Scheels in Corbin Park Will Be ‘Disneyland Of Sporting Goods Stores’

By Autumn MorningSky

The freshly announced Scheels All Sports coming to Overland Park will be “a Disneyland of sporting goods stores,” Overland Park Mayor Carl Gerlach said.

The store plans to open June 25 or June 26 of 2015, and will be Scheels’ flagship store. Company officials, developers and Overland Park officials gathered at a Monday luncheon celebrating/announcing the project. The Kansas City Business Journal broke news of the story on Oct. 19.

“Scheels’ addition as the third major anchor in the Corbin Park development is a reflection of the strength of our city as a true competitor on the national scene and the draw of Corbin Park within Overland Park and the greater Kansas City area,” said David Block, president of Block & Co. Inc. Realtors and the leasing agent for Corbin Park.

The two-story, 222,000-square-foot location will be in the southeast corner of the center, near larger neighboring tenants Von Maur and JCPenney.

CEO Steve Scheel said at the luncheon that he has grand plans for the interior of the store. Customers will enter the store under a 16,000-gallon aquarium, complete with a coral reef and scuba divers to feed the fish daily. A 65-foot, 16-car Ferris wheel also will be in the store, in addition to sport simulators and a walk of U.S. presidents.

The company considered numerous other locations, Scheel said.

“We did research for 10 years before finding the perfect location,” he said. “We did not have to build another store, but we found a place that we thought would be a great long-term location.”

Corbin Park developer Michael Schlup was nervous the whole time, Scheel said, but was excited to learn that Corbin Park had been chosen. The company gives 10 percent of its profit before taxes back to the community.