February 8, 2024
Business Reporting
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - The UNC-Chapel Hill and Duke University men's basketball game Saturday night brought in the highest revenue of the year so far for Classic Carolina, a UNC-CH apparel shop on Franklin Street.
Classic Carolina saw an increase in business sales due to the Duke vs. UNC men’s basketball game on Saturday, Feb. 3. The store's abundance of anti-duke merchandise helped fuel the legendary rivalry between the Tar Heels and the Blue Devils.
Krystal Chellani, manager of Classic Carolina, said there was a line out the door on Saturday. She said the store was “over 500% in sales for the Duke game” over the past two weeks.
“[Classic Carolina business] was substantially a lot higher because of the game,” Krystal Chellani said. “Regularly I mean customers come in, but it’s not packed like that.” She said she was at the store for 12 hours on game day and that there were at least 100 people who came through the store.
She said the average number of Duke shirts bought per customer increased from one shirt to three that Saturday. She said only four employees were working at a time and they were “very very busy.”
“It was crazy because you know we only have so many people here,” Krystal Chellani said. “So, we're trying to make sure we get to everyone and help everyone find the right size and the right piece of merchandise that they want. So it was a lot, but it was successful.”
Krystal Chellani's father, Dhruva Chellani, opened the store in 1993. The store closed temporarily for renovations in 2023 but was planning to reopen on September 9.
Three days before the grand opening, Dhruva Chellani and his son Kris Chellani were tragically killed in a car accident. Krystal Chellani said she reopened the store around October 15 and has been managing it ever since.
Mohan Chellani, Dhruva Chellani’s brother and Kris Chellani’s uncle, is temporarily helping Krystal Chellani with the store. He is from Orlando, FL. He said he wanted to continue what they started and didn’t want their hard work to “go to waste.”
“We’re remembering them by carrying out their wishes of a store which carries variety, caters to all types of customers, and provides stellar customer service,” Mohan Chellani said. “The success of the store means a lot to us because theyworked so hard on the business.”
Krystal Chellani said that the store's variety is what makes them successful. She said they try to have at least 50 to 100 different designs and try to carry exclusive items like a Duke-UNC banner. She said they are trying to customize pins for every game.
Krystal Chellani said the store sells Duke shirts year-round. She said the popular T-shirts are the ones that say “Douche,” “Duck Fuke,” and “Not Today Satan.”
Rebekah Elam, sophomore at UNC-CH, bought a UNC-Duke tee at Classic Carolina with her friends for the game. She said the store’s variety was “impressive.”
“We honestly spent 10 minutes in there trying to decide which T-shirt we wanted because there were so many good ones,” Elam said. “It had everything we needed.”
Elam went to the 6:30 p.m. game that Saturday. She said wearing the tee at the game gave her motivation and “got her really excited.”
The aftermath of the game also contributed to Classic Carolina’s increased sales. The Heels beat Duke 93-84 in the Dean E. Smith Center.
Krystal Chellani said a lot of people came on Sunday and bought lots of merchandise after the win.