EAST LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) –There’s plenty of excitement surrounding the Spartans making it to the Final Four — and with that excitement comes dollars signs for store owners in East Lansing.
Plenty of fans are going to the Student Book Store near campus. This is the place you can get your Final Four gear. There are options for men, women and children.
The owner of SBS said he ordered gear as soon as the Spartans beat Duke last Sunday. He said it was a rush to get everything here and get it here quickly.
Sales have been so great that the store hours were extended this week. SBS usually closes at 6:00 p.m., but now it’s open until 8:00 p.m.
“An awful lot of people are going to Minneapolis,” said SBS Manager Brad Ballein. “They’re buying their gear and heading out so we saw a lot of people that were pretty excited about getting ready to go and making sure they had their Spartan gear when they got there.”
I’ve been a Michigan State fan for basically my entire life,” said MSU Sophomore Megan Kelly. “My dad went to undergrad here so we’ve always supported football and basketball so it’s really exciting that I get to be a part of this journey.”
Kelly is heading to Minneapolis, but there are some places in East Lansing you can cheer on the Spartans.
One of the places is near the corner of M.A.C and Albert. It’s called Fieldhouse and the employees reconfigured the space to make room for all the Spartan fans on Saturday, but this isn’t the only place you can watch the game.
As we showed you a few days ago, a line of people wrapped around Harpers bar and pub to reserve a spot to watch the spartans play.
You can also head to Munn ice arena on campus for MSU’s free viewing party. Doors open at 8:00 on Saturday night.
The owner at Fieldhouse is happy to be a part of the excitement. He said he’s ordered enough food and drinks for tomorrow and monday for the national championship game.
The energy is amazing, that’s the best part about it,” said Fieldhouse Manager James Caswell. “Being a part of what’s happening feels historical for me and for everybody that works here too.”
The Auburn vs. Virginia game starts at 6:00 p.m. followed by the Michigan State Spartans against Texas Tech Red Raiders.