Melania’s hometown hopes newfound fame will boost its trade and tourism
SEVNICA, Slovenia (Reuters) – “First Lady” apple pies in the Kruhek bakery in Melania Trump’s hometown of Sevnica in Slovenia are selling like hotcakes.
“We sell more than a hundred a day, so the pies are our main product these days,” said Sergeja Gorenjec, a saleswoman at the bakery. “Our workday is longer, but we are glad and proud of Melania.”
Tourist numbers have doubled over the past year, when interest in Melania rose during the presidential campaign of her husband, Donald Trump, said tour guide Janez Levstik. He did not give figures.
“We were a bit unprepared for the attention at first, but now we are getting used to it, and we expect tourist numbers to increase further in the future,” said Mojca Pernovsek, the head of the local tourism bureau, KSTM.
As Donald Trump was sworn in as the 45th president of the United States, the local municipality invited tourists and journalists to Sevnica on Friday to join in the celebrations.
Melania cakes, Melania pancakes and Presidential Burgers are among the offerings in the restaurants and cafes in the town in southeastern Slovenia, on the banks of the Sava River and surrounded by forest-covered hills.
It was there that Melania, born in 1970 when Slovenia was part of Yugoslavia, spent most of her youth in an apartment in the town center before moving to the capital, Ljubljana, to attend high school.
She started modeling at 16 and pursued her career in Milan and Paris before moving to New York in 1996. Her parents, former car dealer Viktor Knavs and his wife, Amalija, live in Sevnica when not in the US with their two daughters.
“So far, we’ve had mostly Slovenian tourists, but we expect to get more from abroad in future, particularly from neighboring countries,” Levstik said.
Visitors will see no photographs of Melania in the town of about 5,000 people; they were removed after her lawyer issued a warning in November that using Melania’s photo for commercial purposes without her consent was not allowed.
But as well as the “First Lady” pies, made from local apples and complete with a letter M on top and a paper US flag attached, they can sample local wine, tea, chocolate, sausages and honey. Other local products include face creams, lingerie, shoes and furniture.
Mayor Srecko Ocvirk said he expects local businesses to benefit from Sevnica’s newfound fame.
Several hundred people filled its restaurants and bars on Friday to watch the inauguration on television.
“Of course I will watch the inauguration,” said resident Marjan Romih. “It is great that the First Lady is from here! I’m sure she helped toward Trump’s victory.”