KANSAS CITY, Mo. — When you think of Kansas City, you may think of the Chiefs, Royals, Union Station, even the Country Club Plaza, but also Charlie Hustle.
Just in time for the NFL Draft, the brand is bringing merchandise straight to the fans downtown with a one-week-only pop-up shop on the first floor of Crown Center.
"We love anytime to show off Kansas City," Sales Manager Ryan Fortney said. "This is one of the greatest cities in the world and being able to introduce Charlie Hustle to the hundreds of thousands of people who are coming to Kansas City is an amazing opportunity."
Businesses have been preparing for this week for months, maybe even years, and the t-shirt company is no different. The shop will feature all of its famous t-shirts, cups, socks, and new items, like a 'City of Champions' shirt to commemorate the draft — which will be available on Monday, April 24 — some with KC's favorite athletes.
"This is the story of Kansas City, this is what Charlie Hustle tells," Fortney said. "You can come in the shop and you can see everything, because we’re going to have great NFL products, we’re going to have great draft stuff, but we’re also going to be showing off all of our local barbecue places."
Charlie Hustle has a history with pop-ups. It's first one on the Plaza turned into its own store, but Fortney said this is the biggest space they've taken over so far.
Compared to other merchandise shops, Charlie Hustle is in a unique position. It doesn't have to worry about ordering extra inventory, because it has the ability to print on demand out of Lawrence, Kansas.
"Let’s just say our 'Three-Times Champs' shirt is doing really well, customers want it. We’re like, 'OK Lawrence we need this, like, get it out to us ASAP,' so that we can give our fans what they want when they need it," Fortney said. "We’re not waiting for something that’s going to take weeks to ship to us."
The pop-up opens at 10 a.m. and closes at 6 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Thursday, Friday and Saturday it'll be open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and then Sunday from 12 to 5 p.m.
