Hey, that's my T-shirt! At FAU's bookstore, Owls' Final Four merchandise quickly flying away
BOCA RATON — Usually, Florida Atlantic University’s bookstore has little to no line at checkout.
Not so much the past few weeks, but, especially this week as the men’s basketball team advanced to the Final Four. Florida Atlantic Final Four apparel has sold out almost daily, leaving fans and the store’s employees ready for new shipments as soon as the latest is gone.
On Wednesday afternoon, a small crowd anxiously waited as the store received its newest batch.
“I am so pumped,” senior Serena Bruno said. “Since we got into the Sweet 16, the entire school spirit has completely changed. It's insane how many people are just so proud.”
Bruno will head to Houston to watch the FAU Owls face the San Diego State Aztecs this Saturday.
She ordered a Final Four hat, but it hadn’t arrived at her house yet, so she was in search of a navy blue T-shirt. One without red, the opposing school’s primary color.
The store’s Final Four gear ranges from baseball caps to decals, a tumbler, a lanyard and a variety of long- and short-sleeve shirts.
Because of the high demand this week brought by the basketball team’s unexpected string of victories, people seeking to purchase these items are encouraged to place their orders online.
Joseph Duran, a sophomore also waiting to purchase Final Four merchandise on Wednesday afternoon, was in search of a shirt. He’d stopped by earlier in the day, but was told by one of the store's workers to return in a few hours when they’d be restocked.
And walking along the breezeway, right outside of the bookstore where the crowd waited, was Mia Carter, a prospective Owl accepted to the school in January.
“It’s really cool that they have made the Final Four,” said Carter, who was visiting with her mother.
Though she hasn’t been keeping up with each game, she’s been keeping track of the school’s rankings.
“I’m most likely going to pick here,” said Carter, who has to make her decision by the end of the week.
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Her mother, Dina Angotti, would support it.
“It’s cool that they're on the map now,” Angotti said. “We're hearing good things from local people about how phenomenal this place is.”
On Thursday afternoon, the store received a new shipment of navy blue Final Four shirts shortly after noon. But other than those, no other Final Four apparel was in stock.
Through Saturday, the bookstore will be open extended hours to accommodate demand on campus. On Thursday and Friday, the store will open at 8 a.m. and close at 8 p.m., two hours after it normally would. On Saturday, when, typically it would be closed, it will open at 9 a.m. and close at 2 p.m.
Jasmine Fernández is a journalist covering Delray Beach and Boca Raton at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach her at jfernandez@pbpost.com and follow her on Twitter at @jasminefernandz. Help support our work. Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: March Madness FAU Owls: Final Four gear flies off shelves at bookstore
