For those who bleed black and gold, a visit to Crawford’s Gift Shop — aka Black & Gold Headquarters — might feel like heaven. At least that’s what Manager John Crawford regularly hears from die-hard Steelers fans upon entering the 3,500-square-foot store.
While the youngest two might waver in their football team preferences, Crawford says there is no shortage of people who are proud to be a part of Steeler Nation.
Although the color duo is most commonly associated with the Pittsburgh Steelers, it’s also the palette of Major League Baseball’s Pittsburgh Pirates and the National Hockey League’s Pittsburgh Penguins. And in Crawford’s Gift Shop, the walls drip with liquid gold and onyx black jerseys, flags, mobiles, Terrible Towels, banners, shirts, hoodies, signs and anything else that will stick to slat-board.
But it didn’t begin as a shrine to all-things Pittsburgh sports fans, and it’s certainly not where it’s ending up. To really get a feel for the present-day store, one would have to bump along through time and its evolution from a department store, to a taxidermy display and gift shop, to a general souvenir shop until it finally found its calling in 2006. Far-reaching fans
The Crawfords didn’t think much of the small corner they dedicated to Steelers gear at the time, as most were capitalizing on a good run led by Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. The 23-year-old became the youngest quarterback to ever win a Super Bowl that year and still holds the title today, according to NBC Sports.Photos: James J. Grassi
“When the season ended, we thought we’ll have to put the merchandise on sale and clear it out, but people kept coming in and asking, ‘Well, you have this can you also get that?’ And it wasn’t just during football season that they were interested. They were interested all the time.”
Name brands form a niche
Crawford relies on the likes of New Era Cap Co. for hats and apparel, Mitchell & Ness for jerseys, apparel and throwback-inspired wares, and Fanatics for licensed apparel such as the popular T.J. Watt jersey — a fan favorite and a top-seller.“It used to be in the souvenir world if you wanted a T-shirt, there wasn’t really men’s or ladies, you just kind of bought a small if you were a lady or an extra-large for a man,” he explains. “These companies have taken it into more fashionable clothing directly for ladies and directly for men and that was what really launched the niche. It went from just a unisex business to being totally specialized.”
Continuing to grow
The store is not confined by square footage, however. In fact, Crawford is setting his sights on expanding the store’s reach by offering merchandise from all 32 NFL teams.Family favorites
But it’s not just internationally where Crawford sees a division in where fans pledge their loyalty. Among his own family, he and his wife, Christi, and son, J.J., are among the die-hard Pittsburgh fans while middle son, Carey, took to the New England Patriots and youngest son, Tristan, prefers the Miami Dolphins and Jacksonville Jaguars.While the youngest two might waver in their football team preferences, Crawford says there is no shortage of people who are proud to be a part of Steeler Nation.