Nearly two years to the day after Gander Mountain triumphantly opened its store in Marion, on Friday the "going out of business" signs were up in the windows.
The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on March 10. Now, all Gander Mountain locations, including Marion, are liquidating their inventory and offering "deep discounts" on its line of outdoor gear. The Marion store is the only one in southern Illinois.
The liquidation sale is being conducted by a joint venture consortium made up of Tiger Capital Group, Great American Group, Gordon Brothers and Hilco Merchant Resources. The consortium was chosen as the liquidating agent after prevailing in a bid on April 28.
Gander Mountain started in 1960 in Wilmot, Wisconsin, selling high-performance outdoor gear. The 52,000-square-foot Marion store opened on May 7, 2015 at 2480 Blue Heron Drive with a big event, and appearances by Cardinals Hall of Famers Bruce Sutter and Whitey Herzog, former UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia and others.
Stores will continue to honor Gander Mountain gift cards until May 17, 2017, and liquidation sales will end when all merchandise has been sold.
