Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - The start of another Buffalo Bills season is already upon us, as the team will open its 2023 campaign this upcoming Monday night against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Bills fans have been preparing for another exciting season of football in Western New York, as Super Bowl aspirations continue to run wild with the team gunning for a fourth-straight AFC East division title.
As part of those preparations, "Bills Mafia" has been flocking to local retailers in the region for the newest Bills gear. Whether it'd be apparel, clothing or merchandise, retailers can sense that excitement running rampant among fans entering their stores.
"For the last month-and-a-half, we have people coming in, asking every single day trying to get items," said Kai Mikolajczak, owner of Queen City Vintage on Hertel Avenue in North Buffalo. "This is probably, at least since we've been in business, the most exciting season to date, at least, leading up to it."
"I say this every year, people are even more excited than they were last year," added Mary Friona-Celani, co-owner of the Totally Buffalo Store. "Everybody is just so pumped for this team, and ever since training camp started, there is excitement in the air, for sure."
That excitement for the 2023 season has been percolating for months to the South at One Bills Drive in Orchard Park, as Jason Klein from the Bills Store says the energy from "Bills Mafia" is higher than ever.
"People are traveling, honestly, from all over the world and they come and see the Bills Store. Whether they're in Buffalo for Niagara Falls, visiting, coming through Canada or whatever it may be, we're pretty much a destination for a lot of Bills fans," said Klein in an interview with WBEN.
"We had a super successful training camp and great attendance out [in Rochester], and I think Bills fans are ready to go. There's been a little bit of a lull here with the time in-between games and away, but hopefully we pull off that 'W' Monday night, and next week will be crazy."
While Bills merchandise and apparel always seem to be popular items flying off the shelves for retailers, business picks up quite a bit once that football feel is in the air. That has led retailers to be ready to be stocked up ahead of the season to ensure plenty of variety is available for "Bills Mafia".
"For us, we actually tend to hold off on anything until the actual season opener. So for the entire summer, people have been asking for it, and the hype is real behind it," Mikolajczak said.
Over the last several weeks, Friona-Celani has noticed the built up anticipation for another Bills season in Western New York, especially following last season's disappointment in the postseason against the Bengals.
"We had our store temporarily set up at the Erie County Fair, and we could see it there. We were at Wing Fest over the weekend, we definitely saw it there. Our stores have been packed, we are ready," Friona-Celani said.
So what's been most popular among Bills fans going through Orchard Park at the Bills Store? Klein says it's been a mixed bag of items.
"We've got a ton of apparel. The women's wear section, we've revamped it a little bit at the Bills Store, we have more offerings there. And then traditionally, our novelty stuff - cups, mugs, shot glasses - anything that's just a token of the Bills or token of Western New York, those are the things that are really selling for us," he said.
At the Totally Buffalo Store's three locations in Amherst, Orchard Park and Niagara Falls, they have a chock full of Bills-related items from sale, including many pieces from local artisans across Western New York. Friona-Celani is constantly amazed at what comes through her door from craftsmen and women throughout the region.
"Every time I go into the store, there's new stuff, more staff, better staff. These artisans are so talented and they work so hard, and sometimes I look at the products and I'm like, 'How did you even come up with this? What a great idea!' And they just really want to celebrate not just the Buffalo Bills, obviously that's our team, but also just the city in general, the community," Friona-Celani said. "This is such a great place to live and raise a family, and that's really what we're all about is celebrating this community in general. But when the Bills play, it takes it up another notch, for sure."
Among the big sellers this year for Friona-Celani at the Totally Buffalo Store has been a trend toward more baby and kids apparel.
"That stuff we can hardly even keep in stock," she said. "All these schools now have 'Bills Day' every time the Bills play. Folks want to get their kids lots of stuff, and we are ready. Boy, are we ready."
What else has been a hot commodity at the Totally Buffalo Store in the weeks leading up to Week 1 of the 2023 season?
"Right now with the weather still being so nice, folks want stuff for their outside like the metal signs, door signs. Anything they can put outside is a really big hit, our lawn signs. But also just getting ready to host parties. We have glassware and dishes, and all kinds of things for your house, home decor, great gift ideas," Friona-Celani said. "A lot of folks, believe it or not, are already starting to shop for Christmas and they want to get stuff before it's gone. Some of these items come in, we just got an order for these incredible Bills Christmas sweaters - I'm not one to rush Christmas, but we got them in, so I figured, 'Let's post it on Facebook!' People are ready already for that kind of thing too. We just have a lot of really neat stuff that you really can't find anywhere else."
In addition, the Totally Buffalo Store is a Zubaz retailer, so they have the official Zubaz pants, shorts, overalls and more.
"Anything you can think of, but then the accessories too - headbands, jewelry, anything you can pretty much think of, we have candles. Different people like different things, so we try to have something for everybody in our store. And we're also getting a lot of orders online from folks who live out of town who are just as excited for the Bills season."
Meanwhile, at Queen City Vintage, they have been getting ready for a massive flow of business when it comes to selling classic and vintage Bills apparel and memorabilia. Mikolajczak says it's all about the nostalgia factor with the popularity of his stock.
"What's really cool is we have a combination of fans who were in that four Super Bowl run, remember it and everything, and then they pass those memories on to their kids. Their kids are now seeing the up-and-coming Bills of our generation, which is really cool," he said. "There's almost that little bit of crossover where everyone just kind of either wants an appreciation of the past or just keep pushing it forward."
So what is the hot item people are looking to purchase when they explore Queen City Vintage?
"Even though it's hot weather right now, everybody keeps asking for the vintage Starter jackets, just getting prepared for Christmas or for winter," Mikolajczak said. "The other thing is just the classic Super Bowl era crewnecks. Everybody always wants those, because they're just a classic go-to."
If you happen to be looking for some vintage Bills apparel, or just want to take in that nostalgia of Bills merchandise of the past, you're in luck. There's an event set to take place this weekend in North Buffalo at Queen City Vintage's headquarters.
"We'll be releasing thousands of vintage Bills items in store, as well as online," Mikolajczak said. "In store, it'll be this coming Saturday, Sept. 9 at 10 a.m. at 1478 Hertel Avenue in North Buffalo. Or if you can't make it here, we do have our online drop, which is QueenCityVintage.com. That'll be going live at 10 a.m., as well too."
