because the sales tax allows the city to provide the best basic services possible to its residents.
“The other aspect is that Bass Pro has been a very good community partner, funding different charities,” he said.
Goff added that Bass Pro enjoys partnering with local organizations, but they try to focus on organizations that promote outdoor activities.
For example, Bass Pro has donated equipment to East Peoria High school’s fishing team.
While Mingus expressed the importance Bass Pro directly has on the economy, he said that more importantly, it’s a draw for other retail and that Bass Pro is hopefully the beginning of a growing downtown area.
“Bass Pro just offers many aspects to our community that enhances the quality of life,” said Mingus.
With the prospect of growth in East Peoria, Goff said that Bass Pro is expecting to follow suit.
“We’re used to a strong start and then over a one- or two-year period of time, it even picks up more... long term, we expect to grow.”
