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Sinfonia Store
The Sinfonia Store is meeting the holiday season head on this year. With a number of holiday deals already in place, the store is hoping to get as much Sinfonia merchandise to as many members as possible.
While the National Headquarters is known for holding meetings, processing reports and paperwork, weekend retreats and archiving memorabilia, it's easy to forget that it actually maintains the Sinfonia Store. The store has come a long way since the 2000 earthquake that collapsed the store into the sub-basement of Lyrecrest. In fact, it has expanded by leaps and bounds over the last five years, especially under the watch of Tonya McGuire, controller for the Fraternity and manager of the Sinfonia Store.
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"Expanding the store was something that Ryan (Ripperton) and I had talked about since I have background in it," mentions McGuire. "It's been fun to watch the store develop and grow over the last couple of years."
The Fraternity began expanding by diversifying its merchandise options. The Fraternity's new logomark in 2006 opened the door for new possibilities. One of the first goals was to provide items that members would wear in the professional world. As a result, polo and dress shirts with an embroidered logo were made available. In addition to clothing, smaller items that have everyday use were made available, including pens, writing portfolios, key chains, money clips and business card holders.
Jon Rader, shipping clerk, comments, "When I started here in 2004, we basically had two t-shirts, one sweatshirt and some glassware. Now we |
have multiple t-shirts and sweatshirts and a line of polo and dress shirts. We've gone from being static to bringing in new merchandise all of the time."
As the store continued to grow, so did the demand to bring in new merchandise. Specialty items began appearing including winter hats and scarves, water bottles, ties, fleece jackets, "flip-flops," and specialized glassware.
| In the last six months, the Sinfonia Store has created the "Sinfonia Family" line of merchandising which further extends the Sinfonia brand. For college students, they can purchase shirts for fathers and mothers. A "Sinfonian Sweetheart" line was added for chapter sweethearts and significant others of Sinfonians. A line |
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of baby clothes was created for Sinfonians who are dads. The family pet has even been included as dog collars are now available. (Editor's Note: All Sinfonia Family items have the Greek letters removed. Only Sinfonia is used.)
As it had for past conventions, the Sinfonia Store was open for business at the 2009 National Convention in Orlando. It was common to see numerous Sinfonians purchasing items to display their Sinfonian pride while checking out the sights.
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"At the 2009 convention, we doubled our sales from 2006 and sales have been consistent since we came back from Orlando," reports McGuire.
For the holiday season, the store will be introducing a number of brand new items. Some of these include: flannel pajama pants, a hooded sweatshirt with a new front design and a Christmas ornament, which will be an annual item with a new design every year. Other items will be announced as they come in.
"We're going to start running some Facebook specials. If you're a fan of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia on Facebook, you'll have access to the latest announcement and specials," reveals McGuire.
Additionally, items purchased can be specially gift wrapped for an additional fee. All money brought in through gift-wrapped items will be donated to the Sinfonia Educational Foundation.
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In an average week, Rader might process and ship 25-30 orders. When the holiday season starts, he might process 25-30 orders per day as members encourage families to purchase gifts for them, or they take advantage of the special discounts on their own. With over 100 different items available in the store, he is constantly working to stay ahead of the orders to make sure they get mailed in a timely fashion.
"The Sinfonia Store provides a unique product for a unique set of customers. It's the only place to buy your Phi Mu Alpha materials," he adds.
Sales from the Sinfonia Store go to the general operating budget of the Fraternity, helping to keep dues low and making new programs possible. We appreciate all those who choose to fill their stockings with Sinfonia gear! |
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