Bass Pro Shops moves forward with plans for Long Island’s first Outdoor World

Fishermen, hunters and outdoor enthusiasts — get ready for something big.

Bass Pro Shops is planning to open its first Long Island location in Hicksville at 195 North Broadway, the site of the former Sears Auto Center.

Nassau County Industrial Development Agency (IDA) representatives have confirmed to Greater Long Island that the company was given a preliminary approval at a meeting on Thursday night to move forward with the application.

The IDA says it will now begin an economic analysis. A meeting for final approval would be scheduled for a later date.

The company wants to lease a 9.8-acre site, across the street from IKEA and the Broadway Mall, and build a 130,000-square-foot Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World superstore. 

If approved, the Hicksville location would be Bass Pro Shops’ first on Long Island and its only store in downstate New York.

For now, the closest existing Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World to Long Island is in Bridgeport, Conn., roughly 67 miles away. That location is pictured above.

Bass Pro Shops is one of the most recognizable names in outdoor retail, specializing in fishing, hunting, boating, and camping gear.

The company was founded in 1972 by Johnny Morris in Springfield, Miss., starting as a small fishing tackle display in an eight-square-foot section of his father’s liquor store. From that modest setup, it has grown into a national retail chain with 181 destination-style stores across the U.S. and Canada.

What is the Nassau County IDA?

In addition to retail, many locations feature massive aquariums, wildlife exhibits, and immersive outdoor-themed environments, and a restaurant.

According to documents cited by Long Island Business News, the company estimates the project would create about 200 jobs.

This is not the first time Bass Pro Shops has been tied to Long Island.

In 2018, early redevelopment plans for the Nassau Coliseum area in Uniondale included a proposed Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World as part of a larger mixed-use entertainment district, though that project never moved forward.

Stay with Greater Long Island for more on the project.

Photos: Inside and outside the closest existing Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World to Long Island, which is in Bridgeport, Conn., roughly 67 miles away. (Credit: GLI/Satin Widrow)