Business

<< Previous   of   Next >> Michael O'Leary / The Herald  (click to enlarge) Seattle Supersonics merchandise is now heavily discounted at Just Sports at the Everett Mall but by 1:30 p.m. on Thursday the store had not sold any of the team's NBA memorabilia.   ADVERTISEMENT   Related Stories • Material Girl meets Multimillion-Dollar Man 7/4/08   CONTACT THE HERALD Mike Benbow, Business Editor benbow@heraldnet.com   Published: Friday, July 4, 2008 Sales of Sonics memorabilia sluggish Local sports stores are still waiting for fans to snap up jerseys and other gear. By Scott Pesznecker Herald Writer The Seattle Supersonics are packing their bags for Oklahoma City, but they're leaving behind their team name and colors. Maybe they shouldn't. Sports apparel and memorabilia stores are having trouble getting rid of what's left of their Sonics gear. Several stores are resorting to massive price cuts -- up to 90 percent at JustSports in Lynnwood and Everett -- to entice customers to buy. Josh Amick, 22, sells sports team baseball caps at Lids at the Alderwood mall. When he learned the Sonics were leaving town, he thought die-hard fans would rush to snatch up whatever tokens they could from their beloved team. But the green-and-yellow Sonics hats still hang on his wall. "It's not really going anywhere," said Amick, who lives in Lynnwood. "It's surprising to me personally because I'm a fan. I figured it would be moving faster because it's going to be vintage stuff." Even before this week's multi-million-dollar settlement between the city of Seattle and Sonics owner Clay Bennett, the sales of Sonics gear was waning. JustSports recently moved most of its Sonics shirts, jerseys and sweatshirts from Alderwood to its branch at Everett Mall. About half of the clothing was bought by a regular customer who resells sports apparel in China. The rest of the clothing has barely been touched, said Patrick Jones, store manager for the Alderwood JustSports. At Centerfield Sports in Everett Mall, which specializes in selling autographed memorabilia, about the only Sonics gear on-hand are basketballs, photos and jerseys signed by rookie Kevin Durant. Another Alderwood sports store only has a few pairs of Sonics shorts -- it stopped ordering the team's jerseys more than a month ago. "If we put up an old-school jersey like Shawn Kemp or Gary Payton it would probably sell out quick," said store employee Roman Soza, 17, of Everett, who owns a jersey once worn by the Reign Man, Kemp's moniker. Sonics gear isn't selling now, but it could become a more desirable commodity years down the road, said Brent Holcomb, manager of Mill Creek Sports Cards. He points to the 1969 Seattle Pilots, the Major League Baseball team that played in Seattle just one season before being moved to Milwaukee, Wis., and becoming the Brewers. "There's still a market for their autographed memorabilia, pendants, things like that from that team," Holcomb said. Keith Schneider, Web master for the Washington State Sports Collectors Association, doesn't think the value of Sonics gear will ever go through the roof. After 41 years of history in the city, there's too much Sonics gear available for it to really be considered rare, he said. Seahawks gear is often worth more than Sonics gear, he said. University of Washington Huskies gear is even more coveted than Seahawks gear. "Will Sonics memorabilia increase? Yeah, from a historical perspective," Schneider said. "Will it ever be valuable? No, I don't think it will ever be valuable." For fans who followed the team for years, there's more than memorabilia that matters, said Casey Wulliman, 23, of Mill Creek. "People will never forget Shawn Kemp, Gary Payton and those teams," he said. Reporter Scott Pesznecker: 425-339-3436 or spesznecker@heraldnet.com.

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