BNP Paribas Open Offers Tennis – And Then Some

The day isn’t over for fans when the matches end.

“The hottest thing at the 2012 BNP Paribas Open really has to be the tournament logo product,” Lauren Mallon of FILA said.

“I was really impressed. The colors, they’re so colorful, nice colors, and also they’re not that expensive. Twenty dollars for a nice shirt and hat that has the logo, that’s not bad at all,” shopper Andrea Miller said.

Fans said they come for the tennis, but they want to leave with more than just memories from the matches.

“We’re going to look for T-shirts, especially for our grandchildren, who are into tennis,” Moira Stephens said.

It’s not just clothing that fans can buy, though.

“They haven’t normally seen tennis memorabilia. Football and baseball is fairly popular, but tennis is fairly new on the market for them,” Ace Authentic owner John Reichel said.

“We have a certain design element where we cut the holes, so the racket handle comes out of the bag,” Cortiglia founder and CEO Jill LaCorte said.

The public is very receptive to the unique goods for sale.

“We actually notice a significant increase, which is great. Maybe the economy is kind of picking up a little bit.” LaCorte said.

“It’s been record crowds. We have been packed,” Jeffrey Scott, designer and owner of Jeffrey Scott jewelry, said.

The shopping variety lets the public look like their favorite pros.

“Our heritage collection, which is worn by the athletes on court, a lot of times people will come in after the match and they want to look exactly like the pros,” Mallon said.

If they want to take it a step further, they can be bling buddies with the players, as well.

“Every year, we do the limited-edition player’s bracelets, for the players on the WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) and ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) tours,” Scott said. “The public can actually buy the bracelet that the players received as a gift for the tournament.”