Any shopper who doesn’t take necessary precautions might find himself or herself blindsided at the Apothem, a forest of crimson and cream garb where everybody knows your name.

That name, shared by millions of people all over the world, is “Sooner.”

Located on Campus Corner, the Apothem welcomes thousands of fans who flock to Norman to celebrate their favorite school, selling Sooner memorabilia as varied as OU-printed bathrobes to backscratchers to T-shirt-shaped koozies.

Named for a Greek math term, the store’s original formula when it opened 20 years ago was to sell apparel geared toward fraternity and sorority members.

Still owned by the same family, the store still has a greeked-out room in the back that includes mostly sorority-related paraphernalia like blankets, water bottles and stationery.

Employee Sarah Faw Faw, health and exercise junior, said the sorority apparel brings in a lot of business to the Apothem because of the huge variety.

“There’s a lot of cute stuff [in the back],” she said, as she rang up a customer while working at the register next to a stack of Oklahoma post cards. “It’s where I bought for like big/little and initiation, [so] it’s a pretty good selection of stuff.”

But to expand its business, the Apothem now caters to the booming needs of all Sooner fans looking to get their fix with game-day T-shirts, hats, seat cushions and the like.

“People are crazy about their OU [when they come in],” said employee Olivia Gonzalez, University College freshman. “It doesn’t matter … if it has OU, people will buy it.”

Gonzalez and Faw Faw are two of the five student employees. Fellow co-worker Taylor Smith said she agreed the store has the most eclectic of memorabilia — and of customers.

“[At] all the stores down on Campus Corner, there’s a lot of variety, and this store kind of channels toward some of the weirder OU stuff,” said Smith, motioning toward an OU Mr. Potato Head behind her. “I had someone come in here for a toaster one day … I’m sure if they existed, we would have them, but we don’t.”

A University College freshman, Smith described the Apothem as more like a home than a business, in part because of its atmosphere of crimson and cream-filled friendliness.

“I think because it’s a family-run business, we’re all kind of family because we’re here all the time together,” she said. “We all know each other really, really well because we all work together on game days and we work throughout the week.”

On both game days and weekdays it’s all OU at the Apothem, she said. As such, the store only allows OU paraphernalia.

“There’s nothing in here that isn’t OU,” Smith said. “It’s pure Sooners.”

That doesn’t include the several (upside-down) Longhorn flags by the door, of course.

If you go
WHAT: The Apothem
WHERE: 784 Asp Ave.
HOURS: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday
10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday
noon to 6 p.m. Sunday