You’re walking down Kirkwood, looking for an Indiana University sweatshirt. How much could it really be? You are on a strict high school budget, anything over $20 is an investment. As you walk into the Indiana Varsity you see the one, the perfect sweatshirt, walking up to it you find your size and pick up the price tag. Your eyes bug out as the price of a regular sweatshirt is over $50.

    When prices can climb up to $70 for a plain IU jacket, students may be hesitant to buy. Luckily, there are locally owned and run IU souvenir shops for the college student on a budget, or for people just looking to save a little bit of money.

    “Some of my friends took me to the smaller shop called Tracks and I got an awesome IU sweatshirt for 25 bucks,” said Avi Forrest, a camper at the High School Journalism Institute (HSJI). Many former, current and upcoming IU students have tips and tricks about the family run shops to buy IU gear at for reasonable prices.

    Compared to the Indiana Varsity Shop’s sweatshirt at $50, Greetings, a local family run business on Kirkwood sells, if not exact, similar ones for a whopping $30 cheaper. “I feel that when [IU stores] don’t have sales, the prices can be kind of expensive, especially with the sweatshirts. I think our prices are decently reasonable,” said Reese Valle, an employee at Greetings and a current IU student.

Greetings, a souvenir store on Kirkwood, sells IU apparel for affordable prices. “I’d say our regular prices are the most reasonable because we sell our t-shirts for $10.95 and then our sweatshirts are $20 most of the time,” said Reese Valle, an employee at Greetings and an IU student.

    When looking for IU clothing, check around at multiple stores for the best deals. There might be a sale going on at one store that others don’t have. Currently, The Indiana Shop on Kirkwood has a limited selection of short sleeve t-shirts for $5 each.

    But even when there is a great deal on IU clothing the quality might be lacking. “The more expensive [sweatshirt] wasn’t even as good quality as the cheaper one,” Forrest said. In order to get the best bang for your buck, the quality should last you at least through the season.

    Students also look for comfortable clothes to wear when going to classes and lectures. “I feel like I am sitting in a blanket [when wearing the sweatshirt.] I wore it for three days before I had to tell myself it’s time to wear something else,” Forrest said. Forrest’s IU hoodie kept him comfortable during his two-hour-long classes while at camp.

    But it is not just IU students buying souvenirs. “Students, parents, tourists, everyone [is buying IU clothing],” Valle said. So whether you’re a student, parent, or someone just passing by, the best quality IU items are available for a reasonable price if comparison shopping.

    All people are able to share IU spirit through clothing, on a college budget, due to the abundant amount of stores selling IU gear for desirable prices.