Twin Cities area bars, retailers cheer winning Vikings season

Minnesota Vikings fans are doing more than cheer for their team. They're also spending money on merchandise and watching the games — increasingly as the winning season has developed.

Fan HQ, a sports apparel and memorabilia store in Ridgedale Center in Minnetonka, has had an incredible run during the NFL season as the Vikings have kept winning, said owner Shaun Hagglund.

"It's close to, if not the biggest, year we've ever had," said Hagglund, who opened his store in 2009. Sales of Vikings jerseys and team apparel doubled in 2022.

The Vikings organization is benefiting from the intense interest as well. Jersey sales at NFL Shop are up 91% year over year, according to the National Football League. Fanatics, which provides licensed sports apparel and manages the Vikings' online and brick and mortar stores, said Vikings merchandise sales are up 85% compared with the 2021 season.

Twin Cities retailers and downtown hotels, bars and restaurants are expecting more profits this weekend as the Vikings — with a record of 13-4, one of the 10 best in franchise history — meet the New York Giants on Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium in the playoffs.

"Having a team performing at a high level when we're in a position to show the game like nobody else can is a really good place for us to be," said Jason Cooney, the Minneapolis-based operating partner of Tom's Watch Bar, the new downtown sports bar at 6th Street and Hennepin Avenue.

As casual fans get excited about the team, Pro Image Sports at the Mall of America has sold out some Vikings items, particularly kids-sized Justin Jefferson jerseys, said general manager Jesse Kern.

"I've been reordering every few weeks," Kern added.

Demand for Jefferson replica jerseys has propelled sales at Fan HQ to levels not seen since 2017, when the Vikings came within one win of the Super Bowl, Hagglund said.

Since mid-September, traffic at the Vikings' team stores at U.S. Bank Stadium, Mall of America and Viking Lakes in Eagan has kept a steady, high pace, said Erin Swartz, the Vikings' senior director of brand, creative and project management.

Downtown boosters are hoping this weekend's game yields the same traffic downtown as the 2018 division playoff home game against the New Orleans Saints, better known as the Minneapolis Miracle for the dramatic Vikings win. Hotels that weekend were booked at 90% Saturday night and 82% Sunday, said Melvin Tennant, chief executive of Meet Minneapolis, the city's tourism agency.

With the start time set for 3:30 p.m. Sunday, hotels are hoping most out-of-towners will stay through Monday, Tennant said, a welcome boost since January is typically slow.

The Minneapolis Downtown Council expects fans to arrive early Sunday and stay late, spending money on food and drink, said Leah Wong, the council's vice president of external relations.

"Our hospitality and retail sectors are really looking forward to having 70,000-plus fans who will enjoy downtown and all it has to offer," she said.

That includes fans who don't have tickets but want to immerse themselves in the playoff atmosphere.

Cooney is expecting a large crowd at Tom's Watch Bar. The business, which opened in October, has hosted large Vikings crowds that visit the 8,000-square-foot venue before and after games, and also during away games with watch parties that feature a live DJ.

"The Vikings have been so amazing for us this year," he said. "Every game, it seems like we're packed."

The venue, the franchise's first in the Midwest, seats over 300 people and features roughly 120 television screens.

The economic impact of the playoff game flows to retailers, restaurants and hotels — and adds to tax revenue.

The game also is an opportunity to impress people who may not otherwise visit Minneapolis, he said.

"Not saying all New York Giants fan are coming from New York, but we do know that New Yorkers oftentimes consider themselves the center of the universe, so to get them here and see what we have, I think, will be a great awareness-building opportunity," he said.

Keeping up with inventory has been hard for Hagglund and other store managers because initial orders are based on the team's previous season record and expectations going into the year. In 2021, the Vikings had a losing record and missed the playoffs.

The team's historic turnaround has been a welcome surprise, Hagglund said.

"We've already had to order for next year," he said. "It's really challenging to get your hands on anything new just to meet the demand."