Cabela’s to open new store in Northern Virginia after all

After nixing plans for a Gainesville store in November, Cabela's said Friday that it plans to begin construction on a 79,999-square-foot store in Gainesville this spring. The store for the outdoors retailer will be located on the former Betco Block plant site at the intersection of Linton-Hall Road and Lee Highway.

“This week we notified L.F. Jennings, our general contractor for the Gainesville project, to mobilize and start construction. Jennings indicated they plan to be on-site within the next two weeks, and construction should be well underway before the first of April,” Steven Krajewski, director of real estate for Cabela’s, said in a statement. 

The company did not go into why it had changed its mind. After reporting lower-than-expected earnings in the fall, the chain removed several projects from its 2016 opening list.

The Gainesville store is scheduled to open in spring 2017. It will be first Cabela's location in the Washington D.C., metro area and the third in the state of Virginia. Cabela’s has opened a store in The Falls development in Bristol, Va., and it has one set to open in the Short Pump area of Henrico County this spring. 

The Gainesville store will be located adjacent to the Virginia Gateway Center, a 1.3 million-square-foot mixed-use shopping center with retail, restaurant, hotel brands and a 14-screen Regal Theater.
Cabela's Inc. offers thousands of products, including hunting, fishing, camping, shooting, hiking, boating and wildlife-watching gear along with clothing and outdoor-themed gifts and furnishings.