Tomorrow night, the new-look Nashville Predators will skate inside a new-look Bridgestone Arena. The crown jewel of the renovations (other than the new goal song, of course)? The brand new Preds Pro Shop.
The old shop, right outside sections 103 and 104, was approximately 1,300 square feet while the new one, outside 115 and 116, has a whopping 5,000 square feet of sales space and another 1,500 of storage space. With the additional area comes additional apparel styles, clothing designs and merchandise ideas as well. You will be blown away by the size and scope of what’s available in the store — which is still in progress, by the way — on Thursday night.
One of the biggest improvements is the location. Being on the 5th Ave. side of the building allows for entrance from the outside which, naturally, creates foot traffic during non-building hours. The old shop was a full 100 yards inside the main entrance which means, if you wanted to browse in the middle of a non-game day, you had to hope it was open and then make a real effort just to see the items in the window, let alone actually purchase something. The new location solves that issue and much more.
Also new this year is the Barrel House, located right inside the SoBro entrance. The Predators Radio Network has moved the pre- and post-game show to that location instead of in the middle of the concourse by large windows which away teams fans love to bang on while Darren McFarland, Willy Daunic et al are on the air. Being inside the Barrel House will give fans a chance to grab a beverage, mingle and have a place to sit while watching the shows.
There are other upgrades like the expanded concession options, the Lexus Lounge, the American Born Moonshine bar and, of course, the new goal song. The subtraction of Gary Glitter’s “Rock and Roll Part 2” not only removed a convicted child predator from the payroll (royalties) but also allows the team to incorporate a much more appropriate track in “Gold on the Ceiling” by The Black Keys. Mark Hollingsworth and the people over at 303 worked very hard at coming up with a mix that would allow for the fan favorite chants to continue and that tradition will start on Thursday night as well.
Below are a few pictures. Click on any of them for a larger view of the new pro shop, the Barrel House or the American Made Moonshine bar.
