April 24, 2008
New retailer offers University apparel, gifts at PMU
 |
The shop is at the east end of Union Commons, just down a flight of stairs from the Grant Street entrance and across from Pappy's.
Its opening March 31 fills a niche identified by students and staff members in the Union's retail strategic workgroup, says Bob Mindrum, PMU director.
"This group has recommended having banking services, a travel agency and now an apparel shop," he says. "They have a track record of being fairly successful."
It's true that apparel -- shirts, caps, socks. gym shorts -- constitutes the central part of the inventory. But while concentrating on Purdue, the store has many other items and will broaden its product range steadily and welcomes requests, says store manager Mike Olson.
"We're a specialty retailer that's here for the fan," he says. Since the opening, the Purdue Shop already has added Fossil watches with a Purdue design as well as the board game Purdueopoly.
Further, the shop's owner, Sports Avenue Inc., is preparing a Web site at www.thepurdueshop.com.
Mindrum says an apparel shop is fairly standard in union buildings across the country, and it's sensible in terms of Union goals.
"We look for opportunities that meet three basic criteria: 1) is consistent with our mission to provide services; 2) generates foot traffic; and 3) generates income at a positive level."
Like the Card Services Office, which also leases Union space, the Purdue Shop is expected to attract incoming students and their families who then will become familiar with the Union.
"We partner with Admissions on numerous events -- Introducing Purdue, Day on Campus, Purdue's for Me, etc.," Mindrum says. "A lot of times these are parents with their incoming students, and the Union is the first place they come."
"I went through this as a parent, sort of 'Yeah, I want a Purdue Dad cap, and I want my daughter to start wearing a Purdue shirt.' It's all about affiliation with and loyalty to the institution."
The selection of Sports Avenue followed a request for proposals sent to many companies including the familiar shops in the area, Mindrum says. The company and the Union worked out the store name together.
"I do like that we ended up with Sports Avenue in this venture, as they just have a slightly different product line," he says. "Nothing wrong with the product lines in the other stores, but if it's something that's unique to the Purdue Memorial Union, we think it's beneficial to us."
The tenant-lease arrangement, adapted to include Web sales, follows the Union's pattern of not directly managing businesses outside its "core competencies," he says. PEFCU, the various ATMs, and STA Travel are in that group.
"We manage the majority of our business operations -- like our hotel, catering, retail restaurants, and our recreation center" he says, although some of the branded restaurants operate under royalty licensing arrangements.
Another plus with the Purdue Shop, he says, is the owner's eagerness to be open a lot of hours. The hours are 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Saturday, noon-6 p.m. Sunday.