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.[1][2] Frederick A. Scheel, a 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 in 2014.[3]
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.[4]
Locations
Scheels owns and operates thirty-four stores in sixteen U.S. states, mostly located in the Midwest.[5] There are five stores in North Dakota, two of which are in Fargo. There are also locations in Bismarck, Grand Forks, and Minot.
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 feet (20,600 m2), 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 (20 m), 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.[6]
On July 11, 2020, Scheels opened a two-story, 250,000 square feet (23,000 m2) store at the Eden Prairie Center in Eden Prairie, MN.[7]
In May 2020, the Scheels opened a location in Texas, located in The Colony. At 331,000 square feet (30,800 m2), this store is the largest Scheels and largest all-sports store in the world.[8]
Scheels Outfitters is a premium brand exclusive to Scheels. Merchandise is designed for field experts by "Scheels Experts."[10] This includes gear for fishing, hunting, and shooting.
