BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — The Buffalo Bills have secured the AFC East title and a spot in the playoffs — meaning fans are on the hunt for more merch to rock the red, white and blue.
Local Bills-themed stores are getting ready to release their AFC East Champions gear, as well as ensuring that fans have plenty of clothes to sport during the upcoming game.
"Once it happened [the division win and playoff spot], there's a group text. Everyone is like, 'yes, we did it — set Plan A in motion,' " Nate Feldman, operations manager for The BFLO Store, said. "We've been planning for a while, and it was just exciting to let everything come to fruition."
The BFLO Store had its doors wide open on Monday, welcoming fans looking to stock up.
Brittany Wilson, a lifelong fan, told 7 News reporter Hannah Ferrera that she was shopping for a friend who recently moved from Buffalo to Tennessee.
"I'm going to Nashville for the playoff game next weekend — treating maybe myself and a girlfriend to some new Bills gear," Wilson said. "When you wear Bills gear somewhere that's not Buffalo, it's the best thing ever when people are like, 'Go Bills.' "
Feldman expects the store to see a wave of customers in the next few days.
"I guarantee you — as the week progresses, we're going to see a lot more people coming in, and that Bills section is going to need to be restocked by the hour ... If it's anything like the last three years, then it's going to be great."
Ferrera also visited The Bills Store in Orchard Park, where fans didn't skip a beat when asked if they would want celebratory merch.
"Definitely, yeah. As soon as it comes out — hoodies or jerseys with the playoff or Super Bowl logo," Amir Thomas, a customer, said.
Both The BFLO Store and The Bills Store have AFC East Champions gear coming out in the next week.
"When the Bills win, Western New York wins, all the local businesses," Feldman said. "Everybody thrives — whether you have a pizzeria or a retail shop. This is just more weeks of excitement, more weeks of business, and we're just thrilled. It really makes an impact."
