As the political talk and hype fires up again regarding the possibility of a Bass Pro superstore coming to Buffalo, questions arise as to the affect the influx of these chains have in Western New York. It should be no secret to the demographic analysts that our area here in Western New York is a blue collar, nose to the grindstone environment. Consumers are wise to the price games and can sniff out deals upwind of a hurricane. This makes business ownership here a nightmare for anyone who thinks they can make it big in a short period of time. Many small business owners have something going on the side to supplement their income, or they have a spouse doing the 9 to 5 thing for benefits and to help pay the bills.

So what are the questions? Well, let’s start with prices. Almost certainly having another chain enter our area will start some sort of a price war. We have Galyan’s, Dicks, Johnson’s Country Store, Gander Mountain and now perhaps Bass Pro. Although they are not all “Super Chains”, they all have a seemingly good foothold in Western New York. Even Walmart has some market share in outdoor gear especially with their hook with the FLW tour. Sorry about the pun. But what about the little guys. The “mom and pop” proshops that offer service and personal touch that you just can’t get from the larger stores but at a cost. These shops just can’t compete in a price war and our area doesn’t have the demographics to uphold all the small pro shops along with the majors. Unfortunately, what will probably end up creating better out the door pricing for consumers will also end up creating out of business signs for specialty shops.

Then you have the novelty aspect. If any of you have been in a Bass Pro store somewhere in the country they are something to behold. The store in Orlando has a complete shooting gallery along with an aquarium with game fish that would break every record in the books. An attraction like this will bring in tourism, and, in turn, dollars into the local economy. Maybe even jump start improvements on the waterfront. Now Gander Mountain is no sluff when it comes to interior design either. The mounts that they have are nothing short of incredible, and Gander Mountain also uses local taxidermists for their decorating needs. A bonus for the local economy in itself. If all goes as planned for Bass Pro, the "Aud" downtown will turn into a superstore with a Great Lakes museum, a hotel, and a 4 star restaurant.

Now with a possible influx of tourism comes the possibility that local charters and guide services will see a benefit. But is that all good? That spells increased pressure in a somewhat limited area with limited seasons compared to other places in the country. Picture waiting up to an hour to launch your boat at a public ramp. Also, if you think getting drawn for a state duck blind is hard now, wait until our little waterfowl secret starts getting around due to traffic that an attraction like Bass Pro would bring in. What will happen when some of the major fishing tournaments start hitting Lake Erie and the Niagara River. The PMTT (Professional Musky Tournament Tour) is coming to Lake Chautauqua this October already. Good for Jamestown, bad for local anglers. Although the cash flow that these events bring to the local economies is great, the havoc that is raised on the water takes quite awhile to mend.

If you are a local outdoor enthusiast you knew it was just a matter of time before the major chains took a serious look at the potential here. Hopefully the politics involved with bringing these stores in will be worth it to the majority of the area, but make no mistake, there will be a cloud inside this silver lining.