Driving down Main Street in Ooltewah, you might see a handful of people decked out in former President Donald Trump merchandise, waving you down with Trump-themed flags. If you pull over into the dirt lot and follow the signs leading to a building labeled “Trump Headquarters,” you’ve found yourself at The Trump Store.
Passing drivers honk their horns and pump their fists in support, honoring the “honk for Trump” signs strewn across the lot — although a few drivers “flip the bird” at the Trump signs instead, said Joy Cope, a volunteer at the shop who had been waving a Trump flag for a few hours.
The Trump Store opened June 15 and is run by the Hamilton County Republican Women. It will be open through the presidential election in November. The pop-up shop sells everything from Trump pocket knives to Trump inflatables supporters can wear around their necks to simulate an embrace by the former president. Trump hats complete with Trump-like hair attached sold out the first week, as well as T-shirts that said, “I’m voting for a felon.”
The merchandise does not come from the official Trump campaign store, instead coming from a variety of websites, said Vickey Rockwood, president of the Hamilton County Republican Women, in an interview. The Trump Store does not sell the Trump sneakers or Trump Bibles.