Come for the sporting goods, stay for the animatronic Abe Lincoln. And whatever you do, don’t expect your average retail experience.

We open on a fully stocked aquarium. A 65-foot tall ferris wheel spins slowly in the distance. Upstairs is a toy shop, a few bowling lanes and an arcade.

It would be logical to assume I’m describing some kind of carnival or entertainment complex. In a way, I am.

But it’s an entertainment complex hidden within the sporting goods wrapper of Scheels.

Scheels was founded in 1902 as a general merchandise store, which evolved into a series of hardware locations. Eventually, in 1972, it started selling athletic gear. These days, the company refers to itself as a sporting goods retailer, but that terminology undersells both the breadth of Scheels’ assortment and the in-store experience.

“The best kept secret in retail is Scheels,” Matt Powell, senior adviser with BCE Consulting, told Retail Dive.

That extends, apparently, to Scheels’ media relations strategy. When I tried to interview the company for this story I was told, “As a privately held, employee-owned company, we generally keep company information and business details private and don’t participate in many media interviews.”

Still, there’s much to be gleaned from a simple visit to a Scheels store. Here’s what I gathered about what the company is doing right — and what it means for the rest of retail.

With a relatively small footprint — a new store opening in Littleton, Colorado, in 2029 will be its 38th — Scheels has been able to fly somewhat under the radar, according to Powell.

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