Fan Outfitters to open its first Ohio store at Summit Mall in Fairlawn
A new retailer at the Summit Mall is hoping to tap into Northeast Ohio's love affair with its sports teams.
Indianapolis-based Fan Outfitters, a sister company of Lids, is opening its first Ohio store inside of the Summit Mall in Fairlawn.
This is the chain's ninth store in the United States.
The store will take over space formerly occupied by the Daily Thread and hopes to open Friday.
Brian Koning, of Fan Outfitters, said the Summit Mall store will be "hyper-focused on local and regional college and pro sports teams" from the Akron Zips to the Cleveland Cavaliers, Guardians and Browns.
The store will feature officially licensed headwear, apparel, novelties and accessories and also offer in-store customization for customers to create personalized embroidered merchandise.
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“We are thrilled to welcome Fan Outfitters to Summit Mall,” said Brent Willis, general manager of Summit Mall, in a statement. “They are yet another great addition to Summit Mall’s already impressive lineup of stores and restaurants.”
The company plans to keep its Lids store open inside the mall.
"This allows us to offer a much larger selection of merchandise rather than just a couple of shelves or racks in typical Lids store," Koning said. "When you walk into Fan Outfitters, you’ll immediately see a variety of wall and floor displays dedicated to each team.
"You can’t walk into the Fan Outfitters in Summit Mall and hope to buy a Dallas Cowboys jersey or a Kansas City Chiefs hat − it’s exclusively the Cleveland Browns."
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Summit Mall getting new sports gear retailer Fan Outfitters
