Buying Knicks gear on Long Island: This Merrick gas station might be the hottest spot for championship merch
Danielle Lozowsky, of Babylon, holds a Knicks jersey she bought at a pop-up store in the parking lot of a Merrick gas station Wednesday. Credit: Neil Miller
For a generation of Long Islanders, the quest for a New York sports championship shirt meant you "Gotta Go To Mo's" — aka Modell’s Sporting Goods, which went bankrupt in 2020.
But on Wednesday, the hottest T-shirt shop on Long Island may have been a pop-up tent selling Knicks championship gear in the parking lot of a BP gas station on Sunrise Highway in Merrick. There, dozens of fans — the long-suffering and the newly minted — lined up to buy $25 shirts and $80 jerseys, with many prepping for Thursday’s parade in Manhattan.
“This is a once in a lifetime experience,” said Katherine Cordova, 31, of Hempstead, who said she’s using her last vacation day as a Queens teacher to go to the parade.
Cordova and Geraldine Freire, 35, of Glen Cove, scooped up about $225 worth of gear for themselves and Cordova’s nieces ahead of plans to take a 4 a.m. train to City Hall for the parade, scheduled to start at 10 a.m.
"Now everything’s sold out, so this is convenient," Freire said, noting she had struck out at other stores.
Katherine Cordova and Geraldine Freire show off their newly-purchased Knicks gear. Credit: Newsday/Jonathan LaMantia
The pair were among the many Long Islanders stocking up Wednesday to celebrate the Knicks’ first NBA title since 1973, and New York’s first ticker-tape parade in Manhattan to celebrate a men's sports championship since the Giants’ 2012 victory.
Joe McCollum, of High Point, North Carolina, said he had done brisk business at his spot on Sunrise Highway over the past 10 days. He declined to say how much he’s earned and gave a coy answer when asked how many items he’d sold.
“We might sell a thousand pieces,” he said with a heavy wink. “We’ve sold quite a few.”
The Brooklyn native is no novice. He said he travels the country selling T-shirts, hats and flags at major events including championship parades and political rallies.
One of his best selling days was at President Barack Obama’s presidential inauguration in 2009. He said he was also selling gear in Washington, D.C., when rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and at the rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, where a shooter attempted to assassinate President Donald Trump.
Joe McCollum sells a Knicks hat and T-shirt to a customer Wednesday. Credit: Newsday/Jonathan LaMantia
Tears and cheers
In Patchogue, other fans went a more traditional route. At Dick’s Sporting Goods, customers gathered around a table full of Knicks clothing near the front entrance.
Nicholas Justice and his partner Ileannah Rodriguez, both 21 and from Bellport, visited the store Wednesday in search of gear for the parade.
Justice said it was important for him to attend the parade in honor of his grandfather, who died last year. He recalled tearing up at the end of Game 5, thinking about the championship his grandfather would have loved to see.
“I always watched [Knicks games] with my grandfather,” Justice said. “He didn’t get to watch the season, so that’s why I really wanted to be out there.”
The couple, who have been together for eight years, said they will stay overnight at a hotel in New York City to avoid waking up early Thursday.
“We’re trying to be one of the first people there,” Justice said. “We haven't made it to the city at all for any of the games, so we're really just excited to see how the energy is and how New York's going to react.”
Retired police officer Wayne Kendall with some of his haul Wednesday. Credit: Newsday/Jonathan LaMantia
Back at the Merrick gas station, Len Kaufman, 81, said the Knicks championship win had been a long time coming.
The Merrick resident and retired New York City principal said he's watched the team through years of losing seasons.
“This is history,” he said. “I feel ecstatic right now."
At one point Wednesday morning, a Nassau County Police Department patrol car pulled into the gas station. An officer walked under the tent, approaching McCollum, where a bucket held dozens of jerseys.
“Do you have double XL?” he said.
Another customer, Wayne Kendall, 59, of North Babylon, said he was making his third trip back to the pop-up seller, already having bought Eastern Conference championship gear. He said he'd spent $350, and on Wednesday he was trying to plan where he’ll stand for Thursday’s parade.
“Usually, I work the parade,” the retired police officer said. “This time, I’m going to be one of the crazy fans."
