DuckSouth.com

MSdukhntr wrote:buck and bass is closed.....forget oak tree outdoors, they don't know the meaning of customer service. Tommy Bronsons is in memphis, dont forget you wallet.

Bass Pro Shops has reached an agreement in principle to convert The Pyramid into an outdoors mega-store.

This agreement doesn't guarantee the store will become reality, but is a step toward a formal development agreement, city chief financial officer Robert Lipscomb said Wednesday.
"There's still work to be done," he said. "A development agreement is really more hard core. ... It's more binding, much stronger."

But Lipscomb said he's optimistic -- "more so than I've been at any point."

Larry Whiteley, Bass Pro manager of corporate public relations, said, "We're still moving forward."

Lipscomb wouldn't disclose specifics of a deal, but said a press conference to discuss the project will take place in the next few weeks.

He has negotiated with the Springfield, Mo.-based private company for several months, seeking a deal that could cover the remaining debt service on the city- and county-owned arena ($22.8 million) as well as development costs. To lure the retailer, Memphis could offer federal incentives.

The Pyramid project could be similar to one Bass Pro has announced in Buffalo, N.Y. The company plans to convert the city's old Memorial Auditorium into a store and add a hotel.

Lipscomb would only say that the proposed Pyramid project would include "other amenities" in addition to the store.

Bass Pro was hailed last year as "the hottest store in retailing" by Time.com. Its Springfield store covers 330,000 square feet with an indoor waterfall and archery and pistol ranges. The Las Vegas store features a 40,000-gallon freshwater aquarium and a trout stream.

The Pyramid doesn't offer the rustic exterior that is typical of Bass Pro stores. But it would give the company an iconic building in a Mississippi River setting, in a region heavily populated by outdoor enthusiasts.

Lipscomb has overseen The Pyramid redevelopment process since 2004. That year, the building was replaced as Memphis's primary sports and entertainment arena by FedExForum.

Lipscomb assembled a public-private committee to study the building's future. National consultants, working on the committee's behalf, recommended large-scale "destination retail," so-called because consumers make a special trip to shop there.

MSdukhntr wrote:buck and bass is closed.....forget oak tree outdoors, they don't know the meaning of customer service. Tommy Bronsons is in memphis, dont forget you wallet.

mshunter77 wrote:where is Tommy Bronson's located, and thanks for the info

Are you freakin sick? Man Oak Tree has top notch customer service Bart will bend over backwards too help someone out. His prices are competitive with the other guys and you can actually find someone that knows what the hell they are talking about....