One of the major matchday experiences for me as a fan is visiting the team store at some point during the trip. During my recent visit to Goodison Park this Spring, I stepped foot inside the shop no fewer than five times between Everton One and Two.
So when Everton announced that the team store near Goodison was closing in favor of the new megastore at Hill Dickinson Stadium, that felt like an exciting step in the club's move to the new stadium, which is set to make its competitive debut in just a few week's time.
And now, if you happen to be in Liverpool at the moment, you could stroll on over and check out the new shop, as they opened their doors for the first time at 9 AM local time.
Early videos and photos show a much larger footprint than was available at Everton One, although it looks like there will be room to grow, as there appears to be plenty of space inside.
The store will be open seven days a week, with Monday to Saturday hours running from 9 AM to 8 PM, and Sunday from 11 AM to 5 PM. Everton Two at Liverpool One remains open as well.
The club noted that since there are ongoing work to finish up the stadium before its official opening that there is no parking available onsite, something that will need to be remedied if they hope to maintain the opening hours once the season has begun. For now, no other parts of the stadium are accessible outside of the shop.
If there's a nit to pick here it's that the opening doesn't seem very grand, with the club only having announced the first day yesterday, but with the squad getting set for the trip to the United States and preparing for the season, maybe there is another plan in mind for closer to the start of the campaign, with this working more as a soft opening.
All I know is that I can't wait to get out there an check out the new stadium and team shop someday. If you're local, swing by and check it out and let us know what you think.