Sales that Are Scoring Big Trends at Sports Fan Stores

Just like sports teams themselves, the trends at sports fan stores nationwide are big hits for those who love to be a part of the action. From automotive racing to college football, stores for a range of sports fans across the United States provided insight for this article into just what trends are ready to score big.

When the cars get revving at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Ind., the Trackside Gift Shop finds sales hitting high speeds, too. Assistant Manager Jason Ellison described the store’s top selling gift items as a mix of “T-shirts, hats, glassware such as shot glasses. They all do well because the price is right, they are easy to buy, and they are items that people also get a lot of use out from.”

He added that “Anything with the track logo on it, the wing and flag logo, anything that is non-dated sells the best. That’s what fans really want, something they can have for a long time, and it is never out of date.”

Ellison said that the store makes sure all the items in the store are easy for people to find. “Our display is based on the different categories we offer for men, women, and children, with glassware in one area, clothing in another,” he explained.

Jeffrey Katzen , owner of Baltimore Sports and Novelty in Owings Mills, Md., provides the latest in top-selling gear for Baltimore Ravens and Orioles fans. This year, he described fan favorites as “Tumblers and hats for both teams. Those are our biggest sellers these days,” he said.

For Katzen, knowing what to stock depends on previous big sellers as well as team performance. “We always do very well with the hats especially when the Ravens have a decent season. Fans see what others are wearing and they want the hats too. It’s a good, inexpensive gift, which is what everyone’s looking for today.”

Like Ellison, Katzen said that his store displays by types of merchandise, with women’s clothing, men’s clothing, and kids’ items in separate sections. “Within those sections we also separate by team,” Katzen noted.

“We have the Baltimore Orioles, Baltimore Ravens, and the University of Maryland team merchandise separated.” Displaying in this way, the merchandise is easy to find for fans looking for a favorite team purchase.

In Hurricane, W.V., Chad Rogers , general manager and head buyer at Sports Fanz, keeps many different team fans stoked. “Right now, I’d say our best-sellers hit a big range. We do well with Funko pop action figures, Teenymate action figures, sports cards for baseball and football. We have also been selling a lot of golf accessories such as golf ball sets with both college and pro-team logos on them.” He said one special stand out is “a really neat golf gift set with a golf towel, tee, and golf markers imprinted with teams like the Atlanta Braves logo or the Packers on those sets.”

Another big hit for the store are fabric team banners. “We have new wool acrylic combined banners. They’re triangle shaped about 13-by-32 inches, and we also have rectangle banners that are 8 by 32. The logos feel like embroidery and look like applique. The combination of high-quality feel and look with colorful great graphics has just been tremendous for us.” He related that the most popular teams have been the New York Giants and Jets, and the Philadelphia Eagles. “After being down in sales for a while, we have had the best Eagles sales this

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season since they won the Super Bowl a few years back. The banners are great for that team.” Another big banner hit is the Colorado Avalanche, Rogers said; as the new Stanley Cup winners the team is scoring big in sales, too.”

When it comes to display, Rogers separates by type of merchandise and team leagues, as well as by category. “We have all our Teenymates together, all hats together, all our banners together, separated by league. For example, our key chain lanyards section is divided by basketball, football, hockey. And our pro team items are divided by team within those categories; our college items are divided by the name of the school within those categories.” He stated that this makes things easier for customers to find and this type of display also keeps the store’s large amount of merchandise always well-stocked and in order.

In Omaha, Neb., at Husker Hounds, Manager Glen- na Wyscarver said the store is all about Nebraska teams and Nebraska fans. “It’s all Huskers here,” she laughed. “We are all Nebraska.” This time of year, in terms of gift items, hoodies are a big seller for the store. “That’s because of the season and the way the weather is here. But they make a good gift any time,” she said, due to their high quality and strong material.

The stores display style divides items by category as is typically done in other sports fan stores. “You want people to be able to easily find the team they are looking to support,” she explained.

“For example, hoodies and T-shirts are grouped by category, item style, and team. That’s how we know what to keep in stock. We buy what we see sells out the quickest, and we listen to customer requests. What we see as having the most demand is what we order and reorder,” she said.

Sports fans: you have plenty of merchandise waiting for gifts to support your favorite teams. ❖