One thing UA students can’t get enough of is Wildcat brand apparel. The main bookstore at the Student Union Memorial Center is a great place to shop. There are also additional bookstore locations and other retail stores very close to campus that sell nearly every type of official University of Arizona clothing and novelty item in a variety of styles.
The A-Store located at Main Gate Square next to the Marshall building is a large space dedicated to providing customers with a wide selection of Arizona and college-themed apparel.
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Juan Dominguez, a recent UA Grad in Speech Language and Hearing Sciences, has been working with the A-Store since August of 2016.
Regarding their most popular items for incoming freshmen, Dominguez offered some helpful advice.
“I would say the Hydro Flask water bottles are necessities in Arizona,” Dominguez said. “A lot of incoming freshmen come from out of state, so they don’t really understand how hot it actually gets in Arizona. I would recommend buying a Hydro Flask to bring around campus during the first few hot weeks.”
He also advised that clothing with Nike brand Dry-Fit material is great for Tucson’s record breaking hot days as well. The material is designed so that even when a person sweats, the clothing stays dry and free from sweat.
One of the most popular sections of the A-Store is their selection of Retro Brand-style t-shirts. According to Dominguez, the shirts commemorate old or long-standing bars popular among the UA community. A few examples you’ll find are the Bum Steer and The Green Dolphin.
Santana Fouts-Tupiken, a recent UA graduate in Agribusiness Economics and Management and an employee of the A-Store, believes that jerseys are a great addition to any wildcat memorabilia collection. At the UA, a common trend for students is to wear baseball jerseys to football and basketball games.
“We sell two different brands for baseball jerseys at the A-Store, which have also become increasingly popular like Champion and Nike Dry-Fit jerseys,” Fouts-Tupiken said. “For hot games we recommend buying the Nike Dry-Fit because of its lighter material, whereas the Champion jersey can be used more for basketball or other indoor games.”
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He said the best deals at these stores always take place the Friday before football games, which are called “Bear Down Sales.” Usually during these sales you can get t-shirts for close to $10 and discounts for many popular items.
“In our store, we always have 2 for $24 on t-shirts that have basic UA designs for visitors from out of state,” Fouts-Tupiken said. “Sometimes, college girls will buy these shirts cheaper so they can cut them up and design the shirts themselves before tailgating or football games.”
Another wildcat apparel store, Campus Athletic, is located on University Boulevard adjacent to Fuku Sushi and has been a popular shopping spot for UA members since 1983.
Abbi Sabel, a junior pursuing pre-Physiology, has been working at Campus Athletic since January. The store mainly features UA t-shirts and hats of varying designs, which according to Sabel are the store’s main attraction.
“T-shirts and hats are what we thrive on. College girls come in all the time for crop tops and the new fad clothing,” Sabel said.
As an employee at Campus Athletic, Sabel herself has expressed her love for Wildcat apparel and why buying the clothing has contributed to her college experience.
“You can never have too much UA stuff because the apparel is sometimes what you end up keeping after college,” Sabel said. “It’s nice to have them to keep and to wear whenever you need Wildcat spirit on campus.”
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