Bass Pro Shops announces Nov. 20 grand opening

The grand opening of Bass Pro Shops in St. Augustine is Nov. 20, the company announced Nov. 7.

The 100,000-square-foot store that sells outdoor gear is at 355 World Commerce Parkway on 18.11 acres, south of Buc-ee's and Costco Wholesale. It is west of Interstate 95 at the International Golf Parkway exit, south of World Golf Village.

The grand opening event begins at 5 p.m. with a performance by country music singer and songwriter Tim Dugger.

A "Evening for Conservation" program starts at 6 p.m. followed by a ribbon-cutting at 6:30 p.m.

After the event, the store will officially open for business.

The event will continue through the weekend with musical performances and giveaways.

As part of the "Evening for Conservation," for every dollar spent, Bass Pro Shops will donate 20% to the local community. It said 10% will go toward local conservation organizations and an additional 10% to state hurricane relief efforts.

The store features a 12,000-gallon aquarium that will have largemouth bass, crappie, channel catfish, bowfin, Florida gar, spotted bass and various bluegill and other sunfish. All fish will be provided by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

The store will begin regular operating hours Nov. 21. They are not listed on the St. Augustine store website, but the Daytona Beach store hours are 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday.

Planned celebrities

Bass Pro Shops said the opening would feature numerous celebrities including:

• Bill Dance, host of fishing TV shows including "Bill Dance Outdoors."

• Jimmy Houston, a fixture on ESPN's TV coverage of fishing and a National Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Famer.

• Roland Martin, winner of 19 Bassmaster tournaments and nine B.A.S.S. Angler of the Year awards, and the first professional bass fisherman to be inducted into the International Game Fish Association Hall of Fame, Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame and Professional Bass Fishing Hall of Fame.

• George Poveromo, national seminar and television host of "George Poveromo's World of Saltwater Fishing."

• Darrell Gwynn, fishing tournament host and former Top Fuel drag racer and a member of the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America.

• Diego Toiran, Florida Keys Charter Captain and host of "Pescando en los Cayos."

• Ronnie Green, host of the Emmy Award-winning "A Fishing Story" television show.

• Eva Shockey, best-selling author, outdoor lifestyle blogger and co-host of "Jim Shockey's Hunting Adventures" on the Outdoor Channel, alongside her father.

Announced in 2023

Bass Pro Shops announced it was opening the store in May 2023.

Bass Pro Shops purchased the land on May 30 from World Commerce Center LLP, led by Jacksonville-based Steinemann-Wolfe LLC. Bass Pro Outdoor World LLC, based in Springfield, Missouri, paid $8 million for the property.

RAA Design LLC of Alpharetta, Georgia, and Kinetic Design + Development LLC of Springfield are the project applicants and agents. Contineo Group LLC of Decatur, Georgia, is the civil engineer.

The St. Augustine location is the company's 13th in Florida. According to the company website, Bass Pro Shops operates 174 retail stores in the U.S. and Canada.

Bass Pro Shops was founded in 1972 when Johnny Morris began selling tackle out of his father's liquor store in Springfield.