Outlet Recreation is opening a second store in Detroit Lakes – Detroit Lakes Tribune

Currently, Outlet Recreation has one store in town, at 605 U.S. Highway 10 East, that sells both RVs and watercraft. That store opened this past September, after a months-long remodeling project inside and out (the building had previously housed the Boys & Girls Club Thrift Store, which moved to the west end of town).

The large indoor showroom at the Detroit Lakes Highway 10 store is stocked with pontoons, boats, golf carts, motorhomes and other recreational vehicles. (Marie Johnson / Tribune)

By this spring, Outlet Recreation will also reopen the doors of its former store, at 1015 Highway 59 South, after the completion of a major remodeling project thats now underway there.

That location, which had been Outlet Recreation's home in Detroit Lakes since the company came here in late 2013, will serve as a full-on RV center, according to general manager Tony Stock, while the Highway 10 store will become a full-on marine center.

Splitting the inventory up this way, Stock said, will be good for the company as well as customers: Itll give Outlet Recreation more room for more inventory, so well have better selection, more product on hand, more lot space, and will also give customers a better experience, with staff dedicated to each part of the business.

Outlet Recreation sells recreational vehicles like motorhomes, fifth wheels and golf carts, as well as marine products like boats, pontoons and fish houses. It also offers parts and service.

As part of the major remodeling project at the Highway 10 store, Outlet Recreation completely redid the exterior of the building, giving it a taller, more modern design. (Marie Johnson / Tribune)

When the second location opens, that store will have its own expanded service center for RVs, Stock said, allowing the existing service center to focus on watercraft and doubling the companys total number of shop bays in town. That should mean more business for the service department, and faster appointment availability for people wanting service work -- another win-win.

The companys recent endeavors have created about 10 to 15 new jobs in Detroit Lakes, in everything from sales to service to lot foremen, Stock said. Some positions have already been posted; others will be in the coming months.

Were cementing ourselves into the community, to hopefully be here for many, many more years to come, Stock said. Detroit Lakes is a thriving recreational community and I cant ever see that stopping We think this is a good fit for us.

Stock has lived with his family in Detroit Lakes since 1996, and he said Outlet Recreations owners, Mike Larson and Jim Glenn, are local people here, too We feel strongly about Detroit Lakes. Even with all the crazy stuff going on in the world right now, its just a good area. Businesses helping businesses, all the time. Its a good community.

Outlet Recreation sold its RV center in West Fargo to Camping World in November 2020, and will be moving inventory from there to Detroit Lakes as part of its expansion plans here. The company still operates a marine store in Fargo, and also has stores in Clearwater and Cross Lake, Minn.

Outlet Recreation General Manager Tony Stock has lived in Detroit Lakes with his family since 1996. He said the company's recent expansions in town are a sign of the owners' investment in -- and commitment to -- the community. (Marie Johnson / Tribune)

Detroit Lakes is going to be a big location for the company after the second store opens, Stock said.

He said the indoor showroom at the Highway 10 Outlet Recreation store is the largest one around: I dont know of anybody thats got a bigger indoor showroom in the state of Minnesota.

That newly remodeled building also features a customer lounge area with coffee, snacks and tables, plus a large parts and service department, multiple offices for the staff, big overhead doors for getting product in and out, new LED lighting throughout, new bathrooms and new floors.

Its really like a brand new building, said Stock. The exteriors probably the biggest difference that people notice. Once we get some of the bigger inventory off this lot and out to the other spot, youll really get a nice, good view of the building from the front.

The remodeling project at the Highway 59 location will be very similar to whats been done at the current store, he added, with the inside getting gutted and redone while the outside receives a facelift to match the look of the Highway 10 store.

This artist's rendering shows what the former Highway 59 Outlet Recreation store will look like when it reopens this spring, after a full remodel. The store will be the company's second one in town, joining its existing store on Highway 10 East. It will serve as an RV Outlet, while the existing store becomes a marine center. (Submitted Image)

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Outlet Recreation is opening a second store in Detroit Lakes - Detroit Lakes Tribune