Arizona turned a shade of purple after the midterm elections, as both Republicans and Democrats won high-profile contests. That “blue wave,” however, missed rural Navajo County, and a couple of business partners in Show Low want to keep it that way. They run a one-of-a-kind shop dedicated to President Trump-related merchandise. KNAU’s Aaron Granillo introduces us to this couple dedicated to conservative values.
A steady stream of customers arrive every morning at the “Trumped Store and Coffee House.” Barista Sean Lynch whips up a latte underneath a sign that reads “Making Coffee Great Again.” He pours foam over espresso and milk, still fine-tuning his latte artwork.
“Sometimes I’ll make random abstract shapes, and I’ll be like, ‘Look that’s Trump’s head’,” Lynch jokes. “People will be like ‘no way.’ Just kidding, I really can’t make that good yet.”
The store is full of customers from all over the state. Some come for the coffee, others for the vast collection of Trump-inspired merch. Rosemary Quesenberry drove three hours to buy a shirt.
“I’m picking up the medium t-shirt again, ‘I’m an adorable deplorable,'” says Quesenberry. “I love to tell everybody I’m an adorable deplorable.”
It’s not just t-shirts on the racks. Everything from Trump teddy bears and rubber ducks to children’s books and mugs fill the shelves. There’s even a talking Trump toilet paper roll holder in the restroom that literally delivers the president’s message: “Our leaders are stupid, our politicians are stupid… We will have so much winning if I get elected that you may get bored with winning.”
“I forgot how we even stumbled on to the toilet roll. We found it somehow and it’s been a huge hit,” says Steve Slaton, co-owner of the Trumped Store.
Slaton opened the store with Karen MacKean in 2016. They converted this former mechanic’s garage into an unofficial campaign headquarters for then-candidate Donald Trump.
“We’re passionate conservatives. We are here to hopefully keep this very, very conservative area, and keep it a strong Republic,” says MacKean. “So, that’s what we so strongly support the president’s policies.”
Continue Reading: https://www.knau.org/knau-and-arizona-news/2018-11-21/show-lows-trumped-store-aims-to-make-navajo-county-conservative-stronghold