Better Aged MSU is the second location for the Better Aged business, founded by Austyn Daggett in 2022. His first location was on the campus of his alma mater, Grand Valley State University, in Grand Rapids. 

Daggett spoke about why he chose to specialize in vintage fashion. 

"I’ve always liked clothes and old things in general," Daggett said. "I feel like old things are made with better quality, they’re just different. It’s like each piece is one of one, you don’t really see the same thing, so it’s more about individuality and fashion."

Daggett also spoke about the unique items that draw people in the most. 

"This shop is at least 50% just vintage Michigan State Gear," said Daggett. "I’m doing a lot more vintage sports gear, a lot of vintage Levi’s, a lot of Carhartt jackets and things like that."

Better Aged MSU has a unique appeal — all the clothing they sell is over 20 years old. This means the designs, fabrics and players featured are unlikely to return due to their outdated nature, making a special find all the more valuable. 

Daggett also spoke about the quality of vintage clothing and emphasized that it has stood the test of time, and most of the items on display will continue to do so.  

"Everything in the shop is at least 20 to 30 years old, and some stuff is 40, 50 or 60 years old," Daggett said. "It’s been worn, and it can still be worn for another 30-50 years."

Daggett has employed several friends to help him run his business, including his longtime friend Dom Radashaw, who is the manager of the MSU location. 

Radashaw emphasized the significant effort the Better Aged team has made to prepare the store for their grand opening.  

"We’ve been trying to stock up on MSU stuff for over the last year in anticipation for this," Radashaw said. "A space became open, and he (Daggett) pulled the trigger on it, and we had the whole shop. The shop was completely empty about a week ago. We built the whole shop out in a week."

That effort was no small task as it was all hands on deck to build shelves, racks and place dozens of decorations around the store. The decor is one of the most notable parts of the business; each wall was decorated in collegiate banners, flags and vintage items that signaled a true blast from MSU’s past.  

Another feature of their grand opening was a special prize for the first person in line: $100 to spend in the store. This led to lines forming at 7:00 a.m., four hours before the store even opened. On top of that, the store offered $50 gift cards to five random people who interacted with and reposted their promotion on social media. 

These unique marketing methods led to quite a bit of excitement and a lengthy line early in the morning. 

"It was raining this morning...at about 11:00 this morning, there was a line of probably 30 or 40 people out there in the rain," Radashaw said.  

Radashaw also spoke to the allure and function that vintage fashion has had on his life from an early age. 

“" was always a bigger guy, so I’d go to a store and try on newer stuff, and it never fit me how I wanted," said Radashaw. "My uncles and my dad would give me stuff from the 90s, and I’d wear them, and I'm like, 'This is how I like my shirts to fit, this is how I like my pants to fit,' so I started going to thrift stores and random sales and it kind of bloomed from there years ago."

Better Aged MSU has a decent social media following that has allowed them to promote their grand opening and ensure a good turnout. In fact, seeing a TikTok led pre-nursing sophomore Danica Badawi and her friend, kinesiology sophomore Ella Menges, to quickly visit the store. 

"It came up on my for you page...and I sent it to her, and we were both like, ‘Want to go right now?’ we can get game day stuff," Menges said.  

Badawi elaborated on the quality and function of the clothing aside from its green and white coloring. 

"In years ahead we’ll be able to have these clothes with us, and not just the Michigan State stuff, all the stuff in here is cool," Badawi said. "I found a Pistons shirt and a Red Wings shirt, and the prices are, I’d say, reasonable."

Both Menges and Badawi agreed that the prices were more affordable than they expected. Elaborating that the sweatshirts they saw ranged from $45-$65, and T-shirts ranged from $25-$40. 

Kinesiology senior Colin Miller visited the storefront with his friends on a whim and ended up considering a vintage MSU jersey. He spoke about current trends the store might speak to and his impressions of the selection.  

"I think the style for vintage is pretty cool, I think that’s kind of in style right now that 90s style is coming back," Miller said. "Getting cool MSU hockey, football, basketball jerseys from the 90s is a really cool opportunity, they’re only 40 bucks too."

Miller also emphasized that the vintage nature of the clothing means there are rare items that are for sale that will never be produced again.  

"I saw golf, hockey, equestrian and swimming, which is not actually a program here anymore," Miller said. "You can find some really interesting MSU-themed clothes here that you would not find anywhere else."

With an expansive offering, one-of-a-kind selection, and a remarkably busy grand opening, Better Aged MSU may become the new go-to spot for Spartans looking for game day gear.