Erling Haaland turned a stop at Wild Bill's Western Store in Dallas into a Haaland Norway jersey conversation this week after trying on cowboy gear, buying items and posting the trip online. The visit spread fast, and the store's shelves felt the impact within days.
Julie Newport on the shopping trip
Julie Newport said Haaland told the Norway team, "Come on, guys, we're gonna go shopping." He did exactly that at the store in downtown Dallas, where he tried on hats and boots before leaving with a selection of cowboy gear.
Haaland also posted a video on his Snapchat that was picked up and shared by outlets such as Fox. In the same stretch, he posted a photo on the store's steps in a Stetson, cowboy boots and the "Y'All Can Kiss My Dallas" T-shirt, giving the visit the look of a planned bit rather than a quiet shopping stop.
Wild Bill's Western Store sells out
Within days, Wild Bill's Western Store sold out of the items Haaland had bought. Cody Newport said, "They had, like, absolutely the best time doing that. It was like dress-up for them," and added, "I'm very proud as a store owner, but also as a Texan."
The reaction around Haaland has turned on a sharp contrast. He is still the striker who was clocked at 22.5 miles per hour in the Premier League last season, yet the viral clip from his YouTube channel showed him answering a fan with, "No, not me. I'm the social media guy." Jonathan Turton then stepped in and claimed to be the Norwegian striker while Haaland giggled in the background.
Norway and the World Cup quarterfinal
The store stop landed in the middle of a larger World Cup run, with Haaland having scored the goal that secured Norway's knockout win over Ivory Coast on Tuesday. Norway is now set to take on Brazil in the World Cup quarterfinal, while its traveling fans have been coordinating synchronized rows across the United States during the tournament.
That is the part Dallas shoppers are left with: a quick visit became a sellout, and the player at the center of it still has another stage ahead. Haaland's trip gave Wild Bill's Western Store a surge of attention that cannot be separated from the soccer run behind it, but the merchandise shelves have already told their side of the story.
