West Lafayette / Indiana / United States
The Den is an iconic landmark within the Purdue University community that has been serving students and alumni since 1982. Located within easy walking distance from campus, it has something for everyone: university logoed clothing, snacks, soft drinks, cards, novelty gifts, school supplies and more. The most notable item, of course, is the famous “Den Pop” which has become an integral part of the Purdue experience among Boilermakers, both on campus and around the globe. History, according to us: Prior to the Dens conception in 1982 nothing all that notable really happened...aside from Purdues founding in 1869 (ayy) and Neil planting our banner on the Moon (your move IU). However, if you go back far enough, most of the area is still a bunch of corn fields. And if you go back even further, its just a bunch of fields with less corn and a few dinosaurs. But in all seriousness, the Den grew out of some humble beginnings... In the 1980s, we looked a whole lot different. This was the decade of leg warmers, synthesizers, big hair, and boom boxes. A time when MTV actually played good music and when people spent hours playing with a multi-colored puzzle cube. The internet wasnt really much of a thing yet since Al Gore hadnt invented it yet. Smart phones were the size of bricks and just as useful. Our current owners werent even born yet and no one honestly remembers much from this time. In the 90s, we sold beanie babies (the fidget spinners of stuffed animals) and our Spotify playlist was an entire aisle of CDs (small, shiny frisbees you used to stick in your computer). Unlike the comfort colors we have today, most of our Purdue themed clothing items came it various stunning shades of white, beige, and grey. In the early 2000s, we hosted playmates (well miss you Hef) and we became a drive-thru...by accident. Other than that and surviving Y2k, everything else was pretty chill. And yeah, thats about it.
