Exclusive First Look Inside The New Duluth Bass Pro Shops Store Before It Opens

The Twin Ports area is about to get a new retailer in the outdoors gear world, and it's way more than just a store.

The Duluth Bass Pro Shops Outpost in Hermantown will be the 5th Minnesota location of their combined Bass Pro Shops & Cabela's footprint in the state. It will also be their 177th store around the country.

As the store prepares to open, a lot of Northlanders are excited to check it out. I had the opportunity to get a peek inside and grabbed some photos of some of the intricate details of the design of the store, which you can see below.

Those details are one of the reasons the store's general manager, Joe Thompson, is excited to welcome people to his new store.

READ MORE: Twin Ports Bass Pro Shops shares details about grand opening celebration

Joe is a lifelong Northlander and avid outdoorsman, and he has told me on a few occasions how excited he is not just for the store to open, but for people to see and experience the store, because he calls it an experience.

The Duluth Bass Pro Shops Experience is unlike anything else in the area

Joe explained to me that one of the things the company's founder is passionate about is making the shopping experience memorable. Besides customer service and selection, the other place he says this shines is with the almost museum-like store displays and decor.

Each Bass Pro Shops location has locally oriented decor and murals, and that is definitely on display at the Twin Ports area store. Murals highlighting local landscapes and scenery were hand-painted on some of the walls around the store.

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Right in the entryway, there are some decor touches paying tribute to the local Native American roots of the region, highlighted in a chandelier above the entryway and on the fireplace grate near the entry.

The store also has hundreds of pieces of taxidermy around the store, mostly highlighting wild game of the Northland. Also intermixed in the decor around the store are antiques and collectibles gathered by a team Bass Pro Shops employs to find such cool items.

Another staple at Bass Pro Shops locations is their aquariums, and the Duluth area store has one as well. The 10,000-gallon aquarium is home to a variety of fish native to Lake Superior. They were all provided through a partnership with the Minnesota DNR.

Duluth Bass Pro Shops Store Features

You'll notice on the sign on the front of the store that the Duluth area store is a "Bass Pro Shops Outpost", which is the brand name for the company's smaller stores. It is by no means tiny, though.

Along with the aquarium and decor I've mentioned, the store features a thorough selection of camping and hiking gear, footwear, fishing and hunting goods, an archery range, guns and archery supplies, boats, ATVs, food and gift selection, and even a parts and service department for off-road and marine needs.

When does the store open?

The Hermantown Bass Pro Shops Outpost will hold its Evening for Conservation grand opening celebration on Wednesday, May 21, starting with live music from country music singer and songwriter Blaine Holcomb at 5 pm.

You might have noticed the ladder in the photo above. They are putting the finishing touches on the store before their opening night on Wednesday.

At 6 pm, a ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held, and some iconic figures from the outdoor & entertainment world will be on hand as part of the celebration. You can read more about the Evening for Conservation, who will be there, and more here.

Take a tour through the store in the photo gallery below! You'd be surprised by the amount of detail that is put into the decorations around (and even outside) the store!