Among the apparel and retail merchandise branded with the North American International Auto Show’s logo for 2016 is a plush Bernese mountain dog for $15.
Plush animals are the bread and butter of the auto show’s official merchandiser retailer, Troy-based Jaag Plush LLC. The company specializes in plush toy animals and creatures for use by corporations and organizations, such as Beaumont Health’s “Beau the Bear” comfort animal.
Former Kmart retailer Jim Glime launched Jaag Plush 18 years ago, and it’s had the auto show retail contract for the past nine years, said his wife, Alice Glime, who was running one of the retail booths at Cobo on Monday morning.
There will be six retail locations throughout Cobo during the public show next week. There are two during this week’s media and industry preview week.
Jaag bids on the NAIAS contract annually through the Detroit Auto Dealers Association, Alice Glime said, and without revealing specifics added that the show is profitable for the company.
T-shirts are their biggest seller, she said. The Glimes declined to say how many T-shirts they sell during the media and industry preview week, but it’s likely in the thousands. Last year’s show saw 808,775 people pass through Cobo during NAIAS, the largest attendance in a dozen years.
T-shirts sell for $25, and there are several versions from which to pick.
Among the items for sale are $7 magnets, a $10 art print, $5 pin, $7 shot glass, $35 hoodie, $25 baseball cap, $17 beanie, $45 sweatshirt, and a $70 half-zip Adidas hoodie.
[“source-crainsdetroit”]
