Orange is the post season’s new green

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Books weren’t the only items students bought last week. Many were also after memorabilia commemorating the Jayhawks’ victory in the Orange Bowl.

Michael Mueller, Plano, Texas, sophomore said Orange Bowl apparel didn’t seem very expensive after buying books.

Photo by Mindy Ricketts

Photo illustration by Mindy Ricketts

“My attitude is I’ve already spent a lot on books,” he said. “A T-shirt doesn’t seem that bad anymore.”

Last week returning students made a second rush for Orange Bowl championship apparel, which Bill Muggy, owner of Jayhawk Bookstore, said he anticipated at his store. But Jackie Schoenwandt, merchandise manager for KU Bookstores, said that sales had remained steady.

The first rush began early the day after the game. Fans in Lawrence lined up at local retailers early to grab their mementos.

Ryan Owens, manager of Jock’s Nitch Sporting Goods, 837 Massachusetts St. and 1443 W. 23rd St., said that people waited outside his stores before they opened and that most apparel didn’t even make it onto the shelves the first day.

“We were basically just opening up the boxes as they came and handing out shirts from the boxes,” Owens said.

He attributed the strong sales to the magnitude of the season and bowl.

“One customer told me, ‘I’ve waited my whole life for this,’” Owens said. “I guess everyone wants a piece of history.”

Online sales boomed as well. Jayhawk fans from outside Lawrence bought their fair share of memorabilia. Web sites connected to local stores were swarmed with orders. Muggy said that orders had quadrupled on his store’s site and included a few international orders. Top sellers on kustore.com included glasses, hats, shirts and pre-orders of DVDs commemorating the Jayhawks’ season.

Stores still have plenty of memorabilia for those who haven’t made their purchases yet. Shelves are far from empty and many stores owners are contemplating putting the remaining items on sale.

Owens said that he bought Orange Bowl items aggressively because he planned to mark down the leftover items as part of the grand opening sale for his store’s third location. Schoenwandt said that KU Bookstores were offering $3 off a T-shirt or $5 off a sweatshirt when students bought $100 worth of textbooks.

Schoenwandt and Owens agreed that Orange Bowl merchandise sales were far better than sales after Kansas’ victory in the Fort Worth Bowl in 2005. Owens said that sales were nowhere close in comparison.

—Edited by Katherine Loeck

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