Hoodies, hats or mugs? What is the best-selling merch in Northeastern’s bookstore this year?
Students and families flock to Northeastern’s bookstore for Husky gear, dorm essentials and parent pride merch.
Evan Connor Nicholas and his mother, Evelyn, donned coordinated red and white Northeastern crewneck sweatshirts while shopping at the university bookstore on Thursday.
“I am a fan of the school spirit,” said Nicholas, a rising second-year computer science student preparing to leave for a semester in Spain that evening. “I like to have a bunch of apparel that matches the school I’m representing.”
Along with sweatshirts, they also picked up Christmas ornaments, a water bottle and a coffee mug for Nicholas’ father.
“I’m very proud of him,” said Evelyn Nicholas, who traveled to Boston from Maryland. “[But] I’m sad to put him on a plane tonight because he’ll be gone through December.”
By early afternoon, the store was buzzing with students and families.
“It’s getting busy,” said Joe Friedman, student CEO of the bookstore. “It’s fun to see a lot of new faces. This is their first time coming in, so we’re trying to make sure the experience that they get will keep them coming back.”
The beginning of each semester, especially in the fall, he says, is the busiest time of the year for the store employees.
Carolina and Arturo Cuellar, visiting from Colombia, felt mixed emotions, browsing with their son Mateo, a first-year engineering student.
“We’re excited for him to be here, but at the same time he’s going to be far away from home,” Arturo said. “So that’s happy but nostalgic.”
Top 5 bestsellers
- Embroidered Champion hoodie
- Printed grey Champion crewneck
- Crew Dog crewneck
- Northeastern water bottles
- Northeastern ornaments
The family picked out souvenirs for themselves, their daughter and grandparents, while Mateo shopped for his first Northeastern gear.
The bookstore is stocked, Friedman said, with nearly everything that students might need. Items for sale include branded apparel, textbooks, hard drives, batteries and smartphone chargers, backpacks, water bottles, first-aid supplies, cleaning products, makeup and snacks.
Nicole Pravov, who moved to Boston from Washington, D.C., to start a graduate law program at Northeastern, circled the store in search of a sweatshirt.
“This is like a little treat for me now that I’m back in school,” she said, noting the variety of designs and brands.
The bestseller, Friedman said, is the classic Champion hoodie, available in black, red and dark gray with “Northeastern” across the front. Family-themed items like hoodies, mugs and decals saying “Northeastern mom” or “Northeastern dad,” are popular as well, he said.
Editor’s Picks
The store carries more than a dozen clothing brands, from Campus United and League, to Columbia, Vineyard Vines, Johnnie-O and Peter Millar. A new line from Crew Dog, featuring embroidered huskies dressed in jeans and sweaters, has been “selling extremely well,” Friedman said.
For the students moving back to campus, the store has a whole dorm supplies section featuring bedding, towels, hangers, damage-free hanging hooks, fans and even coffee machines.
“We sell Brita water pitchers that have been selling really well, coffee machines, basically all your dorm essentials,” Friedman said. “That’s something that students are definitely purchasing at the last minute as they’re moving into their dorm and realizing they need some sheets for their bed or something like that.”
Hockey fans can snap up some jerseys, decorative hockey sticks and foam fingers.
“There’s something for everybody out there,” Friedman said. “And we expect, in the next week or so, it’s going to get real busy with everyone getting back on campus.”
On Aug. 30, the store will be open 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., while on Aug. 31 it will open at 10 a.m. and close at 4 p.m.
Starting Sept. 1, and for the rest of the semester, the store will be open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Fridays and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays.
