Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
RBG trinkets fly off the shelves
Buyers seek mementos to remember Supreme Court justice’s legacy
Tamera Williams shops for Ruth Bader Ginsburg gift items Tuesday at Cactus Flower, a gift shop in Fort Lauderdale. The store is having a special sale with commemorative items to honor the late Supreme Court justice and the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote. Ornaments, pins and wine glasses are among the offerings as buyers seek mementos to remember Ginsburg, who died Friday.
It’s a great moment to be a South Florida store owner who stocks Ruth Bader Ginsburg memorabilia.
Ornaments, pins, towels, books, wineglasses: Supplies are diminishing as buyers seek mementos to remember Ginsburg, the Supreme Court justice and women’s rights advocate who died Friday at 87. Her coffin will be placed outside the Supreme Court on Wednesday and Thursday, and on Friday, her body will lie in state at the U.S. Capitol, an honor that has never before been granted to a woman.
Real estate agents are purchasing souvenirs for clients, and lawyers are scoring keepsakes for their fellow attorneys. Mothers are buying for their daughters, and daughters for their mothers.
Many are enclosing emotional messages, such as: “To my daughter whom I love very much. Let’s keep up the fight.”
Those are the words a Tulsa, Okla., mom asked Tamarac artist Shahera Sammis to enclose with the two RBG wineglasses she bought from Sammis this week for $9 each, plus shipping, on Facebook Marketplace.
Sammis opened her handmade craft business, Jo E Ryan Designs, last month and had been experimenting with Christmas decorations until Ginsburg’s death on Friday night, when she decided to see if a glass with the the face of the Notorious RBG would interest buyers.
“I got 50 orders instantly,” Sammis said. “It just blew up.”
Sales are also brisk at Cactus Flower, a Fort Lauderdale gift and home decor shop that had already planned a celebration this week of the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, which granted women the right to vote, when Ginsburg’s death was announced.
Store owner Candy Johnson is selling RBG pins for $15, $40 books from the Smithsonian Institution that include Ginsburg among influential American women, $20 towels that list some of Ginsburg’s famous quotes, and, the most popular item, cut-out metallic ornaments of Ginsburg’s iconic face, hair and dissent collar, $25. The ornaments sold out in three days, but Johnson said she is expecting 48 more this week.
Leslie Tworoger, a management professor at Nova Southeastern University, ordered nine ornaments to give to book club friends and her daughter and daughter-in-law. She would have bought more, but said she “didn’t want to be greedy.”
Tamera Williams of Fort Lauderdale on Tuesday bought an assortment of items honoring women’s history as well as a Ginsburg pin for her daughter.
“I felt that for women, Ginsburg was an inspiration,” said Williams, who said she was deeply inspired by the many obstacles the justice overcame, including hostility from male colleagues and years of ill health. “It shows what you can do with determination. I was so moved by her and her story.”
Johnson said the unexpected bonanza couldn’t have come at a better time, as many businesses are suffering due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“Small retail is really hurting,” Johnson said. “We had been trying to think of what we can do to boost sales. Now we’re getting deluged with calls.”