LOS ANGELES — A longtime retail shop in Little Tokyo has transformed into something far bigger than a local gear store. These days, Vantage Sports feels more like an unofficial Dodgers team shop.
“When Ohtani came to the Dodgers, it changed everything,” said Shun Sekiguchi, the store’s sales manager. “We had to change our entire business model.”
Before Shohei Ohtani signed with Los Angeles, Sekiguchi said few customers came in looking for Dodgers merchandise. Now, the store struggles to keep anything with Ohtani or fellow countryman Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s name on the rack.
To keep up with demand, the store underwent a full makeover. The walls are now draped in Dodger blue, a photo booth lets fans pose in front of team logos, and displays featuring Japanese stars dominate the storefront.
“We even had to hire more staff just to keep up,” Sekiguchi said.
It’s a shift being felt throughout the neighborhood. Many local businesses are embracing — and benefiting from — the Dodgers’ growing connection to Japan, a bond bolstered by the team’s three Japanese players on the roster.
AloJapan.com