I’ve been watching the new Bass Pro Shops materialize in East Peoria, and I got to thinking about a statistic I read in the Journal Star when it was announced they were coming to town. The Journal Star reported in May last year that Bass Pro Shops “attract an average of 3 million people a year to each store,” according to East Peoria Mayor Dave Mingus.
I thought it would be interesting to look at these numbers a little closer. For instance, three million visitors annually comes out to roughly 8,219 visitors per day. There are 22,638 residents in East Peoria (2000 census). So if a third of the East Peoria population visited Bass Pro Shops every day, they would get 3,000,000 visits. But this is a regional draw, so I also looked up the Peoria Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has a population of 366,899. If the entire MSA population (which includes all residents of Peoria, Tazewell, Woodford, Marshall, and Stark counties) visited Bass Pro Shops 8 times a year, they’d get 3,000,000 visitors a year.
Six Flags gets about 24 million people a year at their 19 theme parks, which is an average of 1,263,158 people per park — not even half the number of visitors to Bass Pro Shops, although presumably Bass Pro Shops doesn’t charge admission. WalMart, which also doesn’t charge admission, and which people patronize often for their daily needs, brings in about 176 million customers per week to their 8,500 stores; that’s about 1,076,706 people per store annually — just over a third the number that reportedly visit Bass Pro Shops each year.
“In 2008, Illinois welcomed nearly 88 million domestic visitors […] 67.8 million for leisure purposes,” according to the State of Illinois. There are currently two Bass Pro Shops in Illinois, which could account for up to six million — or nearly 10% — of those leisure visitors. The Museum of Science and Industry brings in about two million visitors annually, only two-thirds the draw of Bass Pro Shops. The Field Museum only gets 1.75 million visitors.
My point is that I’m skeptical of this three-million number. First of all, how do we know the reported numbers for existing stores are accurate? Aren’t we just taking the privately-held store’s word for it? Don’t the numbers sound a bit high? Secondly, even if we concede that those numbers are accurate, so what? Just because a store in St. Louis brings in four million customers doesn’t mean that East Peoria, Illinois, is going to have the same success. There are some differences between St. Louis (“Gateway to the West”) and East Peoria (“Gateway to Germantown Hills”) that I believe are self-evident.
Don’t get me wrong. I anticipate that Bass Pro Shops will bring in plenty of customers. I just don’t think it’s going to bring in three million a year. And I’m beginning to see why East Peoria opted to construct the site and building themselves. This puts them ahead of Bakersfield (CA), Decatur (AL), and Augusta (GA). Those cities announced they were getting a new Bass Pro Shops in 2007 and 2008, but are still waiting for private construction to begin. Buffalo (NY) announced they were getting a new Bass Pro Shops in 2004, but the deal fell apart last year after the city got tired of waiting. East Peoria, in contrast, already has a 20-year lease with Bass Pro Shops, which it approved last July.
I share your skepticism on these numbers. The main Springfield, Missouri store, which has 300,000 sq ft of space, is said to have more than 4 million annual visitors.
http://www.springfieldmo.org/news/Photo%20Thumbnails.pdf
In contrast, the East Peoria store will be half that size. So maybe 2 million annual visitors is more likely? Even that figure seems high, but the actual numbers may be close if the nearest Bass Pro Shops remain in the Chicago (Bollingbrook and Gurnee, IL, and Portage, IN) and St. Louis (Collinsville, IL and St. Charles, MO) areas and they don’t build stores at Indianapolis or in the Quad Cities.
It’s the same “fuzzy” math that gave us the number of visitors who will allegedly come to the Riverfront Museum, and the number of poeple who will supposedly use the Kellar Trail. These people materialize in the minds of the proponents of these projects, at least long enough to get tax money for them.
My concern is the Daley/Meigs field way they appropriated EP’s only waterfront park for Bass Pro’s driveway. I’m kinda surprised EP residents haven’t staged an uprising. They cheated several hundred people out a prime place to watch fireworks, among other things. Shame on you, Mayor Mingus.
Perhaps one needs to extend to Kellar Branch Trail through the museum and then loop around to the Bass Pro shop…PS don’t tell some of the county board members this is in the works….
“vonster
January 17, 2011 at 2:00 pm
My concern is the Daley/Meigs field way they appropriated EP’s only waterfront park for Bass Pro’s driveway. I’m kinda surprised EP residents haven’t staged an uprising. They cheated several hundred people out a prime place to watch fireworks, among other things. Shame on you, Mayor Mingus.”
This Riverfront Park is getting reduced, not replaced, correct? The area directly behind Wal-Mart?
Again, think this is a no-brainer. The Tax Revenue will far exceed any benefit this green area gives 7/4, and other weekend festivals. As far as the main building site (Cilco Ash Pond), Only a developer such as BPS, or another huge conglomerate retailer could fill this area. My thought is if BPS chooses not to develop here, we would have been looking at the overgrown weedy mess for years to come.
Great points – I’m always skeptical of numbers like that. I will say Bass Pro Shops will draw from beyond the Peoria metro from some more distant places like Galesburg, Bloomington, Macomb, perhaps Champaign or Springfield IL.(among others) I know people who make the same type of journey for peoria’s Gander Mountain store. Its a niche store, and people in that niche of interests are willing to drive for the goods. Right on the river front close to the expressway seems like no better place for them IMHO. Whether it’ll have anywhere near that number of visitors….questionable 🙂
So, without reading the other comments, except the first, it’s not impressive to get 2 million visitors the first year?
To me, that’s pretty damn impressive. Far more impressive than the PRM that is scheduled for when? 2049 at this point. Peoria is going to die a slow, painful death while the East Peorias or Pekin’s of the world benefit.
“…Peoria is going to die a slow, painful death…”
Dude,
You are obviously forgetting about the 12 full-time and 30 part-time jobs the PRM will provide!
I wonder if the 12 full-timers will go union…?
If so those 12 full time jobs will be 35 hours a week, will pay 60k a year, retire at 52 with lifetime healthcare and a healthy pension. Hell NV I think your forgetting that those part time jobs can also unionize so dont forget about all the financial benifits that will bring.
All kidding aside I know BPS is being sold as an “experience” but it seems like alot of the things sold at places like it and gannder mountain can be bought from catalogs like LL Bean and Cabella which is what I do…
Great. Let’s sell-out ALL the parks. WTF.
If I go once per week (probably will) I will account for 52 visitors a year.
Dunlap: Once a week? What will change that often??
Vonster – that way I can spread out my fishing purchases so the wife doesn’t notice… 🙂
“…that way I can spread out my fishing purchases so the wife doesn’t notice… ”
I didn’t know Bass Pro Shops sold dynamite…?
Dunlap: OH!! I thought you were talking about the museum.
The term is “on average.” This is a great deal as any one can see by the fast construction pace. Hmmmmmm… what deals are taking a little longer and I wonder why?
I could not help but notice that buried quietly in the Real Estate Classifeid of the latest issue of “Interbusiness Issues” this listing from Maloof Commercial Real Estate:
Gander Mountain 31,080 sf building. $3.7 Million
Is Gander Mountain selling their building to allow them to move into a bigger space somewhere in Peoria or are they planning to abandon the Peoria Market just before Bass Pro shop opens? I will bet on the latter.
Sounds like yet more sales tax revenue will be leaving Peoria and going to East Peoria.
“Sounds like yet more sales tax revenue will be leaving Peoria and going to East Peoria.”
No worries!!!! In a couple of years the new PRM museum will open…drawing thousands of new residents and businesses to the Peoria area! Did I say “thousands?”
I meant MILLIONS!! Peoria City/County won’t know what to do with all that tax revenue pouring in.
New hotel?
Remember, the JS stopped printing lists of bankruptcies. That happened shortly after my last stock broker went bust.
Gander Mountain, you say? Many other businesses are hanging on by their teeth. Rising property taxes and better than expected sales taxes, increased fees and early retirement make the financial situation in the City, Park District, #150, County, economic situations appear better than they really.
Distrit #150 had to borrow all the $90+ million they are in the process of spending. The County is borrowing $51 million for their new nursing home and the library money was all borrowed. Plus the County environmental improvement money, was all borrowed. Close to $10 million with interest.
You might be interested in reading my last couple of blogs. I’m really on a well earned vacation were it is warm and sunny sot I’m no inclined to blog often.
Caterpillar rising stock is making millions for some local investors and Cat management, indicating that the Endowment for the new museum may eventually be contributed solving part of their financial problem. Funds from the feds and state will continue to dry up, however, spemding by local public officials will continue because public bodies can still borrow. Unemplyment shows a slight decrease but that is only because laid off or fired people are takng jobs at one half of what they were previously earning.
Or have ceased looking for another job.
Existing home sales may increase but most of them are “fire sales”. Two houses near where I live have been on the market for three years or more.
Uni/gov may become a fact, not because of the skills of our leaders but because of “mother necessity”. IF IT BECOMES A FACT AND THAT’S A BIF IF THEREE IS LITTLE GUARANTEE OF SUCCESS.
Too many big egos in Peoria and that is a FACT.
Sorry, I didn’t complete my next to last paragraph. It should read “A BIG IF AS THERE IS”
Although, I do share some of your skepticism regarding the new Bass Pro, I am wondering why the Bass Pro has been under the microscope, but I haven’t read much in the media about the new Holiday Inn to be located on the East Peoria Downtown site. After rereading the Journal Star article that originally announced the project, it is to my understanding that the project has been in default since October 2010. The agreement stated that construction needed to be started by October of 2010 and I have yet to see any progress at the Downtown site, like I have seen of the Bass Pro. Has there been an announcement of an extension? Is there reason to believe that this project will not go through? I appreciate that you’ve been posting updates regarding the Bass Pro, but are there any updates on the Holiday Inn project that the public should know?
S: If you look at the property information at the Peoria County website,it appears that the Gander Mountain property is privately owned by someone in Springfield, MO with the property tax bill being mailed to a bank. Perhaps the seller is motivated to sell, perhaps even based on your theory about GM and their future relation BPS’ success? Just theories … nothing definite to report.
It is interesting that EP seems to be attracting businesses really well. If I am not mistaken the site for Bass Pro is on the east side of I-74 just off the bridge. Did anyone tell Bass Pro that the land is on top of where Cilco dumped the coal ash from the electric generating plant on the west side?
Did anyone tell Bass Pro that the land is on top of where Cilco dumped the coal ash from the electric generating plant on the west side?
Does it matter? It will be encapsulated by a complete concrete barrier, parking lot and all. Probably safer than before they built.
Why would I ever want to go to a Bass Pro Shop? I’m sure I never will.
Oh maybe they have a fly fishing wall?
You can’t do business with people who don’t have any money. Last I heard, over 40% of the kids in East Peoria were on the free school lunch program. And you think Morton and Dunlap residents have a lot of discretionary income? Yeah right…..
And what makes you think Bass Pro will even last 5 years. It could easily break its lease without consequence and walk away just like Cub Foods did on Knoxville. No guarantees.