In anticipation of East Texas' first Bass Pros Shop to open in the coming months, the community was invited to a two-day hiring event at the Holiday Inn this week. (Jennifer Scott/Tyler Morning Telegraph)

Hundreds of job seekers attended a two-day hiring event for Tyler’s highly anticipated Bass Pro Shops, set to open in the coming months.

“We’ve had a tremendous response from the community,” said Shawn Greer, general manager of the Bass Pro Shops in Tyler. “We are very excited about everyone that has already come out and everyone that we’re going to continue to see throughout the day today, but the outpouring of support from the community has been fantastic.”

Bass Pro Shops announced in July 2024 that it would open a new destination retail location in Tyler, taking over the former Gander Mountain building off Market Square Boulevard near the Village at Cumberland Park. This will be the first Bass Pro Shops in East Texas, with the nearest locations currently in Garland, in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, and Bossier City, Louisiana.

“This is going to be a great location for Bass Pro,” Greer said. “East Texas has a ton of amazing lakes around here, between going to Lake Fork and Lake Palestine and here locally with Lake Tyler. There are just amazing opportunities for hunting here in East Texas, and we think that it’s going to do very well.”

The store will offer outdoor gear and apparel for activities such as hiking, camping, wildlife viewing, fishing and hunting. It will also feature aquariums, wildlife dioramas, and seasonal family experiences.

More than 600 applicants, from high school students to retirees, applied for the 130 available positions at the hiring event, which took place Wednesday and Thursday at the Holiday Inn off South Broadway in Tyler.

“I’ve been retired for a while and, to be honest with you, I’m looking to supplement my Social Security benefit… but I enjoy the outdoors,” said Tyler resident Charles Burrell, who applied for a position in the fishing department. “I believe I could be helpful to people in that area.”

Bass Pro Shops offers team members merchandise discounts of up to 50%, competitive wages, holiday and vacation pay, and health, dental, and life insurance for eligible employees.

Burrell believes the store will be a strong addition to Tyler’s economy.

“It’s an area where men and women love the outdoors, and anything that has to do with the outdoors would be represented at Bass Pro Shops,” he said. “It’s a good addition to the local commerce here in Tyler.”

The company has been a leading outdoor retail brand since its founder, Johnny Morris, started it out of his father’s liquor store in Springfield, Missouri in 1972. It has since expanded to nearly 200 locations across North America, offering a wide range of outdoor products, resort destinations, and more.

“The outdoors just resonates with everybody,” he said. “That’s what is so amazing about it… it brings everybody together, and we’re just happy to be a part of the community and be able to support them.”

An official opening date has not yet been announced. For more information, visit basspro.com.