Hi everyone,
I'm an alum of D3 school in Iowa and have always struggled to find apparel from the bookstore that I actually want to wear. I have been following the journey of Homefield Apparel (https://www.homefieldapparel.com/) from their early days and find that they provide fans and alums with much better options than just cookie-cutter logos on t shirts. I currently run an apparel brand in a completely different space but am intrigued by the idea that D3 fans often have some pretty pitiful options for representing their school through apparel. When I walk into the bookstore of my alma mater when I'm back for homecoming I am always unimpressed with the selection and it remains that way year over year.
I'm curious if you all feel similar about the apparel options offered by the schools that you support? If your school offered gear that had a similar style to Homefield Apparel, would you see that as an upgrade and me more willing buy? Or, could you care less?
Open to any and all feedback!
I would definitely see that as an upgrade, and, yes, I'd be more likely to buy something.
I find that most D3 gear for fans of specific teams is not sold in the school bookstores, but in pop-up stores that open before the season starts. It's generally billed as a fundraiser for the team since presumably the company gives them a percentage of sales. The teams typically advertise on Instagram and in direct emails to parents, alums etc. Partnering with the sports teams to do that may be another angle for you to pursue.
I bet a lot of folks would enjoy Homefield Apparel. It all depends on the school. Smaller schools may find a partnership like this very useful.
CNU does not have an on campus bookstore. All books are purchased on line. They took the bookstore and converted it to a Spirit Store. It has a wide selection of CNU gear. My wife says they could do a better job with Women's apparel.
Also, you can get a ton of cool stuff on line. CNU partnered with these folks for some great stuff. On Line CNU "Stuff" (https://www.bkstr.com/captainslockerstore/home?cm_mmc=OrganicSearch-_-GoogleMyBusiness-_-Google-_-1245)
I'd spend way too much money on Maryville gear. The 80s era baseball wind breaker would be a quick purchase.
Huntingdon's book store(Scarlet and Grey Shop (https://hcbookstore.huntingdon.edu/)) has been managed by Coach Turk's wife for a year or so now and she has added some really nice gear with sewn on twill lettering and embroidered logos and such. We've spent probably too much there this fall.
Both Wabash and UWSP's bookstores leave a lot to be desired. I sometimes like Wabash's stuff, but more often find they don't get things in my size, even if they do. UWSP is very cookie cutter, and the only time they have stuff worth getting is from the "pop-up shops" that others have mentioned. I definitely enjoy the stuff they had on https://www.homefieldapparel.com/ and would love if they did that for my beloved Wabash, and my other alma-mater UWSP.
I suppose some of the quality of campus stores depends on whether they are owned and operated by the college itself, or they've been outsourced to Follett, or Barnes & Noble, or one of the other corporate entities in that arena. Randolph-Macon's campus store is proprietary to the college. It's been almost exactly 10 years since I was on the campus, but at that time the store was well stocked with a wide variety of gear as well as most of the things students need for classes. From everything I can discern, that hasn't changed and it is a thriving business that offers college gear that people like.