Capitalism in the State Capital
Lily-Hayes Kaufman (OI)*, Contributing Writer
Issue date: 2/2/09 Section: News
Beyond the color-coded ticket-holder hysteria, the use of JumboTrons in this year's Inauguration may have been an additional factor impacting the uneven distribution of the crowd. Whereas in the past people might have uniformly populated the mall, Aerial photographs from this year show high density areas of people clustered, no probably crushed, in a circular pattern around the JumboTron's zone of visibility.
But for those who were prepared to embrace the crowds in an entrepreneurial rather than physical manner, the influx of visitors to the Capitol created an additional layer of hope and opportunity.
In Honor of the historic presidency of Barack Hussein Obama, from commemorative folk art to air freshener, opportunistic vendors employed creativity to monetize the Obama brand and capitalize on the influx of visitors to the nation's capital.
"YES WE CAN! Fight air odor!" one vendor proclaimed to the busy street of Inauguration hopefuls. From a small fold-up table perched on the side of a busy sidewalk, she sold small spray bottles with Obama's face plastered on the label. "Obama will work miracles, so will our spray!"
At a Texas State Society sponsored 'Texas Fair" an artist showed off her hand-made Obama earrings. "They come in three styles and prices" she demonstrated, "Obama portrait for $26, 'Yes We Can' for $30 and these crystal studded beaut's go for $40." Meanwhile outside on the on a makeshift display near the Washington Momument, a street vendor sold similar knock-off pairs for $3.
CD recordings of Barack Obama's Inauguration Speech were immediately available for sale on the street. "In the time it took me to walk the mile from the Mall to my house, a store on the corner of my block had already burned and was selling CDs of Obama's speech." Recalled Lisbeth Swinney who attended the Inauguration Swearing-In ceremony Tuesday.
Established D.C. businesses too, capitalized on the Obamamania. The Pug, A trendy dive bar on H street, added "Obama Beer" to its menu in honor of the historic 44th president. Meanwhile, "Obama Bean Custard Pie" could be found on sale for $1.50 on tables outside the Muslim Center also in the Atlas District.
But for those who were prepared to embrace the crowds in an entrepreneurial rather than physical manner, the influx of visitors to the Capitol created an additional layer of hope and opportunity.
In Honor of the historic presidency of Barack Hussein Obama, from commemorative folk art to air freshener, opportunistic vendors employed creativity to monetize the Obama brand and capitalize on the influx of visitors to the nation's capital.
"YES WE CAN! Fight air odor!" one vendor proclaimed to the busy street of Inauguration hopefuls. From a small fold-up table perched on the side of a busy sidewalk, she sold small spray bottles with Obama's face plastered on the label. "Obama will work miracles, so will our spray!"
At a Texas State Society sponsored 'Texas Fair" an artist showed off her hand-made Obama earrings. "They come in three styles and prices" she demonstrated, "Obama portrait for $26, 'Yes We Can' for $30 and these crystal studded beaut's go for $40." Meanwhile outside on the on a makeshift display near the Washington Momument, a street vendor sold similar knock-off pairs for $3.
CD recordings of Barack Obama's Inauguration Speech were immediately available for sale on the street. "In the time it took me to walk the mile from the Mall to my house, a store on the corner of my block had already burned and was selling CDs of Obama's speech." Recalled Lisbeth Swinney who attended the Inauguration Swearing-In ceremony Tuesday.
Established D.C. businesses too, capitalized on the Obamamania. The Pug, A trendy dive bar on H street, added "Obama Beer" to its menu in honor of the historic 44th president. Meanwhile, "Obama Bean Custard Pie" could be found on sale for $1.50 on tables outside the Muslim Center also in the Atlas District.
Viewing Comments 1 - 4 of 4
Fred
posted 2/02/09 @ 1:22 PM EST
"Whereas in the past people might have uniformly populated the mall, Aerial photographs from this year show high density areas of people clustered, no probably crushed, in a circular pattern around the JumboTron's zone of visibility. (Continued…)
Paul Revere
posted 2/02/09 @ 5:03 PM EST
I thought Boston was the state capital.
TOM
posted 2/02/09 @ 7:25 PM EST
"...there were clusters with blank areas in between that with a little TOMing, could have been much more efficiently distributed."
big talk and interesting change of "Technology and Operations Management" into a verb, but unless you were there and saw the layout (like where the streets and media towers were) and know all of the security policies that were in place (like the need to keep streets clear for emergency transportation and the limits set for how many people would safely fit on the Mall), how can you make this claim?
DC-ite
posted 2/04/09 @ 10:26 AM EST
"For some DC locals, the crowds and traffic were a nuisance, if not terrifying."
Terrifying? Really? Source?
Post a Comment