BassPro and Academy are rapidly expanding. They always have a lot of people buying stuff.
I suspect the real problem was getting rid of firearms and ammo. As dumb as can be.
The Academy Sports and Outdoors near us is packed from the moment the doors open in the morning until it closes at night. Same for the Bass Pro a bit farther away. And a couple of smaller sports/outdoors stores also manage to survive with competitive prices, smart inventory decisions, and excellent customer service.