What is it about Onionbag.com that is so attractive for soccer jersey customers to want to make an order?

We feel our website is a great reflection of our dedication to the game. Every one of our employees are avid soccer fans and from different backgrounds. I hope the Onionbag.com site reflects this and would like to think this is what attracts business to our site.

When you decided to open a soccer store, what was the reasoning behind wanting to focus on soccer jerseys? Why didn’t you want to get into the footwear part of the business?

This comes back to the people who work in the shop. We are soccer fans first. My partner Iain is from England. My family is from Argentina. We both have spent more time following our team than actually kicking a ball, though we both grew up playing the game as well. When the shop originally opened there were very few shops (if any) that specialized in soccer fan culture. So the goal was to open a store that would speak to us. Remember, this was back when games were still relatively scarce on the television, so the importance of catering to a soccer fan took a back seat to carrying soccer shoes, balls, shin guards, etc. Fox Soccer Channel did not exist. Instead we had VHS tapes (which we sold) of Match of the Day compilations playing on endless loop and the item everyone was talking about in our store could be a Roy Keane autobiography. The Onion Bag’s original location in Manhattan’s East Village was a small soccer boutique of sorts and in addition to the books and videos we imported a lot of different jerseys. Back then the major brands simply did not carry the range of licensed apparel they do today. The plan was to really focus on the soccer fan and the things they want, and couldn’t get at their local soccer store. The shop was located one block from Nevada Smith’s, the legendary NYC soccer bar, so it was far more common for a fan to come in our shop, than a player looking for equipment. Regardless, our shop was so small we barely had space to offer two or three indoor shoe styles, so even if the intent had been to carry more equipment, we didn’t have the space to do so.

After the 2002 World Cup we decided to look for a bigger space, which we found in North Bergen, NJ. The shop is one block from a park named after the legendary boxer James Braddock (portrayed by Russell Crowe in Cinderella Man), so we were opened up to the player side of the business. Today we do quite a bit of footwear and equipment in store, but for our online business we chose to remain focused on the fan aspect.

Do soccer jerseys come already customized for customers or does your staff do all the customizing on each soccer jersey?

Almost all shirts come blank. There are a few cases where the brand will offer a pre-printed jersey, say Ronaldo for Portugal jersey, as he is one of their prime assets and sponsor both player and team. Those cases though are very rare. We do all the printing in house, and in most cases if you visit our shop it can be done while you wait.

Over the last year which team has sold the most from Onionbag.com?

Manchester United and Barcelona always sell very well, but the World Cup definitely made sales of Argentina, Mexico, England, Germany and Spain soar.

Is there a particular Major League Soccer team that sells the best?

The Philadelphia Union have done very well for us, better than any other MLS team we have ever carried.

Looking over the Onionbag.com website I notice a wide variety of professional soccer jerseys that aren’t found on a few other sites. Has this always been the goal from your company or is this a recent trend from customers wanting jerseys that are hard to find?

See above, but to expand on that I would say that from day 1 our customers have been ahead of the curve with regards to what the major brands offer here in the United States. Long before Nike shelled out millions of dollars for Manchester United’s merchandising rights, we were importing training jerseys and polos from the UK because our customers were asking for it. I could go on and on about cases where there is a market for a specific team but the brand sponsoring that team is either unaware or doesn’t care. So we do our best to try and get shirts from over seas. That’s why this season we carried teams like Leeds United, Braga, Fulham, West Ham, and Napoli to name a few.

With retro jerseys being popular in all sports, will the Onionbag.com continue to add more of these to their inventory?

We have been very happy to have access to Copa Football’s retro shirts and jackets. Their products are high quality and fashionable. We are always open to carrying other retro brands.

On that follow up, how have the NASL retro shirts sold recently?

There are a few retro NASL shirts made by Copa and those always do well. We’ve done well with their LA Aztecs, New England Teamen and Ft. Lauderdale Strikers to name a few.

Can you please provide your Facebook and or Twitter accounts so our viewers can stay updated from the Onionbag.com.

www.twitter.com/theonionbag

www.facebook.com/onionbag