Sportsman’s paradise coming to old Homebase

For camping, fishing and hunting enthusiasts — it’s the granddaddy of them all.

Sportsman’s Warehouse is coming to Silverdale. The Midvale, Utah-based chain will renovate and move into the long-empty former HomeBase store high on Myhre Road between Costco and Harrison Hospital Silverdale. It will share the space with Levitz furniture.

With 3,000-4,000 firearms, 100,000 fishing flies and a sales floor as big as a football field, outdoor enthusiasts are sure to have a field day.

“It’s hard work and we have fun,” said CEO Stu Utgaard.

“Our employees have so much fun, they’d probably work for free,” he said.

The store, expected to open in April 2004 is the third in Washington with other locations in Spokane and Kennewick. Utgaard said he has already gotten e-mails from people in the area who are excited about the store’s arrival.

Sportsman’s Warehouse was founded in 1986. Utgaard took the helm in 1996. Since then stores have been added in Utah, Colorado, Oregon and Minnesota. The company hopes to open four additional stores this year.

Sportsman’s Warehouse offers hunting, fishing, camping, optics, clothing and footwear. The store typically has 100 varieties each of tents, sleeping bags and back packs, and about 200 different types of binoculars and spotting scopes.

Utgaard hopes to draw shoppers from the Olympic Peninsula and even the Seattle area.

HomeBase, has been empty for about two years. The building is about 104,000 square feet and will be shared equally by the two tenants.

The Levitz furniture store chain is growing as well. Recently, the company has taken over 15 former Sears Homelife stores. Other Washington state Levitz stores are in Lakewood, Lynnwood and Tukwila.

Comment on this story.

COMMENTING RULES: We encourage an open exchange of ideas in our online community, but we ask you to follow our guidelines for respecting community standards. In a nutshell, don't say anything you wouldn't want your mother to read.