Inspo for Your GM Shelves

It’s graduation season now, but before you know it fall rush will be here. What new products will your campus store offer to delight your customers, fill their needs, and make their busy lives easier?

Get some ideas from the CAMEX24 session, Let’s Connect on Your Top Trade Show Discoveries. Shelly Schrimpf, assistant director of campus retail and licensing, Lope Shops, Grand Canyon University, Phoenix, AZ, scoured the trade show booths in Savannah to find interesting products and apparel worth considering for your shelves.

This was the third year Schrimpf has shared her favorite show discoveries in a CAMEX session. (Take a look back at what she spotted at CAMEX100 in New Orleans last year.)

While not all of the product picks may be perfect for your particular campus, some may be just the thing to complement your existing assortments. Read more about what Schrimpf found at the trade show this year:

Mila waterproof phone case—“You can take it in the ocean, river, pool. Our school has eight pools,” Schrimpf said. “You can still talk on it and text on it.” The case comes with a lanyard and armband for hands-free transport. She thought the case might work well for the many GCU students and staff who enjoy camping.

Sticker Cabana humorous stickers—“I could have been there for hours reading the stickers,” Schrimpf said. She cautions buyers to check out every sticker before ordering because “some are a little risqué” which may not work for your school. A spinner is also available and may be free with larger orders.

Vantage’s letterman jacket—This garment is actually a crew sweatshirt with fleece, styled like an old-school letter jacket. “It’s supersoft, some of the softest fleece out there,” Schrimpf said. At CAMEX it was available only in three color combos (black/white, navy/white, gray/white), “but they’re looking to add school colors,” she said. Sizes go up to 5X.

Friendly Crystals crystals and black lava rocks—Many people believe crystals can impart beneficial properties. Schrimpf said each crystal comes with a writeup explaining its particular qualities. The lava rocks hold essential oils.

High Point Design slippers—These nonimprinted slippers come in fun designs, including Care Bears. They’re inexpensive “but felt like good quality,” she said.

Valor tech accessories—“Tech is hardest for me because there’s so much out there,” Schrimpf admitted. These accessories, such as headphones and cords, caught her eye due to “really good pricing and I like the way it’s displayed.”

Town Pride novelties—“They have the cutest stuff,” Schrimpf noted, including pillows, keychains, and magnets bearing designs that don’t require licensing. In particular, she liked the pillows shaped like a state or an American flag, which could also be big hits with visiting family who want a practical souvenir but not necessarily an imprinted item.

Banded hair accessories—In addition to being “really well-priced,” Schrimpf said the company is woman-owned and committed to recyclable and sustainable materials. A portion of proceeds go to organizations providing meals for children in underdeveloped countries.

Randans dangling earrings—These acrylic accessories are available in many school colors. Schrimpf thought younger students would like to wear them on game days.

Foozy’s socks—These colorful socks come in fun designs, some with sayings (and a few are a little racy). The socks are cut differently for men and women, so they need to be displayed on separate fixtures, which are free if you order a full rack, otherwise cardboard dumps are available. Be aware the socks have become very popular; you might want to check your nearby retailers first to see if they already carry some. “For me, it’s a convenience thing,” Schrimpf said, noting her campus is four miles from any other store.

MoonPie snacks and novelties—In addition to the marshmallow-filled treats in a variety of flavors in customizable packages, “it’s got MoonPie everything—tees, hats, shirts, mugs,” Schrimpf said. “I think it’s fun things like that that will keep students coming back to your store.”

ReFried recyclables—This company is known for creating unique garments, bags, and blankets from leftover softgoods inventory. “I found out there’s something else they can do,” Schrimpf explained. Her university recently adopted a new logo, and while the store tried to sell off all items with the old logo, some stock still remained. “They could cut out the old logo and screenprint the new logo on the old stuff,” she said, avoiding the need to write off the unsold stock. They also had extra material if needed to finish garments.

Tru Fru treats—These chocolate-coated genuine fruit snacks come in two packet sizes for grab and go. They’re shelf-stable but Schrimpf reported “they’re so good cold.”

Champion imprinted Hawaiian shirts—“It’s hard to find inexpensive pricing, low minimums, and availability year-round,” Schrimpf said. These shirts are made of soft polyester and the print is fully sublimated in any design.

Freestyle disposable cameras—“Students can take photos on their phone but they can’t print them out,” Schrimpf noted. They’ve rediscovered disposable cameras as an inexpensive way to get prints.

Douglas Stewart—The distributor now carries mousepads and phone covers in Julia Gash designs.

leafjoy and Neil Enterprises plants—leafjoy offers live plants in a transparent jar with water (no soil), while Neil has imitation succulent plants in imprinted pots. “Kids like plants. It helps them feel better, they can put them in their room,” noted Schrimpf.

Welly travel mug—Its newest travel coffee mug is designed with a special handle that sticks out so that the mug can be placed securely in a vehicle’s cupholder. They can be imprinted or left blank. A percentage of profits are donated to building wells in developing nations to provide clean drinking water.

SLS Art markers—The company now sells Carioca markers from Italy made of recyclable and sustainable materials and safe ink, including metallic colors.

Artisans appliques—The company, which recently bought out College House, now has leather twill appliques at the same price as the satin versions.

Rapp’s Packaging reusable bags—These tote-style paper bags can be reused and even washed several times.

MCM plush and bag—Plush characters can be outfitted in imprinted shirts and all products have new packaging. For event attendees, they also have a new clear bag in a string style “for students who don’t want a mom purse,” Schrimpf said.

Iscream nonimprinted plush—They depict all sorts of candy and treat brands such as Sour Patch, Swedish fish, and Oreo, as well as other fun themes. Each has a pocket which contains mini versions of the plush character; the mac ’n cheese style holds little elbow macaroni.