Thursday marked a double-dose of development announcements that two of America’s largest retailers in camping, hunting and fishing equipment and supplies will set up new stores in Bowling Green.

St. Paul, Minn.-based outdoor retailer Gander Mountain will enter the Bowling Green market with an almost $20 million investment to build a new store that will be located along Interstate 65 between the Natcher Parkway and Scottsville Road next year, according to company representatives. Adjacent to it will be a Camping World store.

The store in Bowling Green will be Gander Mountain’s 109th store and will be one of 12 stores opened nationwide next year, according to Chief Executive Officer Mark Baker. Gander Mountain currently has a store in Paducah.

The 65,000-square-foot store will employ a sales staff of 80 people. Baker said the jobs will range from gunsmiths that pay up to $15 an hour to cashier positions.

&#8220Half a million hunting and fishing licenses were sold in Kentucky in 2005,” Baker said. &#8220We go where our customers are.”

The store will feature an in-store professional gunsmith shop, where firearms can be bought and sold, full service archery pro shop, a 20-yard archery range, and a Gander Lodge meeting space that can be used by local clubs and organizations.

Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois hunting and fishing licenses will be sold at the store as well.

State officials have been working with Gander Mountain for the last two years to bring the company to Kentucky, but significant strides were made over the summer, according to House Speaker Jody Richards, who said Thursday was an exciting day for Bowling Green.

Richards, D-Bowling Green, said Gander’s coming is another indication of Bowling Green’s growth. The company is a good fit for the city, he said.

&#8220It does complement our town for hunting and fishing and camping in this area,” Richards said.

Baker said Gander Mountain took no state incentives to locate the store in Bowling Green, but only wanted a level playing field.

Baker said he felt that an outside company shouldn’t take state incentives to come to Kentucky.

Developer Mike Ayres, chief operating officer of Oppidan Investment Company, the exclusive developer to Gander Mountain, echoed Baker’s point.

&#8220This area encourages growth but isn’t putting local retailers at a disadvantage by offering tax subsides for entry into the market place,” Ayres said.

David Garvin, founder of Camping World, was also in attendance at the Thursday news conference and called the development good for the area, but said it had nothing to do with his hopes to bring outdoor supplier Cabela’s to Garvin’s development in Franklin, which failed to get state incentives during the special session of this year’s General Assembly. Garvin is no longer the owner of Camping World.

Customers will have two ways to access the store. One way is from taking Scottsville Road and turning onto Greenwood Lane. The other access point will be from a new intersection that is to be built at the Natcher Parkway, according to Ayres. Planning has not yet begun on the intersection.

Ayres met with city planning officials Thursday morning to debut the company’s site plan. Ayers hopes to have permits for the project by March.

Local contractors will be used to build and finish the store, which has a goal of opening by late next year.

Gander Mountain Company is a publicly traded company headquartered in St. Paul, Minnesota.

There are currently 105 Gander Mountain stores in 22 states with more than 6,600 employees. Gander Mountain sales for 2005 were $800 million.

Bowling Green-based Camping World also announced it will move its retail store and build a new 15,000-square-foot store alongside Gander Mountain.

Both companies have launched a real estate partnership with holdings in Virginia, Florida, and several other areas, according to Baker.

The existing retail store will be dedicated as Camping World’s RV Institute, which will train technicians and mechanics to service RVs and other camping equipment, according to Brent Moody, senior vice president of business and development for Camping World.

Moody said Camping World will not add on to the existing building on Beech Bend Road for the RV Institute.

Moody said it was a tough decision to move the store from the location on Beech Bend Road but the store ran out of space.

&#8220It was the best way to serve our customers,” Moody said. &#8220We feel together we’ll be able to provide a one-stop shopping experience for hunting and camping enthusiasts.”

Camping World has operated in Bowling Green since 1966 and celebrated its 40th anniversary this year as America’s largest direct marketer and specialty retailer of RV and outdoor camping accessories and services.