All That J.A.S., a new Greek merchandise and cheerleading store, is scheduled to open tomorrow in downtown Burlington. This new store will make it easier for members of Elon's Greek organizations to purchase t-shirts and merchandise sporting their organization's letters.

Almost every day of the week, student members of Elon's Greek community can be seen wearing letters, pins and jewelry displaying affiliations. There are 1,439 students who are part of a Greek organization. This is 36 percent of Elon's student body, and until the opening of All That J.A.S., these students were unable to purchase their Greek gear.

Most students express their Greek loyalty by wearing letter t-shirts. For women in sororities, Tuesdays are always letter shirt days. With the closing of a Chapel Hill Greek store, students have been forced to order their Greek gear online.

"I've ordered a lot of shirts online and it usually takes a few weeks for them to get here, but for many of my friends who have ordered shirts, it has taken an even longer time for their items to get here," said student Anne Pannell. This slow delivery inconveniences many students.

Elon students are now in luck with the grand opening of All That J.A.S. The new store can be found just a few minutes away from campus at 117 W. Davis St. in downtown Burlington, a convenient location for students. Owner Michaelle Graybeal said she hopes that the location will bring more Elon students into downtown Burlington.

"I'm really excited that we're finally going to have a Greek store in Burlington. It will be so much easier than ordering online. I can't wait until it opens," said student Tracy Trave.

The merchandise sold at All That J.A.S. includes custom letter shirts, jewelry, apparel, décor, novelties and more, along with pompons, t-shirts, shoes and coaches' equipment for cheerleading squads.

"The store is going to sell a lot of items such as clothing, flip-flops, accessories and even lamps, nail files, car decals, pens and notepads, all with sorority logos on them," said store employee Diane Stanton.

Graybeal said All That J.A.S. offers many different patterns for Greek letter shirts, big sister/little sister gifts and Bid Day items, all of which can be made into gift baskets.

"I believe we have a pretty good selection of things for just starting out. We're very open to other people's ideas for what they'd like to see in the store," she said.

Graybeal said students will find merchandise at All That J.A.S. to be reasonably priced, especially when compared to online prices.

"All items are affordable, ranging from $1 for stickers to around $35 for a lamp," she said.

Graybeal said she is thrilled with the opening of the store. All That J.A.S. will be open from noon to 6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays.

"The store has a very whimsical look with bright colors. It looks cool and fun. It's our goal for it to be fun when people come in," Graybeal said. Whether you're in the need for some new letter shirts, need to pick up a pompon to wave or just want to check out the merchandise, stop by All That J.A.S.

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