Ohio State apparel shops see an uptick in sales with warm weather returning

Carson Hutton
Thu, 18 Mar 2021 00:38:43 +0000
Arts & Life, Instagram Page, News, a&l, affordable, apparel shops, arts, arts and life, budget, clothes, clothing, clothing underground, college students, Columbus, crewneck, crewneck sweaters, crop tops, defrancisco, fashion, football season, glasses, harden, hats, jerseys, joselyn soranno, josh harden, julianna defrancisco, life, ohio state, ohio state apparel, ohio state thrifts, ohio state university [and 15 more]

Clothing Underground, located at 1652 N High Street, sells a variety of trendy clothing suitable for college students.
Credit: Carson Hutton | Lantern Reporter

Scarlet and grey clothing bearing catchy Ohio State slogans can be seen across campus during football season, and with summer on the horizon, this fashion is seeing a resurgence.?

Several Ohio State apparel shops have seen a rise in business, including Clothing Underground at 1652 N. High St. Josh Harden, the owner of the shop, said he has seen business shift as the sun has come back out, claiming warmer weather means more people walking around and seeing clothes and deals lining the windows.

Harden said football season is the time when the store gets the most business, but springtime is a close second.?

“Now that the weather is nicer, we really rely on people walking around and enjoying campus in order to stop by,” Harden said.

Julianna DeFrancisco, a third-year in psychology who runs the Instagram shop @ohiostatethrifts, also agreed with the purchasing trends.?

“My sales have increased as more people find the account, but I have more sales toward football season,” DeFrancisco said.

With a variety of items and payment options, the Instagram account connects its more than 2,500 followers with one-of-a-kind pieces, DeFrancisco said. She said the shop offers pieces ranging from simple crewneck sweatshirts to vintage Ohio State apparel and that she has sold around 1,020 items.

Joselyn Soranno, a second-year in psychology, said she has gone to both Ohio State Thrifts and Clothing Underground to fulfill her shopping needs.?

“I like to buy these clothes because they are trendy and they look cute at games and events,” Soranno said. “They are also appealing because they support our school, and they are the types of clothes college kids like to wear.”?

Soranno said portraying school spirit, being reasonably priced and having unique qualities are some of the factors she looks for in Ohio State-related clothing.?

DeFrancisco said she looks for the same factors when thinking of what to post for her account; she looks for items that would be expensive and sells them for far lower prices than buying them new.

“I think college kids like the clothes because they’re not only Ohio State apparel, but they are representative of their school, and a lot of times they’re appealing because I have many pieces that can’t be sold in stores anymore,” DeFrancisco said.?

Harden said he is consistently trying to find the most affordable and trendy clothing. With up to 50 customers coming in each day, Harden said he and his team have to adhere to the wants and needs of college students to fill their shelves.?

“One thing is the price point — we try to keep everything around $20-$25 which is more in line with the college budget,” Harden said. “Secondly, everything here is very unique and one of a kind.”?

Harden said Clothing Underground employees make all of the crop tops themselves and that their success can be attributed to the creativity behind their clothing.?

“We have a one-of-a-kindness in everything we do,” Harden said. “People like to stand out and be a little different than everyone else, and here you can do that.”?

From jerseys and crop tops to glasses and hats, there are a variety of items available at both Clothing Underground and Ohio State Thrifts. Students who want to check out these clothing items can visit Clothing Underground at 1652 N. High St. or check out @ohiostatethrifts on Instagram.