Company for Cabela’s

POST FALLS – The Post Falls Chamber of Commerce hopes to secure space for a new visitors’ center and administrative offices near the Cabela’s giant sporting goods store going up on the west edge of town.

The idea will be presented to the chamber’s 21-member board of directors at an upcoming, but still undetermined date, said Pam Houser, the Post Falls Chamber president and CEO.

Plans call for leasing an approximately 2,500- square foot area within a new retail development encompassing Cabela’s.

The new center would allow the chamber to close one of its visitor’s centers within the Post Falls Factory Outlets strip mall. Once a popular draw, the shopping center now sees far fewer shoppers because so many stores have moved out or closed, Houser said.

“This new visitor’s center would increase our foot traffic significantly,” Houser said.

“Cabela’s is projecting a million visitors a year. If we only get a tenth of them, that’s 100,000 people through our doors. That would be incredible,” Houser said.

Foursquare Properties is developing the 925,000- square-foot retail site.

Houser estimates it would cost between $250,000 to $300,000 to get a new center, which may include administrative offices, up and running. The chamber plans to hold numerous fundraising events to help cover the costs.

“Approved so far is a mural inside the building; the tiles would have the names of businesses on them,” said Houser. “And we intend to do a special fundraiser within our annual auction Nov. 11.”

The chamber board will next meet July 10.