Say No to Bass Pro
Outdoor mega-retailer Bass Pro Shops is planning on coming to Decatur. Hooray, right? Not so fast.
The store will be part of the “Sweetwater” project - and the city offered up a sweet deal indeed to entice the outdoor juggernaut. The city will give them - that’s right, give them - a “free” $32 million dollar building sitting on a $2.5 million dollar piece of land. That is in addition to millions of dollars in infrastructure improvements.
The deal has predictably irritated a Decatur outdoor retailer that has been in business for over five decades. David Wiley of Wiley’s Outdoor Sports is fighting the sweetheart deal. He has launched the aptly named website www.saynotobasspro.com and has been on WHNT (video here) and in the Decatur Daily.
Long time readers know that I am no fan of government furnished corporate welfare. I abhor seeing the government giving one business a competitive advantage over another. This particular case is especially egregious. Wiley Outdoor Sports has been in business locally since 1953. The stakeholders there have deep roots in the community. For the city to extend such a generous offer to attract a large, out of state direct competitor to come to town and siphon off business from Wiley’s is unconscionable.
Decatur mayor Don Kyle gave this statement to WHNT:
The development will add significant value to our community tax base, grow our population, and bring many shoppers off the interstate and from surrounding communities to shop in all our stores.
It reminds me of the mindset present in the infamous Kelo vs. New London SCOTUS decision. While that case centered on eminent domian abuse, the local officials in Connecticut shared Kyle’s philosophy. All they care about is growing the tax base. To hell with anyone who may be hurt along the way. Kyle gave his statement in response to a story specifically about the impact on local competitors, namely Wiley’s. He acted as if Wiley’s didn’t even exist or, worse yet, that having a Bass Pro Shops down the road will somehow help Wiley’s business.
If Bass Pro wants to come and pay their own freight I wouldn’t even bat an eye. But to provide such an unfair advantage to one company at the expense of a local company is detestable. Is it really worth growing your tax base if it means trampling all over members of the community who took risks to establish and operate businesses?
[Sidenote: I'm a big Bass Pro fan. Back when I was a kid I convinced my parents to route our summer road trip so that we went to the original Bass Pro store in Springfield, Mo. Some kids want to go see a pro baseball game. I wanted to shop at the fishing gear Mecca.]
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June 19th, 2008 at 7:50 am
But will folks remember who voted for the trampling or vote for the folks who brought in SuperMegaWhatever and oh by the way, kept local taxes low, brought jobs and a new golden age of prosperity and progress? Afraid we both know the answer to that.
June 19th, 2008 at 8:30 am
He ought to look into suing them for intentional interference with business relations. Probably won’t fly but still…
June 19th, 2008 at 5:41 pm
Even Walmart doesn’t get deals this good. I am beginning to wonder how Bass Pro pulls off this crap. My only immediate theory is they can blackmail the hell out of the local officials.
I have followed the bass pro that was supposed to be built in Leeds, near Birmingham. Well, the city gave them all these benefits, and maybe even built some infrastructure, but they have yet to build the store 3 or 4 years after the fact.
June 19th, 2008 at 11:05 pm
Walt - you’re always good for tossing a cold dose of reality on the situation!
July 10th, 2008 at 4:49 pm
Wileys practically monopolized the outdoors sporting goods market in North AL for decades. Thier prices reflected it too. I personnally have spent many $k at Wileys over the past 20 years. This development is not specifically for BPS. They are just the anchor store. There will be many other stores that will create 10x more jobs than Wileys ever did. I say its sour grapes and I will not step foot in a Wileys Store ever again.
July 10th, 2008 at 5:18 pm
One more thought. The state of Alabama, along with MOrgan, Madison, Limestone and a few other counties are dumping millions of $s to lure Volkswagon to locate a plant here. Does Wlieys feel the same about that deal? The “schemes” are basically the same and VW does not generate sales tax. Limestone just commiteed $1 million to the robotic training center alone. Whats the difference here. That too is taxpayer money used to the benefit of one company. A EUROPEAN COMPANY. WHere is all the outrage over that deal. I guess Wiley would only have a problem with that if VW sold treestands and shotgun shells