Sportsman's Warehouse will open in February in Parker in the building that previously housed Gander Mountain.

The Alaska-based sports and outdoors retailer will be located at 18420 Cottonwood Drive, replacing Gander Mountain, which opened in 2016, reopened in 2018 and ultimately closed last year. The facility is 57,000 square feet.

“As we continue to grow our brand and business, we are excited to expand our presence in Colorado and California,” Sportsman's Warehouse CEO Jon Barker states in a press release from Jan. 16.

Two new California stores are planned to open in 2020, one in Brentwood and one in Corona.

“While other competitors deemphasize or exit the space, Sportsman's continues to opportunistically open new stores and grow our business through both ecommerce and store locations,” Barker states. “We look forward to serving these communities through providing outstanding gear and exceptional service to inspire outdoor memories.”

The release states additional openings will be planned “in the near future.” Sportsman's Warehouse will have 107 stores in 27 states once the three new locations open. Colorado has seven Sportsman's Warehouse locations.

Camping World Holdings Inc. bought the bankrupt Gander Mountain in 2017. Camping World planned to reopen as Gander Outdoors with slight changes in 2018. The building was built amid a development boom in 2016, when Gander opened a slew of stores across the country, many of which shuttered within their first four years.

The building on Cottonwood Drive, across from Costco near E-470, was built specifically for a sportsman-type retailer, outfitted with a reinforced gun room and plenty of floor space. Matt Carlson, economic development director for the Town of Parker, said the store closed because of a corporate bankruptcy and had nothing to do with the Parker Gander Mountain location's success.

Sports and outdoors retailers, like Cabela's, Carlson said, were an area of “retail leakage” the town identified—a case of sales tax dollars leaving the town for services not offered in Parker. Big 5 Sporting Goods is the only other similar store in Parker.

The next closest sports and outdoors retailer is Cabela's in Lone Tree, which opened just west of I-25 in 2013.

“There's enough difference there in the makeup of their products and their price points we think they will differentiate themselves,” Carlson said.

And, Carlson said, the new store could be a regional draw for the town. There are two other Sportsman's Warehouses in the Denver area, one in Sheridan and another in Thornton.