Hook, Line and Sonoran: Bass Pro Shop comes to Tucson | News

There’s good news for those who love the outdoors. Bass Pro Shop has come to town and is now open for business. It’s the third such store to come to Arizona but the first in Tucson.

It’s a fun place to be. 

“We’re excited to be in this Tucson area and community for sure,” General Manager Bruce Miller said. “We’re elated to be here.”

The store has been under construction for at least six months, but guests will find the wait was worth it. No one can enter the store, which opened March 26, without admiring all the decorations, a word that barely describes what makes Bass Pro Shop what it is. Besides all the trophy animal heads that watch shoppers, there are some fairly beautiful murals. 

Look up and find a panorama of the Sonoran Desert. Miller said that planning for the store has taken years. Several months ago artists came to Tucson to photograph the area. A couple of months ago the artists came back and began painting. In fact, all the murals are painted by hand. Miller said each Bass Pro Shop has its own based on the surrounding area. This one is filled with the flora and fauna of the desert.

“A good portion of what’s in the store is local,” Miller said.

The real centerpiece, however, is straight down the center aisle after entering the store. It’s the 15,000-gallon freshwater aquarium. Swimming around are local species of fish. There are crappies, rainbow trout, carp, sunfish and striped bass. Taking care of them is a full-time aquarist, who cleans the tank, feeds the fish and makes sure everything and every tank occupant is in order. It certainly demands attention.

“I love the grand water feature, this is obviously my favorite,” Miller said, “but just how you walk in and you just get that southwest environment. It just screams Tucson.” 

He added that the company worked with Arizona Game and Fish to fill the tank.

“My other favorite feature is that very first chandelier, it says Tucson on it,” Miller said, so when guests first enter, they should look up.

Then, look around. It takes a lot of products to fill a 100,000 square foot store and Bass Pro Shop will not disappoint. This place is an outdoors lover’s paradise. It features equipment for rifle hunting, bow hunting, camping and fishing gear. Miller said they carry a complete line of fishing gear and “I can sell you everything you need, and I can even sell you a boat.” 

There are shoes of all types but no high heels, clothes for everyone in the family including a few women’s plus sizes, and food, lots of snack-like food such as jerky, nuts and cheese-flavored balls. Shoppers will find a full line of Yeti products including storage containers and coolers, cast iron frying pans and Dutch ovens and anything a camper might need to fix a meal when deep in the woods. Need somewhere to sit? Bass Pro has at least six different types of camping chairs to choose from.

For some the great outdoors is the backyard so find a nice selection of grills and griddles, everything from Blackstone, Weber and Cabela. 

There are children’s toys. 

They even sell vacation packages with Hilton Grand Vacations.

Along with all that product, it takes a lot of people to staff the store. Miller said he had 150 openings but nearly 1,600 applications. Even so, he said there are still jobs to be had.

One person who got hired is Billie Jo Spear. She works in receiving, so she has offloaded a lot of boxes from trucks since the beginning of February. 

Looking around she said it’s a job that has given her immense satisfaction. 

“It’s one of those (things) that you have a part in this and I’ve touched everything and … it’s beautiful in here,” she said. “Everybody is just gung-ho, everybody loves what they do, that’s why they’re all here.”

Actually, this is Spear’s first experience in a Bass Pro Shop.

“I’ve never been in a Bass Pro Shop ‘til I started working here,” she said. “I’ve never once stepped foot in one so this is an experience for me to come in.”

Now that the store is open both staff and Miller are busy but happy.

“I love all of it,” Miller said. “I always say when I’m outdoors it’s definitely a fun time. We’ve got over 150 outfitters (employees) in this store and everybody really enjoys the outdoors and conservation.”