Mary Kay Larson waits for her son, UA freshman Zachary Larson, to render an opinion about a cap at the University of Arizona Bookstore.

 Rebecca Sasnett, Arizona Daily Star

Some 7,500 students moved into the University of Arizona’s 23 dorms last week and a good lot of them made their way to the UA BookStores on campus, looking to prop up their UA wardrobe.

Restaurants and shops along East University Boulevard at Main Gate Square saw a massive uptick in business as families dropping off students popped in for souvenirs at A-City, grabbed a slice at No Anchovies or a burger and a beer at the venerable Gentle Ben’s.

For the 8,900 incoming freshmen — which breaks last year’s historic record of 8,700 first-year students — flooding the campus, the road to fully immersing yourself in the Wildcat spirit involves dressing the part, cheering on the home team and finding the Wildcat scene.

Here’s our guide to help you achieve all three.

Dress like a Wildcat

Just days before students started moving in last week, incoming freshman Kathryn Johnson from Iowa picked up a crop top with the UA’s block A in red and sweats with “University of Arizona” down the side when she and her family visited the UA BookStores on campus.

Her dad was off looking for “mom” and “dad” shirts, while little sister Elizabeth was still browsing.

UA sophomore Cadeaux Benimana, who has worked at the store for a year, said Johnson couldn’t go wrong with the crop top-sweats combo. His advice to students: “Find something that helps you stand out. Find your style,” he said.

No matter where you go in Tucson, from the local big box stores to the strip plazas and shopping malls, you can find UA insignia T-shirts, sweats, hoodies and the like, and you might save a buck or two.

Kelly Bristol, whose daughter is a freshman at the University of Arizona, looks at some long-sleeve shirts at the UA Bookstore.

But University of Arizona BookStores on campus boasts the biggest selection of the latest styles and fashions when it comes to UA gear.

“We brought in new brands. We brought in new styles and ... we’ve kind of reworked the store to be more cohesive for what people are shopping for,” said Cori Rhodes, the bookstore’s sales manager and apparel buyer.

Rhodes said the main bookstore across from the Student Union has the biggest selection of new fashions, including from Hype & Vice, one of the leading makers of women’s college insignia styles. The company’s UA line includes everything from tube tops and bandeaus to sweat pants and track shorts.

The store carries apparel from Nike, Champion, Colosseum, Zephyr and League 91. New to the lineup: Disney and Life Is Good, whose UA insignia co-branded shirts are prominently displayed not far from the Starbucks.

“It’s great that we can do UA specific (shirts),” Rhodes said, adding that the Life Is Good apparel has proven to be a hot seller. “It’s a pretty popular brand and it’s a lifestyle brand. Students recognize that brand.”

UA BookStores has stores at McKale Center and the UA School of Medicine, and souvenir shops at Arizona Stadium, Hi Corbett Field and Mike Candrea Field at Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium. It also supplies the shops at Flandrau Science Center & Planetarium on campus, Biosphere 2 in Oracle and the UA medical school campus in Phoenix.

But the main store is its largest operation, selling designer sunglasses from Rayban and Pit Vipers; Apple computers, watches, tablets and AirPods; North Face coats and backpacks; and an assortment of hats.

Walking into the sprawling store is like walking into a department store, where you can fill your closet and decorate your home — or in this case, dorm/apartment — with UA cardboard lawn signs and garden flags and UA insignia bedding.

They also have gift items including decals and stickers to slap on a car window or bumper or a Hydro Flask, which they also sell in a variety of hard-to-find colors.

Of course, they also sell books and school supplies, Rhodes is quick to note, in the lower level of the store where students also can get their CatCards.

“We’re more than just a bookstore. We provide so many things for so many people,” she said, noting a line of alumni T-shirts and outfits for infants, toddlers and young kids.

You can also find a full selection of UA insignia apparel at A-City/Just Sports, 814 E. University Blvd., at Main Gate Square. A-City carries many of the brands offered at UA BookStores, including Nike, Hype & Vice and Colosseum in T-shirts, crop tops, sweats, shorts and hats.

Stroll along the University Boulevard on game night and you'll see large-screen TVs flickering inside Frog & Firkin

Join the scene

Tucson is a university town in every respect, but nothing outshines Main Gate Square on East University Boulevard.

Main Gate stretches from the lava rock main gate on North Park Avenue and University to North Euclid Avenue, with mostly independently-owned restaurants, shops and sports bars all screaming Wildcat pride.

Stroll along the boulevard on game night and see large-screen TVs flickering inside Frog & Firkin at 847 E. University and its neighbors, No Anchovies pizzeria at 870 E. University and the venerable Gentle Ben’s Brewing, across the street at 865 E. University. All three restaurants also have TVs on their patios, which have misters in the summertime and heat lamps when the weather turns cooler.

UA banners flutter from the second-floor porch railings at Illegal Pete’s, the Mission-style burrito restaurant at 876 E. University. Once football season gets underway with the first home game Sept. 10, expect to see more UA signs in store windows.

Some of the stores along the boulevard sell UA insignia clothing and souvenirs including at the all-UA apparel store A-City, which has shirts, shorts, sweats and accessories for men and women; and Pink Moon, which will offer an array of gift and household items when they open sometime this fall.

The Beatles look down on tables at The Union Jack, a new British pub and restaurant at Main Gate Square.

Also coming this fall:

Berry Greens Acai & Juice Bar is moving into the old Jamba Juice space at 943 E. University. The locally-owned restaurant that specializes in raw cold-pressed fruit and vegetable juices, smoothies and acai bowls, opened its flagship restaurant downtown at 245 E. Congress St. in 2020.

The Union Jack, a British-themed pub that will offer British, Scottish and Irish pub grub alongside American burgers, steaks and sandwiches, is taking up the corner space at East University and North Euclid that was home years ago to the Auld Dubliner. Scottish native Kevin Johnston, one of three owners, said they hope to open the first week of September. It will be the trio’s third Union Jack location after opening pubs in Mesa and Scottsdale last year. “Everyone’s got some sort of ancestry in England or Scotland,” he said. The restaurant will features several TVs showing sports. Johnston said they plan to open at 7 a.m. so that customers also can watch British soccer matches.

The Latin Agave House restaurant, owned by the folks at Gentle Ben’s, is still a work in progress. It takes the spot that was home for five years to The Dutch Eatery & Refuge before it moved to 5340 E. Broadway in April. Richard Fifer, one of three owners of Gentle Ben’s, said they are hoping to open in November. Gentle Ben’s also owns the Italian eatery Bacio Italiano at 943 E. University.

We got spirit

The Marshall Foundation, landlords for all the properties along University Boulevard, is gearing up for its first Bear Down Friday pep rally and spirit party on Sept. 9, a day before the Wildcats football team plays its first home game of the 2022 season.

For the past 16 years, the Marshall Foundation has hosted the event on East University, bringing in thousands of alumni and residents to cheer on the football team.

The Arizona Wildcats pom squad knows how to fire up a crowd.

“It’s a pretty big event and a lot of people go to the restaurants and watch it from the patios, which is fun, too,” said Jane McCollum, Marshall Foundation’s general manager and a key organizer of Bear Down Fridays.

The free events, which members of the Zona Zoo student section also help promote, will be held along Main Gate Square on the Friday before Saturday home games. Fans are encouraged to show their UA colors and cheer on the team as the Pride of Arizona Marching Band, UA Poms, Twirlers and Guard, Wilbur and Wilma and UA Cheer are on hand to boost the crowd’s spirits. Other UA coaches also are expected to make guest appearances at each rally, McCollum said.

At the Sept. 9 event, the UA group Meow or Never Acapella will perform and Lotus Group will have 94.9 Mix-FM and KFMA playing music on University Boulevard with a live broadcast from ESPN Tucson in front of Gentle Ben’s.

There will be no Bear Down Friday when the UA meets rival ASU on Nov. 25 due to the Thanksgiving holiday.

Catch a free concert

Country singer Phil Vassar — aka country music’s answer to Billy Joel — is playing a free concert on the UA Mall on Sept. 10 a few hours before the UA plays its first home game of the season against Mississippi State.

Phil Vassar is playing a free concert on the UA Mall on Sept. 10. His latest album is "Stripped Down."

The piano-playing Vassar (“Carlene,” “Six Pack Summer,” “Just Another Day in Paradise”) apparently has friends in the UA Athletics Department. His concert begins at 5:30 p.m. on the UA Mall and is presented by Arizona Arts Live.

“This is his second year playing the home opener and we are excited to be working with Arizona Athletics to make this concert happen,” said Arizona Arts Live Executive Director Chad Herzog.

Country singer Phil Vassar returns to the University of Arizona on Sept. 10 to play a pre-game concert before the UA Wildcats play their first home game of the season.

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Contact reporter Cathalena E. Burch at cburch@tucson.com. On Twitter @Starburch