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SPORTLAND OUTDOOR OUTFITTERS
Nisswa cornerstone is a family endeavor
Tom Fraki / Echo Journal
From left are Jason and Elizabeth Erlandson, and Jason’s father, Dave Erlandson, behind the counter at Sportland Outdoor Outfitters in Nisswa. Dave Erlandson started Dave’s Sportland in 1979 on the other side of Highway 371.
Dave’s Sportland has been a Nisswa fixture since 1976
F
By Tom Fraki Echo Journal Nisswa
or nearly 50 years, Dave’s Sportland has provided the lakes area with local expertise when it comes to bait and tackle, boat storage, water rentals and outdoor goods. Dave Erlandson, who started Dave’s Sportland, and his son, Jason, see their business as filling a void in central Minnesota for specialty outdoor equipment that other stores might not have. “I don’t know how many times I hear people come in and say, ‘Finally, a store that carries some of this stuff,’” Dave said. Jason said the personal connection to families and the community is both one of the keys to their success and one of the more rewarding parts of their business. “You get a kind of personal connection to the people you’re dealing with on a regular basis, which is kind of fun because you get to watch families grow up. They go from being kids to being adults to having their own families and
72 Years St. Thomas of the Pines Catholic Chapel 11395 Pine Beach Peninsula Rd, East Gull Lake 218-822-4040 www.BrainerdCatholic.org
boat rentals, offer over 65,000 square feet of indoor boat storage, winterizing services, bait and tackle and a wide variety of outdoor gear.
advertisement listing a rental company for sale. “I bought a St. Paul Pioneer Press Sunday paper. I never buy it,
but for whatever reason I bought it. And I was reading through the business for sale section and there was a little, tiny ad for a rental business,” he said. From there, that business purchase acted as a springboard for building a much larger rental company. After more than 30 years of the Erlandsons doing business out of the Dave’s Sportland location, they finished construction and moved into their newest location across Highway 371 last winter, operating as Sportland Outdoor Outfitters. Now, in 2024, Sportland Outdoor Outfitters and its subsequent Sportland brands provide pontoon, personal watercraft and
78 Years
77 Years
74 Years
24428 Smiley Road, Nisswa
BILLIE BROWN POST 627 25807 MAIN ST, NISSWA, MN (218) 963-9946 NISSWALEGION.COM
bringing them back,” Jason said.
History
In 1976, Dave Erlandson leased half of a gas station located about two miles south of downtown Nisswa where he began selling bait and tackle. “The owner of the property, Arnie Moores, owned several gas stations, restaurants, stuff like that and he had the gas station and I leased the other half of that building,” Dave said. In 1981, Dave bought a boat for personal use and stored it at the fairgrounds. After convincing some friends to do the same, boat storage became another facet of the Sportland business. “I stored my boat out at the fairgrounds for 50 bucks. So I talked two buddies into storing their boats out there for $75 each, and I was able to get my boat paid for. So that was my master plan,” Dave said. After purchasing and redoing a building across County Road 13 from his original location in 1989, Dave moved his business to set up Dave’s
69 Years
Trap, Skeet, 5-Stand, Rifle and Pistol Ranges
OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
Located across from Mt. Ski Gull at
9911 Country Rd. 77, Nisswa
We’re established in what we want to do, and we want to do that well. As our children come into the business, they might decide they have different ideas for growth. - Jason Erlandson Sportland. By chance, in the winter of 19951996, Dave saw an
98 Years
Serving The Brainerd Lakes Area
218-828-1268
Nisswa, MN
800-322-3525 | info@nisswadock.com
65 Years
60 Years
Open from Memorial Day to Labor Day.
contact@lakesareashootingsports.com www.lakesareashootingsports.com
56 Years
38 Years 37
26 Years
218-963-4003
59 Years
Dave’s son, Jason, and daughter-in-law, Elizabeth, have now taken on a share of running the business, and their own children have also gotten involved. “We have our own children that are teenagers, so they help us out,” Jason said. “We have my brotherin-law, James, too. He’s a key person in our business, and he seems to be wellliked by people. He’s
DAVE’S SPORTLAND: Page 7
25532 Murray Rd. Nisswa, MN 56468 218-963-0085
58 Years
218-963-2575
5064 County Road 13 – Schaefer’s Corner PO Box 29, Nisswa, MN 56468 Website: lccnisswa.org Email: lcc@lccnisswa.org Phone: 218-963-2564
For more information
www.NISSWADOCK.com
Family
800-247-6573
23590 Smiley Rd., Nisswa
Nisswa, MN
www.kurilla.com
www.vikinglabel.com
26 Years
18 Years
218-963-7333
5446 LAKERS LANE DOWNTOWN NISSWA 218-963-4361
6 Years
LIVING SAVIOR LUTHERAN CHURCH 8327 Interlachen Road, Lake Shore, MN 56468
Rori Stumvoll 4436 Lower Roy Lake Rd Nisswa, MN 56468 218-838-8898 stumvollex@gmail.com
218-963-7470
22386 State Hwy 371 S 218-963-7470
“Better Boards, Better Service”
22386 State Hwy 371 S
“Better Boards, Better Service”
Pontoons • Jet Skis Fish/Ski Boats • Fish Houses
Rev. Dr. Richard J.M. Hans: (218) 821-2751 Office Phone: (218) 963-9733 livingsavlor@gmail.com doctri901@nisswa.net LivingSaviorChurch.org
8105 Lost Lake Rd, Lake Shore, MN 56468 218-963-4790 zorbaz.com
218-963-7700 @ Love Lake Boating Season:
Gull-Love Lake Marina: 19571 Love Lake Rd, Brainerd
Winter Season:
4758 County Rd. 77, Nisswa
218-963-6724
25559 Main St. • Nisswa, MN
www.mainstreetnisswa.com