Taking a look at the new MLB pop-up store in London

by Steve

Exterior of MLB pop-up in London

This lunchtime I went for a walk to Long Acre in Covent Garden to have a mooch around the brand new pop-up store dedicated to everything Major League Baseball.

As you might expect, there is a pretty comprehensive range of baseball caps and jerseys, covering most MLB sides. There appeared to be one or two unusual jerseys, but the caps were the sort of standard stuff you might see in London’s New Era store, or could buy online.

Baseball jerseys

There were also a few pieces of, well, casual wear – t-shirts, jackets, socks. Plus a few normal baseballs, gloves and bats, for those visitors who actually want to play the game.

There is also a big screen showing a game, if you fancy a break from all that retail therapy.

Casual baseball t-shirts

My favourite items were the vintage-style baseballs, each design offering a nod to a team’s past, or in some cases representing a past team – I saw a rather handsome Montreal Expos baseball.

It is clearly early days for the store, so I intend to visit a few more times before the pop-up closes at the end of the year to see how it evolves. I hope they will bring in some more items. While what they had in stock was great it would be nice to have a little more on offer – especially for any baseball fans planning a journey into London, rather than baseball fans like me who can just wander in on their lunch hour.

Vintage style baseballs

And hopefully if there is some more stock they will offer some cheaper items too. A word of warning – everything was pretty expensive. I will be saving the pennies for one of those vintage baseballs. I’d like more than one, but at £30 a go, I can’t really justify that. I’m not sure I can justify spending that much on one, to be honest. But perhaps I have no concept of how much these things cost. And they are really lovely.

If you’re in the area and you like baseball it is well worth a visit, even only for the novelty value of seeing a MLB shop outside the United States. I’m really pleased that baseball is reaching out to new areas. And if I win the lottery, I’m buying everything in there.