Lots of toys for big boys: John Mills' store is a big reason a shopping mall is the state's second-most-popular tourist destination.

• Author: Murray, Arthur O.
• Position: Feature

Need salmon eggs? Paintball guns? A Turkey Pod Camera Support? Of course not. Even the general manager of Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World in Concord concedes that. "There's nothing here anybody needs," John Mills says. "We satisfy wants."

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The 150,000-square-foot store at Concord Mills mall, just north of Charlotte, can fill a lot of wants. And people have a lot--salmon eggs for those wanting to fish for trout, paintball guns for those wanting to fight make-believe battles, Turkey Pod Camera Supports for those wanting to mount surveillance cameras when hunting wild gobblers.

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Bass Pro is one reason that more than 15 million people come to Concord Mills each year, making it North Carolina's second-most-popular tourist attraction after the Blue Ridge Parkway, according to the state Division of Travel, Tourism and Sports Development. The store, which employs 325, attracts customers from 200 miles away: People willing to drive three hours are packing some serious wants. To fill them, there are sporting goods in mass quantities: rods, reels, tackle--including 14 double-sided shelves of lures and baits--guns, ammo, knives, snow skis, water skis, waders and wet suits. There are portable showers for campers, $30,000 bass boats, sausage cookbooks, electric fish scalers, birdhouses, fireplace tools, clothing and boots. And a lot, lot more. "We kind of bring the outdoors inside," Mills says.

The Concord store is one of...