Sunshine Stein found herself standing in the middle of the remodeled Padres Team Store midday Monday at the downtown ballpark.
Stein was holding a pair of white Padres hats.
“I saw these on Instagram and thought they were cool, so this was the impetus for me coming down today,” said Stein, a former downtown resident who now lives in La Jolla.
But Stein, a 32-year Padres fan who was among the season ticket holders when Petco Park opened in 2004, didn’t stop shopping once she got ahold of the ballcaps.
She also picked up a Jackson Merrill jersey along the eastern wall of the Team Store, which is located on the bottom floor of the Western Metal Supply Co. Building.
The wall of jerseys is among the first things fans see now from the ballpark entrance to the store. There’s a big ballcap presence, not including more than a dozen different knit caps. There’s T-shirts, sweatshirts, jackets and hoodies. There’s blankets and throws. There’s purses and wallets. There’s pennants, key rings and other knick knacks. There are separate men’s women’s and youth sections.
“I really like the flow of the store because before you were all over the place,” Stein said. “I haven’t fully absorbed it, but my initial reaction is ‘Whoa, OK, this makes sense,’ ”
For years, a common sight before games was dozens and dozens of fans lined up outside the Team Store, waiting until others came out before they could enter.
A 1,000-foot expansion will allow more fans in the store. Additional checkout stands (there are 14 now) will get them on their way more quickly. Also, the purchase points were moved to the other side of the store to alleviate congestion adjacent to the ballpark entrance/exit.
“We’re going to clear out some of the internal structure that makes it a little clunky from a fan ingress/egress flow perspective,” Padres CEO Erik Greupner said in November when the renovations were announced. “So we’re going to open up the floor plan more and still maintain all the historic elements with the wood beams and posts.”
In addition to remodeling the team store, the $7 million renovation of the Western Metal Co. Supply Building included remodeling the first-level Sony Entertainment Suite and the fifth-level Budweiser Loft as well as the Western Metal Rooftop.
Those elements also have been completed and will be available to use on Thursday afternoon, when the Padres open the 2025 season against the Atlanta Braves.
The renovated team store opened over the weekend and hundreds of fans already were gearing up in advance of the opener.
There also is an outside entrance to the store along Tony Gwynn Drive that allows fans to visit on non-game days. The store is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Sundays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.). On game days, it remains open an hour after the final out. Hours are extended to 7 p.m. this week leading up to opening day.
The centerpiece of the team store is a huge hat rotunda. It is topped by a humongous revolving cap, one so big that it might actually be loose on Bruce Bochy.
There are dozens and dozens of caps of seemingly every design and color on the circular display, with still others located along two walls behind it.
Point Loma native Luke Kosta searched the display for quite some time. Incredibly, he couldn’t find what he was looking for.
“I’m just very picky,” said Kosta, a Padres fan for nearly three decades who was wearing a black cap with blue SD lettering. “I take my hats pretty seriously because I wear them for a long time. It’s a personal preference. They have more than enough.”
Kosta had a couple Merrill jerseys slung over one arm.
“I got my wife one, too,” Kosta said. “We both have Tatis and Machado. Now we have Merrill to add to the collection. We’re excited.”
Kosta was among those impressed by the Team Store redesign.
“It seems more spacious and like they have more to offer now,” he said. “It’s exciting to see. It’s definitely a step up from years past.”
The true test for the space comes opening day when more than 40 thousand fans descend on the ballpark, with hundreds of them headed to the Team Store before and after the game.
“If you don’t get in here early on game day, everything is gone through and you miss out,” Stein warned. “Today is easy. The key is going to be Thursday, watching people come in and how they leave.”
