Rally House Coming to College Park

Just in time for the Terps’ Homecoming matchup vs. new Big Ten foe USC, fans will have a fresh place to gear up for game day.

Sports apparel chain Rally House is slated to open a new College Park shop on Oct. 18, taking over the highly visible space previously occupied by Target under the Landmark apartments at the corner of Baltimore and College avenues. The newest of the retailer’s more than 250 locations will primarily sell University of Maryland gear, while also offering options from local professional teams, like the Baltimore Ravens and Washington Nationals.

“We’ve been always looking for new locations where we see a demand for product, looking for passionate fan bases,” said Colin Novick, Rally House media and production manager. “With that store being right across from campus, it’s going to be a Terrapins playground for gear when it comes to game day.”

Earlier this month, the College Park City Council voted to provide Rally House with a business retention and attraction assistance grant of up to $130,000. The funds will go toward construction buildout in the 13,000-square-foot space, including new flooring, shelves, lighting and signage, said Michael Williams, director of economic development for the city of College Park.

“The Target space, because it was retail, was a nice, natural, organic fit,” he said. “It brings some excitement for our local people, for visitors.”

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Rally House, which recently became the official retailer of the Big Ten Conference, has dozens of other locations on or near college campuses, from Kansas State to the University of Pittsburgh to Texas A&M. UMD will add to the mix, said Novick, who expects high traffic on not just game days, but also during move-in and other major campus events.

“College towns are nothing new to our business,” he said. “When we can be close to a hub of a fan area, that’s definitely easier for the customers to come in the store, really touch and feel the product and see it.”

The new store will also feature an Under Armour shop, drawing on UMD’s connections with the brand founded by alum Kevin Plank ’96.

Rally House will be the latest among several recent updates to Greater College Park, the $2 billion initiative to reinvigorate the community around the university. And introducing the store in the same location as the former Maryland Book Exchange brings it full circle, said Ken Ulman, UMD’s chief strategy officer for economic development and president of the Terrapin Development Company.

“We have great food and beverage options, but we also need some diverse retail options. Having more apparel options in a college town is a real positive,” he said. “To once again have this site be an opportunity for people to buy Maryland gear and demonstrate their Maryland pride is somewhat nostalgic.”