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Believe it or not, December is here. Believe it or not, 2014 is just about over. This year has flown by. As mind-blowing as that is, it means the holiday season is officially upon us and Christmas is right around the corner. If you haven’t already, it is about that time to start thinking about buying gifts.
We all have that one person (or multiple people) who makes you rack your brain about what to get him or her. When this situation inevitably happens, there is at least one solution to the problem. It isn’t going to work for everybody, but let’s be real here and understand that darn near every person you know has some sort of affiliation with sports. Whether you are looking to buy for a sports fanatic, a person who loves their hometown team(s), a casual fan, a person who likes a certain player or even a “bandwagon” fan, gifts revolving around sports provide a broad variety of appeal. Today’s topic of interest is local sport merchandise stores. Once again, Metro Detroit has us covered. These places are where you can find that perfect gift for those impossible to shop for, as well as those who are easy to shop for. Again, it isn’t foolproof, but a high percentage of the population enjoys sports at some capacity. Let’s dive right in.
Apparel
Detroit Athletic Co., 1744 Michigan Ave., Detroit, is located right near the grounds of historic Tiger Stadium. This store offers an extremely large selection of apparel for the Tigers, Lions, Red Wings and Pistons. In addition to all of the new clothes, Detroit Athletic Co. also offers nostalgic apparel and items that will make you want to turn the clock back. From the Pistons’ “Bad Boy” era to the Red Wings’ 2014 Winter Classic jerseys, this place has all of your sporting needs—especially those focused on Detroit teams. With thousands of items for both men and women, you would be hard-pressed to walk away from this store empty handed—even if that means you bought something for yourself. You sly devil.
Fanatic U has locations sprinkled all over Metro Detroit, including Garden City, Southfield, Novi and more. If you live in the area, chances are you’ve seen Fanatic U’s rather zany commercials. It is a great store, chock-full of apparel, memorabilia and even bed sets decked out with your favorite teams. New arrivals are constantly coming in. The best part is that this store lives and breathes Michigan. From our professional athletic squads to our beloved college teams; you’ll find one thing (but probably many things) in your hands when you’re standing in the checkout line. If all else fails, you can always make somebody a custom jersey. See, this shopping stuff doesn’t have to be so bad, eh?
Memorabilia
Detroit City Sports has a location at Lakeside Mall in Sterling Heights and a location at Twelve Oaks Mall in Novi. This is where you absolutely need to go if you are looking for autographed baseballs, jerseys, footballs, photos and more. If you’re not so much into autographs, then no sweat, this place honestly has it all. It prides itself on Detroit sports and offers a ton of collectibles, hats, posters, bobbleheads and more. Seriously, you name it and chances are high it is at one of the locations. Detroit City Sports also brings athletes into its stores. Riley Sheahan and Tomas Jurco of the Red Wings will be at the Lakeside Mall location, tomorrow actually (Dec. 3) at 7 p.m. Keep up with the Facebook page for more updates.
Take 2 Authentics, 1216 S. Gratiot, Mount Clemens, is a custom framing and sports/entertainment store. Custom framing is the store’s claim to fame, and its first priority. The staff is full of framing specialists that are capable of framing “almost anything” according to the website: pictures, jerseys, skates, bats, gloves or even non-sports equipment such as guitars. Its products include several items from our beloved Detroit franchises, as well as other teams and athletes around the nation. If you aren’t already impressed with this store, you will be after you find out that Take 2 is committed to giving back to the community and sponsors charities nearly every week by way of a silent auction.
Play Ball Sports, 35121 Warren Rd., Westland, has been serving Metro Detroit since 1989. The family-owned and operated business has an impressive selection of apparel, merchandise, autographed memorabilia and more. The 7,500-square-foot facility offers jerseys, jackets, hoodies, hats, personalized lettering and much more. Play Ball will ship its merchandise to anywhere in the country, so if you’re a die-hard Detroit fan currently living out of state, then this is a nice option.
Runners
Total Runner, 15265 Dix Toledo Rd., Southgate, has been serving Michigan runners since 1979. This is another way to spin the whole “sports affects everybody” argument. Even if you don’t know somebody who enjoys watching sports, or someone who has a favorite team, the odds are astronomically high you know a person who runs, or who works out. Total Runner offers high-quality running and walking shoes. Brands such as Asics, New Balance, Nike and more are carried here. Total Runner also sponsors races. What better gift can you give to somebody than comfort?
That right there is what we call a plethora of options. Sport apparel and memorabilia shops are abundant. Hopefully shopping ideas just got somewhat less difficult for you. And if it didn’t, you now have options for your annual gift to yourself. Happy hunting.
