Bass Pro Shops will throw open the doors of its sprawling new Sayreville store on Wednesday, Nov. 11, with a Veterans Day grand opening that packs in a live concert, celebrity anglers, a NASCAR champion and a conservation fundraiser before the 200,000-square-foot retailer even rings up its first sale. The event kicks off at 5 p.m. with a performance from singer-songwriter Celeste Kellogg, followed by a 6 p.m. ribbon-cutting that officially opens the store to the public.
The scale of the celebration matches the scale of the building itself. According to Bass Pro Shops, the new location is expected to be the company's largest single-level store in the United States, and it will mark the retailer's second New Jersey outpost after its Atlantic City store, as reported by nj.com. The store sits within the Riverton retail complex off the Garden State Parkway, near the interchange of Interstate 95 and Interstate 287, per the same report.
Opening night isn't just about shopping. Bass Pro Shops says fifteen percent of sales on most items during what it calls the Evening for Conservation will be donated to local conservation organizations, a tradition the company traces back to founder Johnny Morris. The retailer adds that it has donated more than 10% of its earnings to conservation programs over the past decade, according to theoutdoorwire.com.
Celebrity Anglers, a NASCAR Champ and a Presidential Fishing Boat
The guest list reads like a greatest-hits reel for outdoor-sports fans. NASCAR driver Martin Truex Jr. is scheduled to appear alongside anglers Ott DeFoe, Jimmy Houston, George Poveromo and Rick Clunn, the station notes. Special guests will be on hand for meet-and-greets and autographs until 8 p.m., giving families a few hours to collect photos and signatures after the ribbon is cut.
Inside, the store's centerpiece is a Shipwreck Aquarium that Bass Pro Shops describes as holding 80,000 gallons and housing more than 280 fish, along with a ray touch pool and two jellyfish exhibits. That figure marks a jump from the company's earlier announcement in June, which described a 65,000-gallon Shipwreck Aquarium paired with a 12,000-gallon ray touch pool — a discrepancy that remains unresolved between the retailer's own materials.
Fishing history gets its own display as well. The store will showcase Fidelity V, former President George H.W. Bush's personal offshore fishing boat, as reported by mycentraljersey.com. The outlet also details The Flemish Cap, a North Atlantic-themed restaurant and entertainment area featuring family dining, underwater-themed bowling lanes and arcade games.
Veterans Day Timing No Accident
Scheduling the grand opening on Veterans Day reflects what Bass Pro Shops calls a longstanding commitment to veterans and military families. Veterans attending are invited to a VIP Veterans Tent offering giveaways and opportunities to recognize military service. Veterans, active military members, law enforcement officers, firefighters and state fish and wildlife agency employees can also receive 10% off almost everything in the store, with firearms and ammunition discounted 5%.
The timing carries personal resonance for the company's founder. Johnny Morris has said he was inspired in part by his father, John A. Morris, a decorated World War II veteran who served in the Battle of the Bulge.
What Happens After Opening Night
The doors stay open to the general public starting Thursday, Nov. 12, when regular business hours take effect: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday, according to News 12 New Jersey. The first 200 families through the door each day from Nov. 12 through Nov. 14 will be eligible for door prizes, and Santa's Wonderland also begins Nov. 12, offering families a free 4-by-6-inch studio-quality photo with Santa.
Behind the retail spectacle is a much larger construction story. The Sayreville store is part of the Riverton redevelopment, a project aiming to revitalize a 400-acre brownfield site along the Raritan River, according to ROI-NJ. The outlet reports the project is associated with more than $1 billion in private investment and is believed to carry a total value of $2.5 billion, with the New Jersey Economic Development Authority board approving an Aspire tax credit of up to $400 million. Riverton's broader plans call for retail, restaurants, office space, hotels, parks, a marina and 2,000 residential units, nj.com has reported.
Bass Pro Shops expects to employ more than 300 Outfitters at the Sayreville location, part of a company that has grown from a single eight-square-foot space inside Johnny Morris's father's liquor store in Springfield, Missouri, in 1972 into nearly 200 retail locations across North America today. The company says its stores, together with sister chain Cabela's, draw roughly 250 million customers annually. As TAPinto first reported, the long-anticipated store is finally putting a date on the calendar for Raritan Bay-area shoppers who have watched the Riverton site rise for years.
