G.I. Joes Inc., a Wilsonville, Ore.-based retailer of sporting goods and auto accessories, says its looking for a site in the Spokane area for a retail store.


Shannon Burley, spokeswoman for G.I. Joes, says the Oregon company hasnt signed a lease for a location in the Spokane area yet, but is looking for the right real estate opportunity. She says Spokane is one of 16 potential locations where G.I. Joes hopes to expand within the next three years.


The company got its start in 1952, when an Army Air Corps pilot who had come home sold 2,000 surplus mummy bags for $1.50 each from a tent in Portland, according to its Web site. Today, the retail chain operates 23 stores in Oregon and Washington, almost all of which are along the Interstate 5 corridor, says Burley. It has one store east of the Cascade Mountains, in Bend, Ore., she says.


She says the average G.I. Joes store employs about 50 people.