Click the photo at left for a gallery of souvenirs items available on the streets of Cleveland this week.
CLEVELAND — The Republican National Convention has seen no shortage of vendors trying to make a buck off the thousands of delegates, party officials and media who have invaded Cleveland this week.
There are two types of vendors. Those inside the “secure zone,” that four or five block radius cordoned around the Quicken Loans Arena and protected by the Secret Service, and those outside the zone.
Inside the zone – available only to those with credential approved by the Secret Service – there are slightly upscale vendors, where you can buy fancy silk ties or crystal wine glass, both adorned with Republican elephants. There are also delicious – I know because I bought one – chocolate bars made by Malley’s, a Cleveland-based chocolatier.
Outside the zone, the souvenirs aren’t as fancy. But they are more entertaining – hats, buttons, t-shirts, magnets and more with every imaginable slogan on them, many of which aren’t suitable for this website.
Joe Nesner is one of the vendors. Selling souvenirs on the street corner is what he does for a living, hitting major events, concerts, sporting championships and, yes, political conventions.
For eight months, he’s traveled around the country selling Donald Trump memorabilia. He’ll be in Philadelphian next week for the Democratic National Convention, but he’s not as exciting as he is to be in Cleveland. Trump, it turns out, sells.
“Donald Trump doesn’t know it,” Nesner tells me, “but he’s already creating jobs. I’ve done very well for the last eight months.”
As he stands behind a merchandise-filled table on 4th Street – just outside the secure zone – I ask him what is his best seller.
“Two buttons,” he says. “One says ‘Hillary from Prison.’ The other says ‘Hot Chicks for Trump.’”
For the record, I saw no “Ugly Women for Trump,” or even “Average Looking Women for Trump,” buttons anywhere.
