Saturday, May 19, 2018
Patriot Limited Edition Hammer Commemorating 911
Patriot Limited Edition Hammer by Dude Tools. The box relates that it is made in America and hand painted. The star pattern on both sides of the hammer head commemorates 911. There are 9 stars on one side and 11 stars on the other side. This is the first example I have seen of a 911 commemorative item that is a tool. In general, a hammer seems like a compelling object that speaks to building (or rebuilding). A hammer is a tool of the trades and is an object that is used everyday. Calling this hammer patriot brands it clearly as a tool of recovery and rebuilding by connecting it 911. Overall, this is a great example of the tremendous influence of 911 on all forms of material culture, especially everyday, commonly used items (like a tool).
Labels:
commemorative,
hammer,
patriotic,
tool
Saturday, April 22, 2017
Steinbach Signed 9/11 Tribute Firefighter Nutcracker Music Box
Limited edition and signed, this nutcracker is a tribute made by Steinbach in 2002 (made in Germany). This is clearly a firefighter tribute. It features a music box, which is the hose coil hanging from his hand.
Labels:
commemorative,
corporate,
firefighter,
nutcracker,
tribute
Sunday, May 15, 2016
North Branch Volunteer Fire Co FIRE HOSE NOZZLE MUG September 11
Tribute fire hose nozzle shaped mug from North Branch Volunteer Fire Co (NY) in memory of September 11 victims (fallen brothers). Also tribute to anniversary of the company.
Fire department tributes are very common regarding 9/11 material culture, but this mug is unique in shape (but probably not much for function).
Labels:
commemorative,
FDNY,
fire department,
firefighter,
mug
Design Ideas "Doodles Destination" Twin Towers
Design Ideas will donate ten percent of each Doodles Destinations Twin Towers sale to the World Trade Center United Family Group, Inc.
Another example of consumer good developed and sold with a tie 9/11, including a donation of the proceeds.
Labels:
donation,
Doodles Destination,
model,
sculpture
A Tribute to the Dogs 9/11 magnet set
Tribute magnet (3 magnets) set for dogs (related to Ground Zero service, etc) from the 9/11 Memorial. Similar to the published book on this topic.
Labels:
911 memorial,
magnet,
tribute
Friday, September 11, 2015
9/11 Memorabilia Makers Seek a Delicate Balance
Fourteen years after the terrorist attacks, souvenir shops still offer 9/11-related products. Inc. spoke to manufacturers and retailers about the thin line between selling memorabilia and tragedy.
Will Yakowicz is a staff writer for Inc. magazine. He has reported from the West Bank and Moscow for Tablet Magazine; covered business, crime, and local politics for The Brooklyn Paper; and was the editor of Park… Full bio
Staff writer, Inc.@WillYakowicz
In America, everything is branded. Even the worst terrorist attacks this country has ever seen have become a vehicle for commerce. Whether you think it's an important way to remember or an insensitive cash grab, various businesses have been selling merchandise related to 9/11 since almost immediately after the attacks.
But 14 years on, the niche industry of September 11 memorabilia is shifting its focus away from the Twin Towers to a new symbol, the recently opened Freedom Tower. (Just don't call it the Freedom Tower anymore. In its marketing efforts, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which owns the building, is pushing the skyscraper's official name, 1 World Trade Center, in an effort to separate itself from the Twin Towers and the terrorist attacks.)
But 14 years on, the niche industry of September 11 memorabilia is shifting its focus away from the Twin Towers to a new symbol, the recently opened Freedom Tower. (Just don't call it the Freedom Tower anymore. In its marketing efforts, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which owns the building, is pushing the skyscraper's official name, 1 World Trade Center, in an effort to separate itself from the Twin Towers and the terrorist attacks.)
Names aside, companies in this industry say consumer preferences have largely moved on too.
"Oddly enough, the customer base doesn't want anything Twin Tower-related," says Debbie Goldfeder, vice president of sales and marketing for Torkia International, a manufacturer and wholesaler of New York City souvenirs and apparel. Her company is the largest license holder of NYPD, FDNY, MTA, and I Love New York merchandise.
Many other memorabilia sellers--part of more than a $1 billion souvenir industry, according to Torkia senior vice president Lloyd Haymes--have had a similar experience and adjusted their inventory accordingly. Nathan Harkrader, co-founder of souvenir e-commerce site NYCwebstore.com, launched his company in November 2001. Initially, he says, the majority of his customers asked for September 11-related merchandise--T-shirts, Twin Tower statues, and patriotic souvenirs. But by 2005, he realized his clientele was fragmenting. Many people were offended by 9/11 products, including items like a snow globe with the Twin Towers inside. He decided to cut most of the products, especially ones that seemed exploitative.
"We were always appropriately sensitive to customer demand and emotions. We avoided selling tacky or cheap, or other merchandise that was playing too much on tragedy," says Harkrader, whose company donates a percentage of proceeds from all 9/11-related products to September 11-related charities. "We passed on most products manufacturers were making. We found that it was best to keep items that are simple and tactful."
Initially, September 11-related items started as 30 percent of NYCwebstore.com's business. Today, they account for only 1 percent of monthly revenue. The figure increases to 5 percent in August and September, but it's still a smaller spike than in the company's early years.
While one once-marketable symbol of the Twin Towers has fallen out of favor, interest in 1WTC products has increased steadily since the building's construction. The "Freedom Tower" has come to be a powerful representation of the country's resilience, and is now present in every product that features the Manhattan skyline.
"Oddly enough, the customer base doesn't want anything Twin Tower-related," says Debbie Goldfeder, vice president of sales and marketing for Torkia International, a manufacturer and wholesaler of New York City souvenirs and apparel. Her company is the largest license holder of NYPD, FDNY, MTA, and I Love New York merchandise.
Many other memorabilia sellers--part of more than a $1 billion souvenir industry, according to Torkia senior vice president Lloyd Haymes--have had a similar experience and adjusted their inventory accordingly. Nathan Harkrader, co-founder of souvenir e-commerce site NYCwebstore.com, launched his company in November 2001. Initially, he says, the majority of his customers asked for September 11-related merchandise--T-shirts, Twin Tower statues, and patriotic souvenirs. But by 2005, he realized his clientele was fragmenting. Many people were offended by 9/11 products, including items like a snow globe with the Twin Towers inside. He decided to cut most of the products, especially ones that seemed exploitative.
"We were always appropriately sensitive to customer demand and emotions. We avoided selling tacky or cheap, or other merchandise that was playing too much on tragedy," says Harkrader, whose company donates a percentage of proceeds from all 9/11-related products to September 11-related charities. "We passed on most products manufacturers were making. We found that it was best to keep items that are simple and tactful."
Initially, September 11-related items started as 30 percent of NYCwebstore.com's business. Today, they account for only 1 percent of monthly revenue. The figure increases to 5 percent in August and September, but it's still a smaller spike than in the company's early years.
While one once-marketable symbol of the Twin Towers has fallen out of favor, interest in 1WTC products has increased steadily since the building's construction. The "Freedom Tower" has come to be a powerful representation of the country's resilience, and is now present in every product that features the Manhattan skyline.
Harkrader believes the transition is a natural progression of a nation's mourning over the years. "People [who are old enough] keep the Twin Towers close to their heart," he says. "But there are more people looking forward for pride, hope, and healing in the Freedom Tower."
To be sure, there is a line most manufacturers and retailers don't want to cross, no matter what images sell well. For Tom Ryan, a retired 25-year veteran of the New York City Fire Department and a first responder who lost many friends during the attacks, that line is thin. Ryan says he supports tasteful merchandise sold by the 9/11 Memorial & Museum gift shop and by stores that pay New York City and state license royalties because money goes back to charities and police and fire funds.
"When I see people with an FDNY shirt or button I appreciate it. To me, I feel as though people are thinking about what happened and everyone we lost that day and the many people we lost since [due to complications from breathing the air at Ground Zero]," he says.
Some merchants have only a single motive, though. "When you have people who are just selling things to make a profit without putting thought into what happened, it bothers me," Ryan says. "The illegal vendors, the guy in the street trying to pull people aside to sell [unlicensed products], is offensive."
Business owners based near the memorial site know well the vendors who peddle unlicensed 9/11 books and other souvenirs to tourists. John Costalas, the longtime owner of Essex World Café on Liberty Street, which functioned as a makeshift hospital after the towers came down, acknowledged that that these men, mostly immigrants, don't have many choices for work. Still, the gray market for tragedy rankles him.
"What people need to remember is that this is hallowed ground," he says. "It should be respected."To be sure, there is a line most manufacturers and retailers don't want to cross, no matter what images sell well. For Tom Ryan, a retired 25-year veteran of the New York City Fire Department and a first responder who lost many friends during the attacks, that line is thin. Ryan says he supports tasteful merchandise sold by the 9/11 Memorial & Museum gift shop and by stores that pay New York City and state license royalties because money goes back to charities and police and fire funds.
"When I see people with an FDNY shirt or button I appreciate it. To me, I feel as though people are thinking about what happened and everyone we lost that day and the many people we lost since [due to complications from breathing the air at Ground Zero]," he says.
Some merchants have only a single motive, though. "When you have people who are just selling things to make a profit without putting thought into what happened, it bothers me," Ryan says. "The illegal vendors, the guy in the street trying to pull people aside to sell [unlicensed products], is offensive."
Business owners based near the memorial site know well the vendors who peddle unlicensed 9/11 books and other souvenirs to tourists. John Costalas, the longtime owner of Essex World Café on Liberty Street, which functioned as a makeshift hospital after the towers came down, acknowledged that that these men, mostly immigrants, don't have many choices for work. Still, the gray market for tragedy rankles him.
Labels:
commemorative,
consumerism,
News
Wednesday, September 9, 2015
World Trade Center steel nearly gone
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey oversees an artifact program that distributes recovered debris to memorials and museums.
By Associated Press
In an airplane hangar at New York's Kennedy Airport, fewer than 30 pieces of steel remain from the debris recovered after terrorists flew hijacked planes into the World Trade Center's twin towers on Sept. 11, 2001. Even 14 years after the attacks, applications are still pending for the pieces of metal—mostly for memorials and museum exhibits—and some pieces found a new home as recently as last week in New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Florida.
Here's a look at what has become of the relics of the World Trade Center:
How much steel?
Beginning in August 1968, builders used 200,000 tons of steel to build the World Trade Center complex, enough to raise the twin towers to heights of 1,362 feet (south tower) and 1,368 feet (north tower). Out of 1.8 million tons of debris removed from the site after the attacks, recovery workers collected 840 pieces of steel, some of which were cut up to make a total of 2,200 separate items. They ranged from 6-inch slabs to massive beams to the 7.5 tons the Navy used in the construction of the warship USS New York.
Where did it go?
The artifacts can be found anchoring memorials or museum exhibits in all 50 states and eight countries: Germany, Canada, Brazil, South Korea, the United Kingdom, Afghanistan, China and Ireland. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey oversees the artifact program, reviewing applications and parceling out the steel and other items to about 1,500 individual nonprofit groups, governments or museums so far. The artifact must be available for the public to view it.
How much is left?
Fewer than 30 pieces of steel, including pieces of rail tracks, remain. Fewer than 70 other artifacts such as clothing or toys also remain in Hangar 17 at Kennedy Airport.
Are items still being sought?
Yes. Thirty applications are pending approval, and 40 others are in the review process. Even as recently as last week, an 8-foot-long, 1,100-pound steel beam arrived in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, while other pieces were distributed to Ware, Massachusetts, and the Kennedy Space Center in Florida during August. The Ware Fire Department is building a second memorial using trade center artifacts. It received a 1,600-pound piece of steel in August that will be used in a memorial that is still being discussed. At the space center, the beam will be the centerpiece of a permanent memorial at Fire Station No. 1. That memorial includes small-scale replicas of the twin towers.
Was any of the steel recycled or discarded?
No. The Port Authority's mission was to preserve the artifacts and distribute them to worthy groups to memorialize the attacks.
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