Special Gifts Section

Licensed Apparel (From page 30) can showcase the eye-catching items customers would not have thought of. We’ll have six past logos that we’re going to use—we’ll pull multiple items with that logo to display,” she explained.

Hannawalt said, “That’s one thing I like to train our managers on, especially when we get new stuff in. If it’s not made to be noticed, it won’t get noticed. We like to make things look fresh and new. When we get a new Tshirt or sweatshirt in, we show it off so it catches fans’ eyes—market it in a way that makes your store look ever-changing.”

Luciano said it’s critical to keep the merchandise orderly and neat to keep the shopping experience quick and easy for fans. “We don’t have the luxury of having customers who are coming in to browse. They are coming in between innings or right before the game. They want to come in, pick up their item, and go back to watching the game. It’s important to keep things organized and departmentalized. We have it set up almost like a department store but in a small space. It’s really important to keep the displays organized and full.”

Sports fan stores try to carry a variety of merchandise to appeal to all fans, whether first-time attendees or longtime season ticket holders. There is always something new for fans to add to their man cave or she shed to show their love for a sports team. ❖

Top Selling Licensed Items for Kids

Apparel and souvenirs are an important part of the sports game experience, and retailers carry a wide selection of merchandise specifically for the next generation of sports fans.

“Our most popular souvenirs for fans are the plush of our mascots. We have seven—Ferrous and FeFe (the iconic pig characters whose names were inspired by the atomic symbol and name for iron), Chris P. Bacon [a plush slice of bacon], Hambone, a piece of ham who is like a Charlie Browntype character, sort of a lovable loser, Barbie Q., Ribbie, a plush spare rib, and Diggity, a hot dog. In the seventh inning we have all seven mascots race around the ballpark. Hambone might win twice a season. The plush are colorful and very unique,” said Mike Luciano, director, merchandise, for the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs in Allentown, Pa.

“The two current best-selling licensed souvenirs for kids are our Everblades mini hockey sticks, and our cowbells. The mini sticks are not only a great item to hang up on a wall, but they can also be used to start learning the game of hockey for children who might be newer to the sport,” said Isaac Berg, manager of the Pro Shop for the Florida Everblades.

Carie Hannawalt, director of sales and marketing for Destroyer.Rocks, retail vendor for the Grand Rapids Griffins, said their young fans love the “plastic mini sticks and pucks, and custom plush of our mascot, Griff.”

Sara Shumar, director of Merchandise and Purchasing for the Milwaukee Admirals in Milwaukee, Wis., said, “We sell a lot of youth hats. In novelties and souvenirs, pucks are huge. You can buy a different logoed one with each game. We also sell a lot of stuffed animals. We sell a lot of plush of our mascot, and any other type of animal wearing a team T-shirt.” ❖