Manteca Bass Pro Shops takes shape indoors with regional artwork

0 Comments | Oakland Tribune, Aug 22, 2008 | by Jennifer Gokhman

MANTECA -- When the Bass Pro Shops in Manteca is finished in October, every bit of wall space will be covered with murals depicting Northern California scenes and wildlife.

A tour of the store Friday showed construction and painting going on throughout the building. Some people installed lighting, while others worked on murals. The fishing, camping, hunting store is the anchor of the Orchard Valley shopping center, visible off of Highway 120.

Its massive exterior has been noticeable to passers-by for months. It is the chain's 51st store and the only one in Northern California.

All of the art inside the store is designed to replicate what people would see in the Sierra, at Lake Tahoe, the redwoods and the foothills. The merchandise, artwork and shops within the store combine for a unique experience.

"The story of California will be all around the building," said Dan Dugger, general manager of the Manteca store.

Inside the front door, the 120,000-square-foot store looks huge. Peering up, one can see mountain goats climbing snow-capped mountains, just one of the many dioramas that will be located throughout the store. The second floor is open so that people can look down at the first floor. A stairway along the back wall will go through a cave behind waterfalls leading to the second floor. The waterfalls will splash into a giant 20,000-gallon aquarium, which will be filled with local fish, such as sturgeon, stripers and big mouth bass. In front of the aquarium will be a trout pond with a bridge.

The store has everything an outdoor enthusiast could need. Fishing supplies and a reel counter will be in one area, with a fly fishing shop nearby. Near the fishing items, boats will be housed next to a wall of windows. Also on the first floor will be clothing. A general store sits in the front corner and will be stocked with hand-made fudge, seasonings, fish batter, candy, soda, ice cream and more. Local tackle vendors and suppliers will be used in the store, Dugger said.

Upstairs, one section will include camping equipment, canoes and kayaks. An old railroad trestle is being used as a bridge from one part of the second floor to the other. The other half of the second floor will be filled with hunting equipment. In the back are a couple of arcades for children, including one where people can shoot laser guns at animatronics in the setting of an old mining town. There's also a 25-yard-long, enclosed archery range.

Dugger said the company's imagery department does all the artwork. Staff members collect antiques from across the country and use items most closely related to the region. Everything from the replica fish to the trees is custom-made. But the rocks, some of the tree trunks and the stuffed animals are real.

A tent outside the store houses stuffed ducks, turkeys, pheasants, deer, buffalo, antelope, mountain goats, wolves, black bears and more, most of which will be used in the store. They are donations from individuals or from museums, said Larry Leidelmeyer, promotions manager at the Manteca store. He said a taxidermist in Manteca who is moving away from the area donated about 100 pieces.

"Visuals are probably of the entire Northern California," Dugger said, adding that the famous drive-through sequoia tree will be replicated inside the front entrance of the store.

Bob Sopchick took some time from working on a mural to talk about the art.

"We're trying to make it very regional," he said. "We're also showing the diversity of the various regions we have."

The regions depicted by the murals span from the Delta to Nevada City to Lake Tahoe to the Sierra to the coastal redwoods. They cover 18,000 square feet of wall space, Sopchick said. He and the other imagery artists took thousands of photos throughout Northern California and then compiled them into drawings.

"We like to create a lot of action within each scene and capture things people are familiar with," he said, adding that customers will recognize the rivers and the regions.

The store is set to open in mid-October, but the official grand opening date is to be announced.

Reach Jennifer Gokhman at 209-832-6144 or jgokhman@bayareanewsgroup.com.