Last night was our appearance at the brand new Last Licks Rye Ridge with women's soccer legend Brandi Chastain. I have worked with Brandi countless times (the last being the World Cup team signing late last year) and she remains one of my all-time favorite people (let alone athlete/celebrity). Before heading over to the store Brandi popped in to knock out a bunch of the private items. I had worked this out a head of time as the last thing I wanted was a ton of soccer balls bouncing around our newest store. Chastain was as accommodating as ever and finished all the equipment over here before we rode over to Last Licks. She autographed a handful of USA jerseys as well as a new style Nike ball (strongest we have ever done) Anyway, this was my first time in the new location and I must tell you...it is an incredible store. It is the perfect size and just set up the right way...has the right balance neighborhood ice cream shop and and ESPN zone kind of feel...very cool, very strong.
I was not the only on impressed with our newest location as Brandi could not believe how nice the store is. It turns out that she has friends in the area that have been frequenting the location since it opened a few weeks ago. Aside from her friends that came to visit us there was a nice crown on hand to greet the World Cup and Olympic star. Brandi, as always, was amazing with her fans...especially the kids.
After the public portion concluded Chastain signed the balance of the private pieces which was two incredibly strong photos (in both 8x10 and 16x20). Overall the entire night was a huge success and we are already looking forward to doing more with Brandi in the future. By the way Brandi is doing commentary for NBC for this Olympics soccer. I have watched a little bit of it already and I recommend even the most casual fan to check it out.
Check back later for a recap of the Mike Pelfrey appearance.