An Ann Arbor staple has opened its doors on Columbia Street, giving Detroiters easy access to showcase their Wolverine pride.  The M Den, official merchandise retailer for the University of Michigan, officially opened its first Detroit location along the emerging shopping and dining destination in The District Detroit in November.

The expansive 4,000-square-foot shop features the same great merchandise found at its other locations throughout Ann Arbor and southeast Michigan. That includes apparel for men, women and children and a variety of gifts and souvenirs, such as Yost Ice Arena hockey pucks, coffee mugs and puzzles. The shop even sells University-branded steak sauce and seasoning by Hot Sauce Harry’s.

The shop opened with a tailored twist by way of its offerings.  Scott Hirth, president and co-owner of The M Den, said the Detroit location features apparel that gives sports fans an opportunity to show their Detroit and Wolverine pride simultaneously. These items include graffiti-style sweatshirts by up-and-coming apparel brand Valiant, and t-shirts featuring the Detroit Tigers’ Old English “D” and the word “Detroit” stylized in the University’s official Victors font.

The shop’s high-end line, The Victors Collection, boasts its own separate entrance.  Items include licensed apparel, golf supplies and accessories by noted brands such as Nike, Vineyard Vines, Brooks Brothers, Emerson Street Clothing, HAIL, johnnie-O, and even Austrian wine glass manufacturer Riedel.

Hirth and his business partners began exploring a potential Detroit location after taking over the family-owned business in 2013. Last year, Hirth and Olympia Development of Michigan announced plans to open the retail chain’s first Detroit location in the Central Business District.

“We wanted to do a couple of things: serve our customers on the east side of the metropolitan Detroit area and be a part of the great renaissance taking place in the city,” Hirth said. “The Ilitch organization offered us an opportunity to do that, and we couldn’t be happier.”

The new shop will benefit the University’s sports programs and increase the school’s footprint in downtown Detroit, where it originally opened 201 years ago. Visit The M Den online at www.mden.com, on Twitter and Facebook at @TheMDen, and on Instagram at @them_den.