“We’ve really been expanding so much lately that it was something that we’ve always had a hope for: to get a bigger presence in Ann Arbor,” says Colin Novick, media and production manager for Rally House.
That opportunity arrived with the demise of the locally owned company formerly known as M Den, now in bankruptcy proceedings as Heritage Collegiate Apparel. For $7.75 million, Rally House scored three former M Den locations at auction, outbidding several competitors, including Legends Global Merchandise, the new official retailer for Michigan Athletics and owner of the M Den name.
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Over a hundred former M Den employees now work for Rally House, which has grown its local footprint beyond the Arborland store it opened in 2022 with stores on S. State, S. Main, and the event-based tent area in the Drip House parking lot across from Michigan Stadium.
“Michigan is such a national brand and a national university that you have people flying into Ann Arbor every week for a game. It’s just an awesome market to be a part of,” Novick enthuses.
The privately held company based in Lenexa, Kansas, now sports about 275 locations offering team apparel and merchandise tailored to the rooting interests of each market. Novick says they work with thousands of vendors and benefit from a nimble inventory system: “When things get very popular in one area, [it gives us] the ability to transfer products to that hot store at the time that it’s seeing that demand.”
“We understand that M Den was a very closely knit thing to the community,” he adds. “But we’re going to do everything we can to bring those fun events to Ann Arbor and really just keep that same theme, same vibe going, and just build off of that to make game days—and just any day you walk into a Rally House—an awesome experience for any Michigan fans.”
Rally House, 315 S. Main. (734) 864–4643. Mon.–Thurs. 11 a.m.–8 p.m., Fri. & Sat. 10 a.m.–9 p.m., Sun. 11 a.m.–6 p.m. 303 S. State. (734) 272–4515. Mon.–Sat. 9 a.m.–9 p.m., Sun. 9 a.m.–8 p.m. rallyhouse.com
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