Winter Olympic Souvenirs Sell Out Fast
In downtown Vancouver, one of the biggest attractions is not an Olympic venue – it’s a department store. The Hudson’s Bay company store is the only official Vancouver Olympic store, and fans are willing to spend hours in line to take home a piece of Olympic history.
The word ‘souvenir’ comes from a Latin word that mean’s to bring to mind. Souvenirs are usually small items, or trinkets that remind people of an experience.
In downtown Vancouver, one of the biggest attractions is not an Olympic venue – it’s a department store. The Hudson’s Bay company store is the only official Vancouver Olympic store, and fans are willing to spend hours in line to take home a piece of Olympic history.
The word ‘souvenir’ comes from a Latin word that mean’s to bring to mind. Souvenirs are usually small items, or trinkets that remind people of an experience. But souvenirs have become a major business as well, and at the 2010 Winter Games, souvenirs require almost as much strategy and patience as winning a medal.
Outside the Hudson’s Bay company store in downtown Vancouver, a line of people stretches down the block.
In a huge double-pane window stands a phalanx of mannequins wearing official Canada shirts and exercise pants, hoodies, scarves, hats and mittens. Store employee Brian McLelland snaps the arm off one faceless figure and rearranges its black t-shirt.
At the head of the line outside, an employee wearing a Vancouver 2010 fleece jacket greets visitors, making sure to thank them for their patience.