U.S. Open Merchandise On Sale At Oakmont
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - The first round of the U.S. Open is one week away and commemorative items are now on sale at Oakmont.
A 37,000 square foot merchandise tent has been set up at Oakmont.
They expect to sell 500,000 items with the Oakmont U.S. Open logo over ten days.
"We work all year for this week coming up. So, it's a lot of work and you never know what is going to happen until you get here," U.S. Open Senior Director Mary Lopuszynski said.
But, they are ready for everything and they are open for business. A week before the first shot of the championship rockets off the first tee box, the merchandise tent is open for business.
"We are open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. You don't need a ticket. Anybody can come out and shop. It's a good time to come because you can beat the rush. Everything is still fresh. You can park at the Pittsburgh Mills Mall. There are shuttles running here from the mall, and they will drop you at the main entrance to the pavilion," Lopuszynski said.
You won't have to spend a fortune to remember the ninth Open at Oakmont. They expect to sell at least 25,000 towels.
"Most of them are under $20 dollars each - coffee mugs, shot glasses. People collect coffee mugs or shot glasses and they'll kind of line them up in their collection. Those are $6 or $8 and then the mugs are anywhere from $9 to $15," Lopuszynski said.
Golfers aren't at all shy about wearing color on the course. Bright blues and greens and yellows, they are all here. But, when you come to Pittsburgh, you better have lots and lots of black and gold. The merchandise tent is fully stocked in Pittsburgh's favorite colors.
"They did a nice black and gold line for us so we do fantastic with Ralph Lauren. I would say UnderArmour is probably our fastest growing line because of our defending champion Jordan Spieth wears UnderArmour. Nike does great for us. Peter Millar. We have a lot of great brands that people will enjoy seeing," Lopuszynski said.
It doesn't have to be wearable. Seamus golf from the Pacific Northwest offers hammered steel ball markers and bottle openers featuring the Oakmont logo.
They'll even customize your items for free on their anvil.
"It harkens back to a different era when everything was unique and different, and it's something that people collect. I mean, I have already been here and people have come through and said they still have theirs from last year and showing it as something that they have because it's got their initials," Akbar Chisti said.
Still, hats are the number one seller. They expect to sell more than 100,000 lids with the Oakmont Open logo in the next ten days.
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