ST. PETERS — ºüÀêÊÓƵans are gearing up for Sunday’s Super Bowl, a match between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers.
Though popstar Taylor Swift’s boyfriend, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, plays his home games in western Missouri, fans in the Gateway City are excited to see the Chiefs defend their title — and retailers across the ºüÀêÊÓƵ region are feeling the effects.
“We’re super busy. Everyone is trying to get something,†Nicole Gunning, an employee at the Mid Rivers Mall store Rally House, said on Friday. “They’re just going nuts. They don’t even care [about prices.]â€
ºüÀêÊÓƵ is becoming Chiefs country. Local television stations, this week, have been full of red, gold and white. Local apartment complexes and bars — even Ballpark Village — are holding Super Bowl watch parties. And television viewership numbers for Chiefs playoff games has been top-10: When the team clinched its sixth Super Bowl appearance, beating the Baltimore Ravens 17-10, 32% of the ºüÀêÊÓƵ market watched on KMOV, the nation’s seventh-highest rating.
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At the Mid Rivers Mall, Gunning said the sportswear store is seeing double the number of customers they would typically get in a day.
The store’s sales goal Thursday was $2,000, but reached $11,000, thanks, in part, to kids coming in to shop before their school’s spirit day.
Gunning said the store has been selling out of products all week. The most popular items? AFC Championship shirts, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes jerseys and, of course, anything related to Kelce. After the Chiefs tight end began dating Swift this year, demand for Chiefs paraphernalia exploded.
“We have a lot of people getting Taylor Swift stuff,†Gunning said. “She definitely added a level of madness during the regular season.â€
One customer even came in asking for Kelce’s jersey, number 87, but personalized with Swift’s name across the back.
And while there are a lot of bandwagon fans out there, Gunning said she sees many families who have been rooting for Kansas City team for years.
“It’s the closest team to root for,†Gunning said. “This will definitely be the busiest weekend.â€
In Des Peres, Ashlyn Huey, the assistant manager at Lids’ West County Mall store, said business was picking up as the countdown began to Sunday’s kickoff. The store, which stocks hats and jerseys, has been selling much Mahomes and Kelce merchandise, Huey said.
But the real madness, she said, will be the days following the big game — if the Chiefs win, that is.
Last year, Lids sold out of products after the Chiefs beat the Philadelphia Eagles by three points.
“Once they won, people came rushing in to get Super Bowl hats,†Huey said. “It was a hot ticket item until they sold out.â€
And while being a Cardinals fan or being a Blues fan is a given in ºüÀêÊÓƵ, the area’s love for the Chiefs has to do with state lines, Huey said.
“It’s just kind of needing a team and picking it geographically,†she said. “It’s like, ‘The Chiefs are a few hours away, I guess I’ll root for the Chiefs.â€
This weekend, the Chiefs will face the 49ers in Las Vegas at 5:30 central time.
ºüÀêÊÓƵ reporter Dan Caesar contributed to this report.