So, since I couldn’t get in to watch the swearing-in ceremony, I stopped to chat with an Obama merchandise vendor. Meet Korey, the button seller, originally from Baltimore.
Me: So what are you doing here today?
Korey: I’m selling buttons. Helping a buddy of mine out, he designed these buttons in Philadelphia, so I’m out here selling them.
Are you excited to be here?
I’m excited to be here, but I’d be just as content to be at home watching it on TV because you’re not going to get any closer, but there’s still a kind of energy out here, so it’s nice. There’s a ton of people here. We’re in a tiny little apartment here in DC, a friend’s, a one-bedroom, basement apartment with five of us crammed in, straight up college style.
Was it worth it, coming out here?
Yeah, we’re selling a good amount. But like I said, it’s an energy out here. My kids will be like, where were you, and I can say I was selling buttons here in DC.
This article appears in Jan 20-27, 2009.
