In a city with upscale department stores, chic boutiques, and sprawling outdoor markets, one of the top selling items in Paris at the moment is an Olympic pin featuring everyone’s favorite rapper-turned-sports commentator, Snoop Dogg. Visitors to the City of Love are forgoing traditional French wares in favor of these colorful collectibles that feature Snoop in front of the Eiffel Tower, exhaling five Olympic rings ‘puffs’ in celebration of the 2024 Olympic Games.
I should have been in Paris selling Olympic pins.
In 1996, when the Summer Games were held in Atlanta, my mother and I owned a unique and eclectic home furnishing store in Buckhead. This was before the rise of big box home chains, and my mom — a world-class interior designer — and I created a store unlike any other in the city. The small shop featured Italian furniture, local art, quirky accessories, and even a selection of imported CDs that we branded “music that goes with furniture.” We were certain that the 2 million visitors streaming into Atlanta in July and August for the Games were going to flock to the store and clean us out of our inventory.
Meantime my father, a successful businessman, had started a distribution center in Downtown Atlanta in my grandfather’s closed dress factory, where he was shelling out hundreds of thousands of 1996 Olympic pins. He insisted that the pins were going to be the hottest-selling item during the Olympics and implored me and my mom to sell them in our hip little store. I balked at the idea. In my 25-year-old mind, the pins were tacky and cheap and didn’t match the artistic aesthetic we had so painstakingly curated.
Dad was right. Always listen to his wild schemes.
Atlanta was dead everywhere except downtown and Centennial Park, where the Olympic venues were located. None of the tourists ventured to Atlanta’s cute neighborhoods, including Buckhead, and businesses across the city suffered. I temporarily closed the store, bought a folding table, and set up shop in the park with my brother, where we sold thousands of these mass-produced, gaudy souvenirs. I made a small fortune and never looked back.
For most people, Olympic pins are a reminder of the time every four years when the GOATs break records and dazzle us with their incredible athletic prowess. For me, they represent the pivotal moment in my life where my ability to curate a unique shopping experience and my understanding of how to capitalize on current market trends became one. And that’s exactly what the Vantosh Realty Group does for our clients today. Whether you’re buying or leasing, finding the perfect commercial location can be tricky. We’re here to help you on your journey, to help you win gold. As Snoop Dogg says, “Winning is everything, no, winning is the only thang.”
Read more about how the Olympic Games are affecting retailers in one of the best shopping cities in the world here.