View source for Scheels

{{Short description|Sporting Goods Chain Store}}
{{Cleanup bare URLs|date=August 2022}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Scheels
| logo = Scheels logo.svg
| logo_size = 250px
| image = Scheels in Sparks, Nevada.jpg
| image_caption = Scheels in [[Sparks, Nevada]]
| type = [[Privately held company|Private]]
| industry = [[Retailer|Retail]]
| foundation = {{start date and age|1902}} in [[Sabin, Minnesota]], United States
| founders = Frederick A. Scheel
| area_served = [[Arizona]], [[Colorado]], [[ Idaho]], [[Illinois]], [[Iowa]], [[Kansas]], [[Minnesota]], [[Montana]], [[Nebraska]], [[Nevada]], [[North Dakota]], [[South Dakota]], [[Texas]], [[Utah]], [[Oklahoma]] and [[Wisconsin]]
| location = [[Fargo, North Dakota]], United States
| locations = 34 (2024)
| key_people = Matt Hanson ([[CEO]])
| logo_caption =
| products = Apparel, sports equipment, shoes, exercise equipment
| services = [[Sporting goods]]
| num_employees = 11,000 (2024)
| divisions =
| homepage = {{URL|https://www.scheels.com/}}
}}
'''Scheels''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|ʃ|iː|l|z}}) is an American [[Privately held company|privately held]], [[Employee stock ownership|employee-owned]] and operated [[sports equipment|sporting goods]] and entertainment chain store headquartered in [[Fargo, North Dakota]]. Scheels operates thirty-four store locations in sixteen U.S. states. Its slogan is "Gear. Passion. Sports."
==Company Overview==
The headquarters are located in [[Fargo, North Dakota]], along with two stores, one traditional all-sports store, and a store focusing on home and hardware that is now in the old sports store after being in its University Drive location since 1962.
Scheels began as a hardware and general merchandise store in [[Sabin, Minnesota]], in 1902.<ref>{{cite book |editor-first1=Jay P. |editor-last1=Pederson |editor-first2=Tina |editor-last2=Grant |date=1988 |title=International Directory of Company Histories |volume=63 |publisher=St. James Press|pages=338–350 |isbn=978-1-55862-508-2
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jUIkAQAAMAAJ}}</ref><ref>[https://www.scheels.com/our-history The History of SCHEELS | SCHEELS.com] - scheels.com</ref> Frederick A. Scheel, a [[Germany|German]] immigrant, used the $300 he earned from his first harvest of potatoes as the down payment on the first Scheels, which was a hardware store.
Scheels started adding a small selection of [[sporting goods]] to its stores in 1954. Over the years, Scheels opened in surrounding communities, including [[Fargo, North Dakota]]. Fargo is currently the site of Scheels corporate headquarters. Scheels' first all-sports superstore opened in [[Grand Forks, North Dakota]], in 1989. This store relocated to [[Columbia Mall (Grand Forks)|Columbia Mall]] in 2014.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.grandforksherald.com/2161467-scheels-plans-move-columbia-mall |title=Scheels plans move to Columbia Mall |newspaper=[[Grand Forks Herald]] |date=2011-09-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111122193812/http://www.grandforksherald.com/event/article/id/214823/ |archive-date=2011-11-22 |url-status=live}}</ref>
CEO Steve M. Scheel, great-grandson of Frederick A. Scheel, oversees the company of over 11,000 associates. His father, Steve D. Scheel, is the chairman of the board.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-05-19 |title=Arizona’s first SCHEELS to open Fall 2023 in Chandler |url=https://www.chandleraz.gov/news-center/arizonas-first-scheels-open-fall-2023-chandler |access-date=2024-03-19 |website=City of Chandler |language=en}}</ref>
==Locations==
Scheels owns and operates thirty-four stores in sixteen U.S. states, mostly located in the Midwest.<ref>https://www.scheels.com/stores SCHEELS Store Locations | SCHEELS.com</ref> There are five stores in [[North Dakota]], two of which are in [[Fargo, North Dakota|Fargo]]. There are also locations in [[Bismarck, North Dakota|Bismarck]], [[Grand Forks, North Dakota|Grand Forks]], and [[Minot, North Dakota|Minot]].
There are five stores in [[Minnesota]], which are located in [[Eden Prairie, Minnesota|Eden Prairie]], [[Mankato, Minnesota|Mankato]], [[Moorhead, Minnesota|Moorhead]], [[St. Cloud, Minnesota|St. Cloud]], and [[Rochester, Minnesota|Rochester]]. [[South Dakota]] has two stores in [[Sioux Falls, South Dakota|Sioux Falls]] and [[Rapid City, South Dakota|Rapid City]]. [[Iowa]] has four stores, which are located in [[Cedar Falls, Iowa|Cedar Falls]], [[Coralville, Iowa|Coralville]], [[Sioux City, Iowa|Sioux City]], and [[West Des Moines, Iowa|West Des Moines]]. [[Illinois]] has one store, which can be found in [[Springfield, Illinois|Springfield]]. [[Nebraska]], has two locations in [[Lincoln, Nebraska|Lincoln]] and [[Omaha, Nebraska|Omaha]]. [[Wisconsin]] has two locations in [[Eau Claire, Wisconsin|Eau Claire]] and [[Appleton, Wisconsin|Appleton]]. [[Kansas]] has two locations in [[Wichita, Kansas|Wichita]] and [[Overland Park, Kansas|Overland Park]]. The company opened its newest location on October 19, 2024, in [[Tulsa, Oklahoma]].
On December 3, 2012, Scheels announced that it would be opening the company's new [[flagship store]] in [[Overland Park, Kansas]], in the Corbin Park outdoor retail village. The store would be a 222,000-square-foot, two-story building.  CEO Steve Scheel said that he had 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.  Scheels opened its new flagship store in Overland Park, Kansas, on June 27, 2015.<ref>{{cite news |first= Autumn |last=MorningSky |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/news/2012/12/03/scheels-in-corbin-park-will-be.html?page=all |title=Scheels in Corbin Park will be 'Disneyland of sporting goods stores' |date=December 3, 2012 |work=[[American City Business Journals|Kansas City Business Journal]]}}</ref>
On July 11, 2020, Scheels opened a two-story, {{convert|250000|sqft|m2}} store at the Eden Prairie Center in Eden Prairie, MN.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/news/2020/07/10/new-scheels-store-opens-at-eden-prairie-center.html |title= Massive new Scheels store opens Saturday at Eden Prairie Center |first=Dylan |last=Thomas |work=[[American City Business Journals|Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal]] |date=2020-07-10}}</ref>
Outside of the Midwest, [[Montana]] has three Scheels locations in [[Billings, Montana|Billings]], [[Missoula, Montana|Missoula]], and [[Great Falls, Montana|Great Falls]]. [[Utah]] has a location in [[Sandy, Utah|Sandy]]. [[Colorado]] has two locations in [[Johnstown, Colorado|Johnstown]] and [[Colorado Springs, Colorado|Colorado Springs]]. [[Nevada]] has one location in [[Sparks, Nevada|Sparks]]. [[Idaho]] has one store in [[Meridian, Idaho|Meridian]]. The company is set to open a second [[Texas]] location in Cedar Park, coming 2026.
In May 2020, the Scheels opened a location in [[Texas]], located in [[The Colony, Texas|The Colony]]. At {{convert|331000|sqft|m2}}, this store is the largest Scheels and largest all-sports store in the world.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-01-31 |title=Supersized sporting goods store Scheels to join Nebraska Furniture Mart in The Colony |url=https://www.dallasnews.com/business/retail/2018/01/31/supersized-sporting-goods-store-scheels-to-join-nebraska-furniture-mart-in-the-colony/ |access-date=2024-03-19 |website=Dallas News |language=en}}</ref>
On May 19, 2020, [[Macerich]] announced that Scheels will open its first [[Arizona]] location at [[Chandler Fashion Center]] in the fall of 2023, replacing a vacant [[Nordstrom]].<ref>{{Cite press release|url=https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/macerich-and-scheels-to-bring-arizonas-first-scheels-store-to-chandler-fashion-center-301295686.html|title=Macerich and Scheels to Bring Arizona's First SCHEELS Store to Chandler Fashion Center |work=[[PR Newswire]] |date=2021-05-20}}</ref>
==Scheels Outfitters brand==
Scheels Outfitters is a premium brand exclusive to Scheels. Merchandise is designed for field experts by "Scheels Experts."<ref>[https://www.scheels.com/c/all/scheels-outfitters Scheels Outfitters] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716014701/http://www.scheelssports.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?storeId=10001&catalogId=10101&categoryId=34707&langId=-1&clevel=Scheels%20Outfitters&top=Y |date=July 16, 2011 }} - scheelssports.com</ref> This includes gear for fishing, hunting, and shooting.
==See also==
{{portal|Companies|Sports}}
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
* [[Academy Sports + Outdoors]]
* [[Bass Pro Shops]]
* [[Cabela's]]
* [[Dick's Sporting Goods]]
* [[Legendary Whitetails]]
* [[Sportsman's Warehouse]]
* [[List of North Dakota companies]]
{{div col end}}
{{clear}}
==References==
{{reflist}}
==External links==
* {{Official website}}
{{commons category}}
[[Category:1902 establishments in Minnesota]]
[[Category:Clay County, Minnesota]]
[[Category:Companies based in Fargo–Moorhead]]
[[Category:Employee-owned companies of the United States]]
[[Category:Fargo, North Dakota]]
[[Category:Online retailers of the United States]]
[[Category:Privately held companies based in Minnesota]]<!-- it was at establishment and (at September 2016) unknown years-->
[[Category:Privately held companies based in North Dakota]]
[[Category:Retail companies established in 1902]]
[[Category:Sporting goods retailers of the United States]]