The Duluth area is now home to another outdoor retail option with the opening this week of Gander Outdoors. The restructured and rebranded company opened its doors Wednesday, following news at the beginning of the year that they would be opening sometime in early February.

The Hermantown location is one of six stores planned for Minnesota, with the company's Lakeville location having opened in December. A walk through the Hermantown store shows some familiar faces working at the store and many product categories previously seen when the store was Gander Mountain. There are a couple notable additions and one interesting omission from the store's current offering, however.

The similar to when it was Gander Mountain, new store offers an expansive line of open water fishing and hunting gear, camping supplies, footwear, and attire. The store's marine section is expanded significantly and a number of kayaks have been added to the watersports offering. New categories include a sizable bicycle and biking equipment area, along with a selection of skateboards.

Notably missing from the store upon opening is a selection of ice fishing gear. Unlike Gander Mountain, the Hermantown Gander Outdoors is featuring no portable ice fishing houses, augers, ice fishing rods/reels, or other ice fishing supplies. With the store opening late in the ice fishing season, this may be why these items are not being offered currently. While the store doesn't currently feature any ice fishing gear, the company does offer a line of products through their website. Being that we're late in the season, it's possible they may add some ice fishing products for next year.

While you can shop the store now, Gander Outdoors will be holding a grand opening event to celebrate the new store on Saturday, February 17. Doors will open for their official grand opening on the 17th at 9:00 am, with activities including free pasties and coffee in the morning, a kids lure painting program from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm, and a build a duck call activity from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm. A press release from the company states that customers will also will receive a gift with purchase and drawings for Gander Outdoors gift cards throughout the day, while supplies last.

Marcus Lemonis, star of CNBC's The Profit, bought Gander Mountain assets in bankruptcy court in May of 2017. He has since been reopening many of the chain's stores under the new branding and business model. “The Hermantown store is one of six Gander Outdoors locations planned in the state of Minnesota and we have seen an overwhelming positive response to the opening of the Hermantown location, which offers customers one-stop shopping to serve all their outdoor recreational needs,” said Lemonis. “We are excited to continue expanding our outdoor industry footprint and reinforce our brand’s presence, while supporting economic growth across the country.”

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