Sportsman-Ski Haus expanding

Sportsman & Ski Haus in Kalispell has done so well with its sales per square foot that the company has decided to add quite a bit more of them.

The athletic gear, outdoor goods and clothing store has purchased 25,000 square feet of space on empty land between its current facility and the Stadium 14 movie complex.

Plans are to build an addition that will turn Sportsman into an 80,000-square-foot facility, with about 53,000 feet devoted to retail space.

“The main thing we want to do is make the shopping experience better,” said Mike Gwiazdon, chief executive officer of Sportsman & Ski Haus. “Our goal as a company is to have our store bigger, but not to become a box store and not to lose customer service and individuality.”

Departments slated for expansion include footwear and clothing, two of the areas that are most profitable for the store.

The gun department, including related clothing and accessories, also will gain more space. There might even be a shooting range added to a basement area to give customers the chance to try out weapons before purchase.

“That would be unique to this area in a store,” he said.

Exercise and athletic goods probably will see a boost, with more exercise machines displayed, and Gwiazdon said store officials are considering adding a golf department.

The Kalispell Sportsman store currently employs 107 people; Gwiazdon said there will be additional employees after the expansion, but he doesn’t yet know how many.  

The decor of the addition will match the look of the current store.

“It will be done in such a way that it looks as if it’s always been there,” he said.

Swank Enterprises and CTA Architects were the contractors for the current Sportsman site and are expected to work on the extension. Gwiazdon said construction will probably take eight to 10 months and is planned to begin in spring 2013. The start date is flexible, depending on economic conditions, especially in Canada.

Canadian traffic has been a key part of Sportsman sales in Kalispell since it moved into the new facility in Hutton Ranch Plaza in July 2007.

Gwiazdon hopes that the Canadian customers continue to flock to the store. He estimates visitors from north of the border make up 20 to 30 percent of the shoppers.

“I’ve been here for 39 years, and it [a Canadian boom] happened two other times and it eventually goes away,” he said. “We appreciate them, they’re active people, family-directed ...  great customers. They’ve helped us in times when the economy here is flat.”

He said that the growth of the local community, though, could offset any setbacks with changes in the Canadian dollar. Gwiazdon also said that the Internet hasn’t really cut into Sportsman’s sales to a significant degree.

“The majority of shopping is still in brick and mortar,” he said. “People just like shopping.”

Business reporter Heidi Gaiser may be reached at 758-4439 or by email at hgaiser@dailyinterlake.com.