Gander Outdoors will reopen; Godfather’s pizza coming to Swansea

The metro-east will regain one of its largest retail stores when Gander Outdoors opens in O’Fallon later this year.

Formerly Gander Mountain, the store, located at 120 Central Park Drive, closed last year after the company filed for bankruptcy.

Plans to relaunch were in the works, but no one knew when the store would open.

Until now.

Gander Mountain CEO Marcus Lemonis on Tuesday took to Facebook to share the list of stores reopening as the company reemerges after filing for bankruptcy.

Temporarily closed stores, including the O’Fallon location, will reopen by early June.

“Rather than opening up as just a big box, we decided to change it up a little bit,” Lemonis said. “What you will see is very distinct departments with very distinct specialties and brands.”

The 61,000-square-foot O’Fallon store opened in May 2015, becoming the company’s first store in the metro-east. It will employ 70 people when it reopens. The former Gander Mountain in Springfield, Illinois, also will reopen.

Camping World Holdings, Inc. acquired the company after it filed for bankruptcy, according to the company’s website. The Gander Mountain stores will be rebranded as Gander Outdoors.

American Girl to close St. Louis location

Closures have been rampant in the post-holiday season, but one in particular will catch the attention of its fans: the American Girl store in Chesterfield is slated to close Feb. 21.

The American Girl store opened in 2012, billed as more of an experience than a retail outlet. It featured a bistro with kid-friendly food like milkshakes and pizza, a doll hair salon, and a machine where kids could get T-shirts made to match their dolls. It was the 12th store for the American Girl chain.

American Girl cited challenges facing the mall property which “adversely impacted our store’s business,” according to KSDK. The closure affects 10 full-time and 27 part-time employees. The nearest American Girl stores now will be in Kansas City, Chicago and Indianapolis.

Huck’s in Swansea undergoing remodel

Construction continues in Swansea with a major remodel of Huck’s Food and Fuel on Illinois 159.

The rainbow-colored gas station will be torn down to make room for more pumps and the new convenience store at 4590 North Illinois St.

Swansea’s planning and zoning director Dallas Alley expects construction to wrap up near the end of February. The finishing touches should be completed in March.

What can motorists expect?

More pumps are on the way. When construction is complete, there will be eight pumps instead of six. The new store will have a full kitchen serving sandwiches, fried chicken and Godfather’s pizza.

The entrance will be redesigned to make it easier for customers to get in and out along Frank Scott Parkway. More parking is also planned for the site where video gaming was approved in September.

To make room for the improvements, Huck’s demolished its car wash. But motorists will have a new option close by when Sparkle Car Wash opens at 4222 North Illinois St. The automatic car wash is expected to welcome customers in March.

A Jumping Joy has closed

A Jumping Joy, an inflatable fun center in Granite City, has closed.

The announcement came by Facebook post, along with a plea to support small businesses in Granite City.

“It takes a community to make a business successful, so as we move on, please support small businesses in Granite City as they are more important then you think,” the post said. “Stand up and help them all be successful before they are gone.”

The amusement center catered to children up to age 14 and opened at the former Niedringhaus Elementary School in April.

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This story was originally published January 7, 2018 at 7:00 AM with the headline "Gander Outdoors will reopen; Godfather’s pizza coming to Swansea."