G.I. Joe's plans to open store in Meridian

Article published Oct 11, 2006
by Ken Dey @ Idaho Statesman

G.I. Joe's plans to open store in Meridian
Sporting goods retailer at Ustick and Eagle roads will employ about 70 people; opening set for May

G.I. Joe's, an Oregon-based sporting goods retailer, said Tuesday that it will open its first Idaho store in Meridian in May.

The 52,000-square-foot store will be located at the corner of Ustick and Eagle Roads in Meridian in the CenterPoint Marketplace, which will also be home to Idaho's first Kohl's department store.

The company announced early this year its plans to build a store in Meridian, but hadn't determined the location.
The new store is expected to employ about 70 people.

Norm Daniels, G.I. Joe's president and CEO, said the company is also exploring opportunities to build a store in Nampa, but didn't name a potential location.
"The area abounds with recreational opportunities, and as such there is a strong demand for the kinds of sports, outdoor products and services that G.I. Joe's is famous for," Daniels said in a statement. "The G.I. Joe's selection makes it possible for the advanced sports and outdoor enthusiast to find the expertise and technical gear they want, yet still allows the recreational or casual outdoor consumer to find what they need to get out there."

The Meridian store will include fishing, hunting and outdoor sports departments as well as a marine department for boat owners. The store is expected to have one of the largest ski and snowboard shops in the Pacific Northwest and a pro shop that will offer ski and snowboard maintenance.

The intersection of Eagle Road and Ustick Road is the latest major retail growth area for Meridian. Teri Sackman, executive director of the Meridian Chamber of Commerce, expects more large retailers are on the way to Meridian.
"The population center of the metro area is pretty much Eagle Road, and Meridian is the center of the Valley," she said. "There is plenty of land and good intersections where large stores can open."

Sackman said population growth in Meridian and the neighboring cities of Eagle and Kuna is driving the new business. Some of the larger big-box retailers also don't have the competition in Meridian that they have in other areas, she added.
Founded in 1952, G.I. Joe's is a privately held company that operated 25 full-line "sports, outdoor & more" stores in Oregon and Washington.

The expansion of G.I. Joe's to Idaho follows the August opening of the first Idaho store for Nebraska-based Cabela's. The outdoor retailer also indicated that it may build another Cabela's in Post Falls.

Meridian isn't the only location where G.I. Joe's is expanding. New stores are planned to open in both Bellevue and Kirkland, Wash. in the spring of 2007 followed in late 2007 with a new location in Spokane, Wash.