Ohio State students now have hundreds of options for transporting their drinks.
The Tervis store opened in South Campus Gateway at 1572 N. High St. in December.
The Gateway location is the first standalone store in Ohio and the 41st Tervis store in the country, according to Monica Dixon, senior public relations and events coordinator for Tervis.
Dixon said that the head of stores found the location and saw it as the perfect opportunity to create a “college-centric” store. She added that the company does “really well” with OSU tumblers, putting them in the top 10 of college sales.
“We didn’t really go looking for (the location) … it kind of just worked out that way, that the opportunity presented was one of our bestsellers,” she said. “They worked with South Campus Gateway to make it work and do the hyper-localized assortment of OSU on campus. It’s the first time we’ve ever done something like that.”
Prior to the location in the Gateway, people in the Columbus area could buy Tervis tumblers at nearby Hallmark and Bed Bath and Beyond stores. Dixon said that there is a difference between the experiences at those locations and the new store.
“When you go to Bed Bath and Beyond, you see an assortment of a variety of things, like flip flops, palm trees, ‘I love mom,’” she said. “This is specific for students on campus as well as when their families come to town and want to purchase.”
Prices range from $9.99 for a coffee cup, to $14.99 for a 16-ounce cup, to $25.99 for a water bottle.
Dixon said the investment is worth it.
“If you were to purchase some off-brand tumblers, you’re going to be replacing those constantly; Tervis will do this at no charge,” she said. “If something happens to your tumbler, you send it to our factory and we’ll replace it.”
Tervis located at 1572 N High St offers hundreds of selections of insulated cup designs. Credit: Hannah Herner | Asst. Arts&Life Editor
While featuring a large OSU section of designs, the store also offers tumblers representing local and national sports teams, including the Columbus Blue Jackets and Columbus Crew SC.
There are also fraternity and sorority designs, as well as pop culture options, such as “Star Wars,” “Despicable Me” and “Harry Potter.” Tervis also offers seasonal designs and is currently featuring Valentine’s Day designs.
The Gateway location offers personalization for the cups for an extra fee of $5. Cups can be personalized with a range of colors and fonts, and the store can also special order specific designs to be shipped to the store for free.
Manager Vicki Bryant emphasized the wide range of products the store offers patrons.
“We are very excited to be here, and we invite everyone to come check out the store and the products,” she said. “There’s something for everyone.”
Looking to the future, Tervis plans to stick around as long as it can. Dixon said that the company
is looking into expanding into other parts of Ohio next.
“We don’t usually close our stores,” she said. “We plan on staying as long as the space is available.”
The store’s winter hours are Monday to Thursday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. In March, it will be open until 9 p.m. on weekdays and 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
