5 miles from my house. It's going to be like Heaven on Earth. Mark your calendars boys, September 21st!

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill — Cabela’s®, known as the World’s Foremost Outfitter® of hunting, fishing and outdoor gear, will open its newest destination retail store in Hoffman Estates, Ill., on Friday, September 21, 2007. The northwest metro Chicago store is Cabela’s first in Illinois and the company’s 20th retail location in the country.

Cabela’s stores are known as premier shopping and tourism destinations, drawing visitors from the local area and from hundreds of miles away. Up to four million people are expected to visit the Hoffman Estates store annually, making it one of the top tourist attractions in the state.

The 185,000-square-foot, large-format superstore is located 20 minutes from Chicago’s O’Hare Airport within the Prairie Stone Business Park at I-90 and Route 59. Prairie Stone, which also serves as the headquarters for Sears Holdings Corp., is a 780-acre, master-planned business park surrounded by a forest preserve that captures the beauty of the surrounding Midwestern landscape.

Extraordinary in design and showcasing thousands of products from its world-famous catalog, a customer’s average stay at a Cabela’s store is a remarkable 3 1/2 hours, with half of the visitors coming from outside of 100 miles.

"We are thrilled that Hoffman Estates will be Cabela’s first Illinois location," said Dennis Highby, Cabela’s president and chief executive officer. "We are excited to introduce a new shopping and entertainment experience to the many outdoor enthusiasts in the region."

The Hoffman Estates store will be built in Cabela’s trademark style that showcases the best of the outdoors in a spectacular indoor shopping experience. Cabela’s stores are known as top-notch educational and entertainment attractions. Equivalent to nearly three football fields in size, Cabela’s is much more than a retail store and will provide unique attractions for every member of the family including:

-- Hundreds of animals in extensive, museum-quality dioramas, including an
African scene, that re-create animals in action in their native
habitats;
-- Cabela’s hallmark two-story Conservation Mountain, complete with
running waterfalls and stream, a trout pond and wild game in their
distinctive habitats;
-- Huge 16,000-gallon, walk-through aquarium, stocked with freshwater
fish, including those native to Illinois.
-- Customers will be greeted outside Cabela’s by an original bronze
signature sculpture. The identity of the sculpture will be revealed at
a special unveiling on Thursday, September 20.
-- Other highlights include a restaurant, laser arcade, boat showroom and
maintenance shop, furniture department, gun library, general store, fly
fishing shop and gift shop.


Store manager Rodney Roadcap will hire up to 400 employees to carry on the company’s tradition of excellent customer service. Cabela’s employees, most of whom are expected to come from Hoffman Estates, Illinois and the surrounding area, are famous for living the outdoor lifestyle and having intimate knowledge of outdoor products. Product offerings will include hunting, fishing, camping, hiking, boating and wildlife watching gear, as well as outdoor clothing and outdoors-styled gifts and furnishings.

Cabela’s Hoffman Estates store hours will be Monday - Saturday, 9:00 a.m. - 9:30 p.m., and 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. on Sunday. The store address is 5225 Prairie Stone Parkway Hoffman Estates, Ill. 60192.