MEMPHIS — Bass Pro Shops and city officials weren't telling a fish story all those years when they promised a whopper of a tourist attraction on the Memphis riverfront.
A year after Bass Pro Shops at the Pyramid opened, officials say the outdoor goods superstore has pulled in 3 million visitors, putting Memphis on the map for more than blues, barbecue and Elvis.
Some of its closest neighbors say it hasn't lived up to the hype, and the store's sales performance is a question mark, but officials say Bass Pro has delivered as advertised.
"What I care about is how many people it's pulling in, and it appears it's pulling in a lot of people," Memphis Convention and Visitors Bureau President Kevin Kane said.
Beale Street merchant Ty Agee said business is up about 30% at his Miss Polly's Soul City Cafe since Bass Pro opened a year ago on April 29.
"I think people who would normally drive through Memphis are willing to get off the interstate when they see Bass Pro. That thing being right off the interstate, that's powerful," Agee said.
General manager David Hagel said the store has drawn visitors from every state and more than a dozen foreign countries.
In the most recent figures available from Bass Pro reports to the city, the store was taking in about $5 million a month in sales.
Experts have been reluctant to weigh in on how well the store is performing, because of its one-off nature and uncertainty about how much space should actually be counted as retail square footage. A five-year-old market study used to justify the project suggested annual sales north of $100 million.
As a privately held company, Bass Pro doesn't disclose sales data, but Hagel said, "I can honestly say in just about every aspect of our business it has exceeded our expectations. Our business is good."
The store has expanded dining in The Lookout, atop a 300-foot-high observation deck, to include an upscale dinner option with live music four or five nights a week.
Special events have pulled in tourists and locals, including the first World's Hunting & Waterfowl Expo last fall. This July, the U.S. Open Bowfishing Championship is moving to Memphis from Bass Pro's home base in Springfield, Mo.
Employment remains around 600 employees, although more have shifted to restaurant operations, Hagel said.
Food and beverage, the $10 elevator ride to The Lookout and men's and women's clothing have been "very successful," Hagel said. "Those were overwhelming and we've had to act on those. It just goes to show you that we don't hang our hats on a fishing lure or a trolling motor or a shotgun. What's driving our business is a lot of the soft lines."
Last year's opening capped a long and winding road for the Pyramid, from NBA and NCAA basketball's exit to Bass Pro's 55-year lease from city government to a renovation costing more than $135 million, including $105 million from the city.
The converted sports and entertainment arena is a seven-acre array of merchandise in a man-made version of the great outdoors: cypress swamp, waterfalls, aquariums and wildlife. It has two restaurants, an underwater-themed bowling alley and the 103-room Big Cypress Lodge, which made Forbes magazine's 10-best-hotels list in 2015.
In the early stages of planning, Bass Pro told Memphis officials they expected the store to draw about 1.5 million visitors a year; the project's scope was later expanded to include more attractions, but the company never gave a revised attendance projection. The flagship store in Springfield draws about 4 million a year.
On a recent Saturday afternoon, a spot check of the parking lot found vehicles from at least 20 states, including California, Idaho, Massachusetts and Wisconsin.
James Floyd, a retired minister from Traskwood, Ark., sat on a bench while his party of a dozen took in the sights and sounds. The church van in the parking lot carried them to the Memphis Zoo in the morning and Bass Pro on the way home.
Floyd was impressed with the store's faithful recreation of the outdoors but didn't expect his group to do a lot of buying. "They're looking around because it's an attraction."
On a weekday, Chris Carter, 33, an information technology worker from Cordova, went inside the renovated Pyramid for the first time since he had attended basketball games, wrestling matches and concerts there.
Carter said he was among the naysayers who panned the project.
"I admit I was one of those people," Carter said. "I thought it was a joke. Now that I have set foot in it, I totally changed my opinion.
"Gigantic. Amazing. It felt like you were outdoors, but you were indoors," he said.
What was in his shopping bag? "Fudge. I had to get some fudge," Carter said.
One person who's underwhelmed by Bass Pro's contribution to the tourist economy is B.J. Chester-Tamayo, owner of Alcenia's soul food restaurant in the Pinch historic district, due east of the Pyramid.
It's a sticking point for her and others that a pedestrian connection from the Pyramid to the Pinch was torn down during Bass Pro construction, and a planned new walkway was never built.
"Bass Pro has not made any difference in my business," Chester-Tamayo said. "I think Bass Pro knew what they were doing when they tore down that bridge. I never expected you could have that many people in that building and it wouldn't overflow. If they had left that bridge there, maybe we would have some traffic."
Jake Schorr, owner's of Westy's at 346 N. Main, said Bass Pro has made a modest difference, but not as much as when construction crews were stopping in for lunch and dinner. But he's grateful for the additional business and how it's increased downtown's national profile.
"It's a fun thing to use as a landmark, and the positive image of downtown and Bass Pro is extraordinarily huge," Schorr said. "But is it $1,000 a month in sales? No."
