Tables have been filling more and more spots along the streets of downtown Cleveland, offering T-shirts and buttons in favor of Donald Trump (and more than a few bashing Hillary Clinton and President Barack Obama).
But it was in the blessedly air-conditioned hall of the 5th Street Arcades on Euclid Avenue that you could find one of the more impressive collections of political novelties, including Donald Trump toilet paper, a pen of Hillary Clinton laughing and vintage items such as John and Jackie Kennedy masks.
It all came from Steve Presser, the self-described “big cheese” of Big Fun toy store in Cleveland Heights, a generation-spanning stop for people seeking all things, well, fun.
Along with a few Cleveland-themed items, there were Clinton and Trump socks. “Socks are big. What the heck,” Presser said. You could even work on an ensemble with “patriotic garters” and bow ties.
Magnets made fun of Trump and Clinton — and a few saluting Bernie Sanders. (“Uncool has never been cooler,” said one.) A talking Trump pen promised eight sayings including, “I’m really rich” and “I will build a great wall.”
A small book offered “185 stupid things Democrats have said.”
You could also find Republican mints, “the right way to fresh breath,” and “I kissed a Democrat gum,” best left unexplained.
For the arcade stand, open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. each convention day, he also dug into his archives to find, for instance, some of his 200 Kennedy masks (100 each of John and Jackie), which he acquired years ago in a warehouse sale. The original price tag on one was for 29 cents. Presser was selling them for $15 each or two for $25.
“That’s inflation, folks,” he said.
Also from the warehouse: Whitehouse brand ice cream boxes, from a Warren, Ohio, company. And rhinestone pins saying “GOP” and “DEM,” which he dated to the ’70s.
Business was not brisk on Monday, with Presser expecting that the street vendors were drawing some buyers away. His biggest attraction was a life-size cardboard cutout of Trump, which people could pose next to.
He also had a cutout of Clinton, he said, because “we’re equal opportunists.”
Although the Trump cutout was for sale for $35, thrifty conventiongoers opted instead to pose for pictures with it. That was free.
Rich Heldenfels writes about popular culture for the Beacon Journal, Ohio.com, Facebook and Twitter. You can contact him at 330-996-3582 or rheldenfels@thebeaconjournal.com.