By John Ewoldt

Minneapolis Star Tribune

After trying for six years to hook L.L. Bean, the Mall of America has finally reeled in the outdoor retailer.

The Maine company will announce Tuesday that it will open a 29,000-square-foot store on Nov. 10 — L.L. Bean’s first outlet west of the Mississippi River.

“Minnesota and Maine are like kindred states with a strong appreciation for the outdoors and outdoor activities,” said L.L. Bean spokesman Mac McKeever. “Both have fantastic natural resources and residents who like to enjoy them.”

For the Mall of America, L.L. Bean brings another retailer that’s unique and new to Minnesota, said Maureen Bausch, executive vice president of business development at the MOA. “Minnesotans will be able to take a brand they’ve shopped online or in catalogs and touch it and feel it and experience it in 3-D,” she said.

The new store will be a first-floor anchor in the former Bloomingdale’s space. With Forever 21 also on the first floor and basement level, and Barbie’s Dream House on the 3rd floor, only Bloomingdale’s second-floor space has yet to be filled.

L.L. Bean is entering a crowded Twin Cities retail pond, well stocked with competitors such as St. Paul-based Gander Mountain, Cabela’s, REI, Eddie Bauer, Lands’ End and, most recently, Duluth Trading Co. L.L. Bean is hoping to nab some of Eddie Bauer’s outdoor clothing customers, REI’s campers, hikers and backpackers and Cabela’s hunters and anglers, McKeever said.