Online college apparel store opens through Lids

Managing Editor

Starting this semester, all Hudson Valley students can now buy student-athlete apparel on the web, thanks to the college’s partnership with the Lids-Genesco Sideline Store.

“It’s pretty important that what they’re selling has the right look, and I think we really hit the nail on the head,” said John Heiser, director of graphic design and printing services. Hudson Valley athletic apparel was redesigned over the summer as part of a campuswide branding initiative that called for creating consistent artwork on college clothing.

The athletic department has worked with Lids-Genesco in the past, setting up mini-flash stores online open for about a week for each sport, with eight different apparel items for our student-athletes to purchase. Unlike the old online stores, where items took three to four weeks to ship, according to the athletic department, the new store ships items directly to the buyer.

“In the past, this has benefited athletes and the athletic department, but [the Sideline Store] is much broader than that,” said Dennis Kennedy, director of communications and marketing.

“This gives the campus community and our fans a chance to not only purchase some of the athletic gear that our student-athletes have, but it also gives them the option to customize it to their liking,” said Assistant Director of Athletics Justin Hoyt in a statement.

Twelve teams and 26 campus organizations with active budgets currently have customizable apparel available for purchase on the Sideline Store page. Other clubs are expected to be added to the list later in the academic year.

According to Stephen Stegman, manager of the Viking’s Cove bookstore, who worked with the college in the process of the redesign, athletic apparel for the Sideline Store is targeted toward parents as well as students. “There’s a lot of students who are not from this area, so if their parents want to go in and want to buy an item of clothing as a present, they won’t have to travel as far to get it,” he said.

The online store offers 13 brands, including Nike and Under Armour, with an increase in prices for certain brand name items, in contrast to brands in the Viking’s Cove bookstore. “I think [students are] willing to pay a little more to get a quality item,” said Heiser.

Before the online store opened, merchandise was limited to cheaper in-store inventory brands such as Champion and Russell Athletic. “I think it’s a win-win situation all around,” said Ann Carrozza, director of the Faculty Student Association.