Barack Obama a memorabilia hit

WASHINGTON — At the gift shops in Union Station, shelves once stocked with ubiquitous FBI T-shirts and mugs now display all things Barack Obama — apparel, action figures and a jack-in-the-box with the president-elect popping out with a big smile.

Even a cigar shop at the busy train station has gotten into the high-demand business with an Obama stogie.

“Everybody’s just Obama crazy. It’s madness right now,” said Johndell McLean, 30, who works at Life on Capitol Hill, a store now full of Obama products, including hot sauce, mints and bobble-head dolls. One T-shirt features a U.S. map stamped with the words, “Under New Management.”

Even more popular is anything with Obama’s face on it.

“Whatever it is that has Obama on it, they like it,” McLean said. “Everything is selling.”

Well, almost everything.

A sign on one small shelf at the store reads, “All McCain/Palin T-shirts now $3.75, while they last!” Mugs from the Republican campaign go for less than $2. Nearby, Obama mugs and T-shirts are selling for more than twice those amounts.

Obama is clearly a big sales opportunity for the multitude of small vendors and gift-shop retailers in the nation’s capital and elsewhere. But it’s almost impossible to calculate the revenue being generated, partly because many trinkets are sold on the black market by street vendors in Washington, New York and other places.

The fact that Obama will be the country’s first black president is driving sales to “a whole different tier than Clinton or Bush or anybody,” said Martin Brochstein, a senior vice president at the International Licensing Industry Merchandisers’ Association.

And there is more money to be made in upcoming weeks.

“It’s almost like the opening of a big movie in that everything builds toward that opening day,” Brochstein said. “Opening day here is called Inauguration Day” and that is Jan. 20.

Barry Harris, 27, a business school student at Howard University, recently bought nearly $300 worth of Obama merchandise at Union Station for his family in California. He grabbed T-shirts, including one showing Obama and Martin Luther King Jr. with the message “A Dream Come True,” along with an Obama mug and candy bar. The items will be stocking stuffers and Christmas gifts.

“It’s definitely a piece of history — especially in the African-American community,” Harris said. “It’s definitely just representative of a lot of progress over many years.”

Some Obama products can be personalized with one’s own name. The Web site DemocraticStuff.com, operated by Greenville, Ohio-based Tigereye Design, is selling personalized buttons, banners and rally signs. The Obama campaign is cashing in with sales of commemorative mugs and victory T-shirts. The proceeds go to the Democratic National Committee.

Ads for the 22-karat-gold-trimmed Obama “Victory Plate,” a “priceless work of art” that sells for $19.99 plus shipping and handling, have bombarded many cable TV viewers. “His confident smile and kind eyes are an inspiration to us all,” a narrator says on the commercial.

Imprinted with the Election-Day electoral vote and the message “Change Has Come,” the plate also comes with a special certificate. The company behind the Obama plate, Fairfield, N.J.-based TeleBrands Corp., is the same group that sells “As Seen on TV” products such as the PedEgg pedicure device and the Stick Up Bulb.

Newspapers also smelled an opportunity because so many papers sold out after the election, said Cathy Trost, the exhibits chief at the Newseum.

The Washington Post is offering tote bags, clothing and coffee mugs with images of its day-after-election front page; prices range from $10 to $43. On Inauguration Day, the paper will print a special advertising section, “Welcome to the White House,” that lets people submit personal messages to the new president for $10.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Traffic slows as it moves around the bend of northbound I-5 through north Everett on Wednesday, May 22, 2024. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Paving project will close I-5 lanes in Everett

Crews will close up to 4 lanes overnight for weeks to complete the $8.1 million repairs.

Top, from left: Bill Wheeler, Erica Weir and Mason Rutledge. Bottom, from left: Sam Hem, Steven Sullivan.
Candidates seek open District 1 seat in crowded race

Five people are aiming to take the open seat left after current council member Mary Fosse announced she would not run for reelection.

From left to right, Lynnwood City Council Position 3 candidates Josh Binda, Tyler Hall and Bryce Owings.
Position 3 candidates focus on affordability amid city’s growth

City Council Vice President Josh Binda is seeking a second term against challengers Tyler Hall and Bryce Owings.

South County Fire plans push-in ceremony for newest fire engine

Anybody who attends will have the opportunity to help push the engine into the station.

District 1 candidates talk financial priorities, student needs

Three newcomers — Carson Sanderson, Arun Sharma and Brian Travis — are eyeing the vacant seat on the district’s board of directors.

Logo for news use featuring the municipality of Snohomish in Snohomish County, Washington. 220118
Snohomish man, who trained extremists, sentenced for illegal gun possession

An FBI investigation revealed Benton posted violent extremist content, neo-Nazi propaganda, and anti-Semitic materials on social media.

Logo for news use featuring the Tulalip Indian Reservation in Snohomish County, Washington. 220118
Sprinkler system limits fire spread at Quil Ceda Creek Casino

The fire occured in a server room Thursday afternoon, and the cause is still under investigation. There were no reported injuries.

Edgewater Bridge construction workers talk as demolition continues on the bridge on Friday, May 9, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Crews complete demolition of Edgewater Bridge

City engineers say work is still on pace to open the vital connection between Everett and Mukilteo in early 2026.

Washington Attorney General Nick Brown, center, speaks to reporters alongside Solicitor General Noah Purcell, left, and Northwest Immigrant Rights Project Legal Director Matt Adams, right, outside a Seattle courthouse where federal appeals court judges heard arguments over President Donald Trump’s executive order on birthright citizenship on June 4, 2025. (Photo by Jake Goldstein-Street/Washington State Standard)
Appeals court maintains WA’s nationwide block of birthright citizenship order

A federal appeals court on Wednesday agreed with a Seattle judge’s decision… Continue reading

Bothell
Deputies: Motorcyclist, 19, dies after crashing into fence near Bothell

Detectives believe the rider lost control when navigating a turn Thursday morning.

The orca Tahlequah and her new calf, designated J57. (Katie Jones / Center for Whale Research) 20200905
Whidbey Island local Florian Graner showcases new orca film

The award-winning wildlife filmmaker will host a Q&A session at Clyde Theater on Saturday.

A digital render of the Food and Farming Center in its planned location in McCollum Park. (Image provided by Snohomish County Planning and Development Services)
Snohomish County Council pass Food and Farming Center regulations

Fundraising will take place through 2026. Phase one of construction is scheduled to begin in 2027.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.