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.
