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Family-owned UF apparel store Gator Mania goes out of business
Owner Jenice Bushnell and her daughter Lisa Blum, manager, remember the last 27 years of their business as they auction off their remaining merchandise February 25, 2021 | 6:30am EST
Lisa Blum and Jenice Bushnell stand in front of Gator Mania with their 12-foot fiberglass alligator. [Photo courtesy of Lisa Blum]
After 27 years of selling UF merchandise to fans, students, families and tourists, Gator Mania closed its doors at Butler Plaza for the final time last week.
Gator Mania was one of the last local family-owned UF merchandise stores in Gainesville. In the last year, the city has seen the closing of many other staple businesses near the university, such as The Swamp restaurant and Daybreak Pleasant Street.
When an ecosystem of events revolving around the University of Florida from graduations and family weekend to football game tailgating were canceled in 2020 to prevent the spread of COVID-19, local businesses felt the sting of lost revenue.
Gator Mania, a popular store that sold Florida Gators clothing, furniture and accessories, became the latest to shutter forever on Feb. 10. Now its inventory of thousands of unsold items is up for auction.
“This is not something that we had anticipated or wanted,” owner Jenice Bushnell said.
The family-owned store’s been in business for 27 years and moved into its most recent space at 2905 NW 42nd St. in Butler North about four years ago. It was previously located in another location in Butler Plaza near Walmart, which used to be located where Whole Foods now stands.
a twist. soccer mom by day. alligator wrestler by night? yep. reporter: that twist, something a lot of people are paying to see. martha is an alligator wrestler. performing even at 7 months pregnant. the shock value of seeing an expectant mother wrestling alligators only adds to the draw. gator mania today going far beyond the sunshine state. shows from swamp people to gator boys. head can slam shut any minute. only takes 25 pounds of pressure to break your neck. if that gator gets a hold of you, your neck is going to snap like that. reporter: with gator shows seemingly advertised off every exit on the highway, tourists want to see something more exciting than a gator in a cage.
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