For decades, San Diego County outdoor enthusiasts have had to drive to Orange County or Riverside County to visit a Bass Pro Shops store. That may soon change. According to information provided to SanDiegoVille by a source familiar with discussions surrounding Grossmont Center, Bass Pro Shops is reportedly preparing to announce plans for its first San Diego County location at the La Mesa shopping center. The source indicated an official announcement could come as early as next week.
The rumor has been quietly circulating throughout East County for months. Comments posted to local community forums and social media groups suggest some Grossmont Center tenants and patrons have already heard speculation that Bass Pro Shops may be heading to the property. Several commenters in a March discussion within a La Mesa Facebook group referenced rumors that a large outdoor sporting goods retailer could be replacing portions of the shopping center undergoing redevelopment.
While rumors alone rarely amount to much, the information provided to SanDiegoVille came from a source with a history of providing accurate local retail intelligence. If true, the move would represent one of the most significant retail additions to East County in years.
Founded in 1972 by Johnny Morris in Springfield, Missouri, Bass Pro Shops has grown into one of North America's largest outdoor retailers. The company operates more than 200 Bass Pro Shops and Cabela's locations throughout the United States and Canada, specializing in fishing, hunting, camping, boating, outdoor apparel, firearms, and recreational equipment. Many locations also function as tourist attractions, featuring aquariums, wildlife displays, indoor waterfalls, restaurants, and large event spaces.
Despite Southern California's enormous outdoor recreation market, Bass Pro Shops has never operated a location within San Diego County. The nearest stores are currently located in Rancho Cucamonga, Irvine, and Rancho Mirage.
The reported addition would arrive amid an ambitious transformation of Grossmont Center. Federal Realty Investment Trust, which owns the approximately 64-acre shopping center, has been moving forward with a multi-phase redevelopment plan intended to modernize the property through façade renovations, enhanced gathering spaces, improved landscaping, updated storefronts, new public plazas, and additional entertainment offerings. City documents describe a long-term effort to renovate the entire shopping center in multiple phases while creating a more cohesive and contemporary destination.
The first phase of renovations includes extensive storefront modernization, creation of a central community plaza with event space, upgraded pedestrian areas, new landscaping, and a dramatic new entrance feature at Grossmont Center Drive. Renderings submitted to the City of La Mesa show a substantially different aesthetic from the center's current appearance.
Just this week, Grossmont Center announced that AMC Theatres will take over the former Reading Cinemas location following Reading's abrupt closure earlier this month, providing another major piece of the property's redevelopment strategy.
Whether Bass Pro Shops would occupy the former Hooley's location, a portion of the redevelopment area near the former Reading Cinemas property, or a larger standalone footprint elsewhere within the shopping center remains unclear.
One challenge to the rumor is scale. Traditional Bass Pro Shops stores often range from 80,000 to more than 150,000 square feet, making them substantially larger than most available vacancies currently visible at Grossmont Center. Any Bass Pro project could therefore require a significant redevelopment component, consolidation of multiple tenant spaces, or potentially new construction.
Still, given the ongoing transformation of Grossmont Center and the increasing number of national retailers investing in East County, the possibility no longer seems far-fetched.
SanDiegoVille has reached out to Bass Pro Shops, Federal Realty Investment Trust, and Grossmont Center management for comment. This article will be updated if additional information becomes available.
Originally published on June 15, 2026.
