The following is a report from Daily Press in Escanaba, Michigan.
Employees at Camping World in Escanaba and local residents were shocked to learn Wednesday that the store was closing permanently.
Camping World — a dealership, service center and retail store — is a national chain founded in 1966 that has been headed by Marcus Lemonis since 2006. It has locations in 43 states.
The location at 2905 N. Lincoln Road had been Hilltop RV, a family business founded by Kenneth and Theresa Swanson, until 2021. Their first location was up on Danforth Road; the Swansons’ business on Lincoln Road operated from 1985 until 2021, when they sold to Camping World.
“Michigan is consistently a strong market for the RV and outdoor enthusiast,” Lemonis said in a press release announcing the purchase four years ago. “This acquisition expands our reach into the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and allows us to bring our assortment closer to the consumer to fulfill their needs.”
Though winters were slow at the Escanaba dealership, business was reportedly good in the warmer months. The Upper Peninsula State Fairgrounds are used for storage of RVs and campers in the wintertime, and those coming out of storage in the spring often came to Camping World for service, said Fixed Operations Director Michelle LaCosse when the Daily Press did a business profile on the Escanaba Camping World in April.
For more from this story, view the Daily Press article here.
