Risa Chokhawala

Harker t-shirts hang in the Eagle Store, located on the second floor of Nichols Hall. The Eagle store also sells jackets, hats, water bottles and more.

From team jackets to club sweatshirts and show merch, Harker merchandise is everywhere on campus. But behind every hoodie or water bottle with the eagle logo is a long process involving multiple departments and a commitment to sustainability.

The Eagle Store management leads the process and distribution for all of Harker merchandise, but it did not always look the way it does today. According to Director of Advancement Kim Lobe, around five years ago, merchandise was sold out of a small space in the advancement office. 

“When I first came to Harker, we literally were running the Eagle Store out of a closet,” Lobe said. “Spirit wear creates a sense of community, and it was weird that it was so small, so we started expanding what we offered.”

Over several years, the store slowly added more items and became more popular with students and families. Eventually, it was moved to the second floor of Nichols where it now sells everything from uniforms to athletic gear to branded accessories. Even as the store has grown, the mission it stands for has stayed the same. 

“From my perspective, the original goal was to build a sense of community,” store manager Heidi Artiss said. “When you have parents, staff and students wearing your Harker brand, it creates a shared sense of pride and connection.”

Artiss manages product ideas, inventory, vendor partnerships and student activity orders. Her responsibilities include tracking inventory through Shopify and coordinating merchandise for departments, sports and school events. She also works closely with parents and students to decide which items the store should carry. 

“At the end of the day, we only want to buy merchandise that people will actually wear,” Lobe said. “Mrs. Artiss hears what students like and what parents want, and that helps guide the decisions.”

Even though Artiss chooses the products, every item must follow Harker’s branding guidelines. The Office of Communications reviews designs to make sure logos, colors and fonts stay consistent. 

“Our role is to oversee the branding and make sure the proper logo and quality are used,” Office of Communications head Pam Dickinson said. “We don’t choose the items, but we approve the designs and make sure everything represents the school correctly.”

This process applies not only to the school merchandise, but also to products specific to  athletics, performing arts and other extracurriculars. Some designs, especially for shows or special events, require extra work from the communications team to make sure they fit the standard. 

Groups can design their own shirts or sweatshirts, but the designs must be approved before production. Senior Mindy Truong, curator of TEDxHarkerSchool, said her team designed its own event merchandise through Canva, creating a sketch before getting approved by Harker’s branding department.

“We used inspiration from current graphic tees and looked at Pacsun or Hollister and went off of their designs to see what was trending and what students would actually wear,” Mindy said. “We also wanted gender neutral [clothing] that was not too overwhelming.”

In recent years, the store has focused more on sustainability and higher-quality products. Artiss said she tries to work with companies that use responsible manufacturing or eco-friendly materials. This approach led to one of the store’s biggest changes — partnering with Patagonia to create school jackets. 

“When I first contacted Patagonia, they told me no,” Artiss said. “But after we explained our focus on sustainability, they agreed to work with us. We are the only school in the country that uses Patagonia as part of the uniform.”

Beyond promoting school pride, the Eagle Store gives its profits to the school endowment, which helps fund programs and resources for students. The store also works with advancement to create gifts for events such as Harker Day and donor dinners. However, Dickinson affirms the most important objective of the store is to foster a sense of belonging among all members of the Harker community.

“It’s a way to show pride,” Dickinson said. “When you wear something with the Harker logo, you feel connected to the school.”