BOONES MILL, Va.—Donald “Whitey” Taylor made a fortune from sales at Trump Town USA, his store selling Make America Great Again apparel and memorabilia related to President Trump.
Taylor’s Boones Mill store—a former church—brought in upwards of $15,000 a day in 2024, the best sales pace in the business’s 11-year history, he said. But more than a year into Trump’s second term, sales have sunk. Taylor, 76 years old, said he now averages just $1,500 a day, a slump he
BOONES MILL, Va.—Donald “Whitey” Taylor made a fortune from sales at Trump Town USA, his store selling Make America Great Again apparel and memorabilia related to President Trump.
Taylor’s Boones Mill store—a former church—brought in upwards of $15,000 a day in 2024, the best sales pace in the business’s 11-year history, he said. But more than a year into Trump’s second term, sales have sunk. Taylor, 76 years old, said he now averages just $1,500 a day, a slump he attributes to customers’ struggles with higher gas prices due to the Iran war and persistent inflation.
“You get used to good money, and you still want to make it,” said Taylor, reflecting on the hundreds of patrons a day who used to bustle through his store aisles. “Today, the economy is just not worth a crap anymore.”
Many customers also stopped buying new merchandise because they felt they had already done their part in getting the president elected to a second term, he said.
Many MAGA-centered merchandise retailers and their suppliers are seeing sales dwindle, according to interviews with wholesalers, sales representatives, business owners and employees. As the president’s approval rating hovers near all-time lows, imperiling Republicans’ control of Congress, store owners blame a stagnant economy and weaker MAGA enthusiasm for lower sales. Some stores are closing permanently.
The Trump Store Manchester shut its doors recently, citing weak sales and high operating expenses due to increased rent and advertising costs, according to an employee. In the store’s final days, steep discounts to clear inventory didn’t draw a flood of customers. Only about 12 customers a day frequented the Manchester, Tenn., store’s final 72 hours, the employee said.
Suppliers have adjusted their inventory to reflect weaker Trump merchandise sales.
Quan Ngo helps operate NT Souvenir Wholesale, a Washington, D.C.-based souvenir supplier that sells ornaments, magnets and political merchandise of both Republican and Democratic politicians to businesses throughout the country.
Ngo said he knew Trump would win in 2024 after sales of merchandise supportive of the president dominated those in support of former Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign. He said politics doesn’t drive his business; money does. And because of weak sales, he has cut back on purchasing Trump merchandise and lets inventory—much of which is made in China—run low.
“We don’t make decisions off of emotions, we make them off of certainty and whether there is a demand,” he said. “We’ve ordered less Trump merchandise because demand is down.”
Lisa Hall, an independent sales representative based in Syracuse, N.Y., sells nearly two dozen product lines, including Trump-related merchandise. She said sales for Trump apparel began falling after Trump’s re-election but took a nosedive roughly six months ago—just after the U.S.-Iran war kicked off. She said that while many of her clients continue to purchase MAGA apparel, they aren’t buying as much and are reaching out far less frequently than they used to.
“I used to be hearing from them; my phone would be exploding. Now, that’s not happening,” she said.
Hall said sales are weaker because of economic worries. If it boils down to buying a toy for their child or a MAGA hat, customers are going to choose the toy, when they might have purchased both in a better economy, she said.
Not all store owners say they are struggling. Seth Hansen, the owner of the Trump Store Branson in Branson, Mo., said that while sales are lower than the election-year high, business is still good. He also operates a Jesus-themed merchandise store nearby, but the Trump store has continually performed better, raking in seven figures in revenue last year, he said. Hansen said other stores might be having trouble due to weak business sense.
“They’re not businesspeople,” he said of store owners who are struggling. “They love Trump and the Republican Party and what it stands for, but that’s not a business plan.”
In Boones Mill, patrons still treat Taylor, who carries a small pistol in his back pocket, as a celebrity. Passersby and truck drivers honked and waved as he was closing shop for the day, wearing Trump-themed sneakers and socks imprinted with Confederate flags.
Trump won more than 70% of Franklin County, where the town is located, in 2024, among the highest margins for the president in the state. Twila Brisco, 81, who lives in nearby Roanoke, said the store is a vital landmark to preserving Trump’s legacy. At checkout, Taylor and Brisco shared memories from their youth and high school. Brisco said she talks to her grandchildren about preserving conservative values.
Taylor, who is still an ardent Trump supporter, said he is offering more America 250 merchandise as well as Confederate memorabilia, but it hasn’t helped much. He is waiting for Jan. 20, 2029, anticipating that when Trump leaves office for good, nostalgic MAGA supporters will return in droves and help sales reach their former highs.
“They’ll all be back. It’s going to be awesome,” he said.
Write to Terell Wright at terell.wright@wsj.com
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