MAUMEE, Ohio — The scene is set as soon as customers walk through the door.
They step over a rug split in half — one side for Ohio State, the other for Michigan.
And that is the theme of the entire store at the Buckeye Wolverine Shop.
"We watch couples come in here, and they’ll stop at the front door," Chris Mason said. "And they literally will look left, look right, then they cross, and then they’ll chirp at each other while they’re shopping."
Chris Mason co-owns the shop with his brother, Mark.
The two took over the store back in 2010, expanding their home recreation business to include the split-fan gear store. But the concept has been around for decades.
And it's serious business.
Chris Mason said customers will buy gear for themselves celebrating one team but then gear celebrating the other team as gifts, and many won't even allow the merchandise to be placed in the same bag.
"It’s funny — they’ll stop real quick and say, 'Well, who do you root for?' because they want to make sure you’re okay waiting on them," Chris Mason said.
The brothers are okay waiting on anyone, and they do try to keep their own allegiances a secret.
"I tell everybody, I root for both teams right up to the last game," Chris Mason said. "I want both teams to win all season long, right up to the last game. And I, you know, so it’s good for business, and it’s good for the best rivalry."
But if you press really hard, you will get a straight answer from the brothers.
"We usually end up, in the long run, telling them we are both Ohio State fans," Mark Mason said. "But you can have fun with it in the meantime."