Fan Zone-Appleton connects fans to their favorite teams

Rich Palzewic

Staff

May 4, 2026

APPLETON – Prompted by an expiring lease and the need for more space, Fan Zone-Appleton Store Manager Luke Stadtmueller said a move was necessary.

Stadtmueller said the licensed sports apparel retailer had been a tenant at Fox River Mall in Appleton for three years before relocating downtown earlier this spring to 119 E. College Ave.

“We could no longer stay at our leased spot because an anchor store took over that space,” he said. “More or less, the mall said, ‘We want to keep you, but you’re going to have to move out of your current spot…, but because we’re making you move, you can pick a new spot.’”

Since the store was satisfied with its prior space and not interested in a different mall unit, Stadtmueller said they began searching beyond the mall.

“Once we were kind of forced to move, we decided we needed more room anyway,” he said. “That’s when we figured we’d give the downtown area a shot.”

‘It was the right move’

Before choosing the E. College Avenue location, Stadtmueller said they looked at other sites in Appleton for Fan Zone – noting that both he and the owner are local and wanted to stay in the city.

“We needed to do a little work on the building [The Vintage Garden previously occupied] to get it ready,” he said.

Stadtmueller said work included building out a window and interior walls, along with installing new display cases and decals, adding decor, lighting and a security camera system.

“Because we’re predominantly an apparel store, we needed [to be able to] hang clothes on the walls,” he said. “We put wood up, but that was a process because of the brick in the building. It took a few months to get everything ready.”

Beyond renovations, Stadtmueller said the move required significant organization, in part due to limited space at the mall.

“It was a big move because we had five storage units we were working out of through our Fox River Mall location,” he said. “We had to move that store, and unfortunately, we couldn’t move [the merchandise right] into our new location – we had to move it into storage units.”

Stadtmueller said the new location is off to a strong start, and although it sees less foot traffic than the mall, he expects it will be a better long-term fit.

“Because of our extra room, we can expand our online sales and have a separate workshop, if you will, for doing that,” he said. “Also, from what we’ve heard from talking to our neighbors and the City of Appleton, where we’re really going to do our numbers is farmers’ markets, night markets and events when they close the street.”

What’s offered

Stadtmueller said Fan Zone – which also has locations in Green Bay and Galena, Illinois – sells licensed sports apparel, hats, sports cards, Pokémon, Fox Racing, skateboards, sports memorabilia and more.

He said Fan Zone is a good option for sports fans looking for authentic sports memorabilia, with a core focus on NFL and MLB team apparel. 

“We also have an array of sports accessories,” he said. “It’s safe to say there is something for every NFL team in here. It may not be everything, but we have at least something for fans. We also carry some NBA stuff, but that doesn’t do quite as well.”

Stadtmueller said Fan Zone also offers a small selection of college merchandise, including Wisconsin Badgers and Michigan gear.

Another in-store option, he said, is Elements Boardshop, which focuses on skateboarding and action sports gear, including apparel, boards, shoes, grip tape, wheels and bearings.

“There were elements of Elements – as you might say – inside Fan Zone when it was in the mall, but now we have the space in our new location for more,” he said.

One area Fan Zone doesn’t deal heavily in, Stadtmueller said, is purchasing sports card collections from customers.

He said there is often a false sense of value among sellers, with expectations that exceed what Fan Zone can or is willing to pay.

“If Google says you can sell this card for $600, and you ask if we can pay you $550 for it, we can’t do that,” he said. “Now, if you had 100 of them, and I could get you down on a number where I could resell them, sit on them and pay my rent, my employees and my electric, then you would understand why I can’t give you what it’s worth on Google.”

Stadtmueller said rather than operating off online values, Fan Zone typically refers those customers to other outlets where they can sell their collections or cards.

For more on Fan Zone-Appleton, visit its website (fanzonetitletown.com) or Facebook page.