Credit should be given to John L. Morris for his Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World, the new 165,000-square-foot retail behemoth cleverly located on the south end of the Silverton Hotel and Casino, near the new South Strip and Blue Diamond Highway.
Morris is an angler from Missouri who turned a basement business into a massive retail powerhouse when he started selling hard-to-find bass fishing equipment in 1971—an idea he probably dreamed up while waiting for that next fish to bite.
A little more than 30 years and 8,000 employees later, he has indulged his imagination with Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World. However, it takes more than imagination to open a place like this. It takes true grit and quite a bit of cash for a store that includes everything a sportsman could ever dream of.
This haven for outdoorsmen, with an emphasis on the kill, is impressive, even for those of us whose experience is limited to snipe hunts and grunion runs. The massive store's outdoorsy decor is rich uncle's log cabin lodge meets transcontinental trophy museum avec aquarium. Look for an adult giraffe; a pride of lions; a Mojave Desert display full of kit foxes, coyotes and a vulture; deer; elk; moose; and of course, a ton of fish—both salt- and freshwater. (As of this writing, only one of the tanks includes live fish, the others are in the works.)
It also stocks fishing boats and a few small speed boats, kayaks and canoes.
In addition to hunting garb, the apparel section includes casual, day-to-day clothes that the outdoor enthusiast and family can also enjoy. One of the more interesting items for her is the forest-camouflage silk camisole and tap pant set.
Look for lots of rifles and guns in the gun center and a whole range of bows and arrows in the archery shop, not to mention a firing range, archery range, shooting gallery for kids of all ages.
That's right, you can practice before you purchase. And each of the store's 300 employees is an expert who has firsthand experience with the product he or she sells.
Morris is not only committed to the success of his company, Bass Pro Shops is also a nationally recognized contributor to many nonprofit conservation and preservation efforts throughout the country. And he encourages his millions of customers to be philanthropic as well.
Just another nice touch.
Anne Kellogg is a native Las Vegan with a thing for purchasing stuff. E-mail her at
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