According to articles from both the Associated Press and Portland Press Herald, L.L. Bean plans to develop a theme park adventure center near its Freeport, Maine, flagship store. The park, built on 700 acres that the company owns about one mile from its store, will feature lodging and dining facilities, and feature activities such as biking, fishing, kayaking, rock climbing and snowshoeing. The Maine-based company known for monogrammed tote bags and uber-Caucasian clothing is, some say, seeking to capitalize on and generate more store traffic and hopefully drive sales using a model that both Cabela's and Bass Pro Shops have found successful. L.L. Bean will use, the reports stated, its experiences gleaned from years of running its Outdoor Discovery Schools program in the adventure park's development. According to the Associated Press story, company representatives insist that their planned development is in no way a response to Cabela's recently announced plans to develop a 125,000-square-foot store in Scarborough -- 25 miles from Freeport.
It brings up an interesting point: with more and more comerce heading to the 'Net, shopping has to be about more than just getting what you need, in order to get people into the store. I suggest maple syrup snow cones and a whirling tote bags ride.
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