Cabela’s impresses

Many of you have already made the trip into Anchorage to check out the new Cabela’s store down on 104th and C Street. I was in this past Wednesday to take advantage of my Cabela’s Club membership. That means I have a Cabela’s credit card. I was looking for several specific items, most of which I really didn’t expect to find. I wasn’t disappointed.

Let me give you a little background about my experience with these big box stores catering to the outdoor enthusiast. I have never been in a Cabela’s store before Wednesday. I think I visited a Bass Pro store in the Atlanta, Ga., area around 30 years ago in a whirlwind tour with my brother-in-law of gun shops and outdoor stores while I was visiting family. We were only in the store for maybe an hour and all of that was spent in the fishing section.

After moving to the Valley, I was impressed the first time I visited the REI store in Anchorage and saw the variety of gear for camping, snowshoeing, backpacking, canoeing and other outdoor activities. Up to that point, I had always bought out of catalogs since I had been living and working in remote locations for ADF&G. Even when I got to town, “town” was usually a small place with limited outdoor gear suppliers.

My mouth dropped open the first time I walked in to the Anchorage Sportsman’s Warehouse store. Again, I had never seen as large a collection of outdoor gear, including firearms and accessories, and apparel under one roof. I was like the proverbial kid in a candy shop! Then Sportsman’s opened a smaller store in Wasilla, and I didn’t even have to drive to Anchorage to drool!

Now there’s a Cabela’s and soon a Bass Pro will be opening. If you enjoy the outdoors and need gear or clothing, the selection is every bit as good in Anchorage as anywhere in the country now. Being an Alaskan, I say “about time!”

While talking with a Cabela’s staffer on Wednesday, I was told this store is the third largest in the country and that their warehouse was the largest Cabela’s warehouse in the nation. Just seeing the amount and variety of stuff in the store convinced me of the accuracy of the staffer’s statements. Speaking of store staff, the folks I spoke with on Wednesday were some of the friendliest retail store employees I have ever encountered. They may get cranky after dealing with the hoards of customers over time, but for now, they are very courteous and helpful.

I ran into friends from Big Lake as soon as I walked in the front door. Before my visit was up in the store (I was there for more than five hours), I had bumped into at least a dozen or more folks I know from around the Valley. Everybody wanted to see what the new store had to offer. I even met some nice folks I’ve never seen before and helped one guy pick out his new big game hunting rifle.

Lest you think I was disappointed with my visit shopping-list-wise, I wasn’t. I didn’t expect to find the unusual items I was looking for. One particular caliber of ammo was sold out when I got there, but the fact they even had some was encouraging. This caliber never caught on with the public even though it’s a great small-game caliber and is rapidly becoming what is called “obsolete” in the gun world. I’m not sure there’s a box of this ammo for sale in Alaska in a gun or outdoor store right now — that’s how hard it is to find.

They will be re-ordering the ammo and I’ll check back over time. The staffer I spoke with took my name and phone number and promised to hold some for me when the next shipment comes in. He’ll call to let me know. The rest of my list was all stuff I can get from suppliers out of state. I was just hoping to buy local rather than go the catalog route once again.

If you have any interest in outdoor activities, go see this new Cabela’s store. There’s something for everyone in there and the game mounts and the fish aquarium are worth seeing. They have a sandwich shop on the premises, so you don’t even have to leave to get lunch! I’ll be going back soon!

Howard Delo is a retired fisheries biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. You can leave him a message by emailing sports@frontiersman.com.