National September 11 Memorial & Museum previewers had a common reaction to the items that were sold at the facility’s gift shop, ranging from dog vests with a FDNY label to jewelry molded from the leaves of a pear tree that survived the disaster: Tactless.
“I honestly don’t think it’s appropriate — selling scarves to commercialize the deaths of 3,000 people,” said Brooklyn state Sen. Martin Golden, in the New York Post. “I don’t think it’s right.”
The boutique sells a little bit of everything: toys, books, silk scarves with images of the Twin Towers — that last, going for almost $100, the New York Post reported. The shop also sells raincoats for dogs that are fashioned like FDNY cloaks — and touted Pandora-designed charms that sell for fully $65. And that’s on top of the $24 per person price tag just to get into the museum, the New York Post reported.
“It’s adding insult to injury to charge $24,” Mr. Golden said, in the newspaper. “And then to have these types of items being sold for profit is just wrong.”
Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis said some of the items struck her as especially “insensitive,” including what she believed was the Pandora charm — although a public relations spokeswoman for the jewelry maker said in an email that the museum is not an authorized Pandora dealer.
Ms. Malliotakis’ reaction, the New York Post said: “There are Pandora charm bracelets? Oh, my God!”
T-shirts are also sold with the logos of the NYPD, NYFD and Port Authority — for $22 a pop — along with bronze earrings for $64 from the nearby surviving pear tree.
Family members aren’t exactly happy with the tone the gift shop sets.
“I think they lost sight of everything down there,” said Jim Riches, who lost his son, Jimmy, a firefighter, in the Twin Towers, the New York Post reported.
But 9/11 Memorial CEO Joe Daniels and his executive colleagues said in a statement that the museum requires operational and maintenance money, and “our organization relies on private fund-raising, gracious donations and revenue from ticketing and carefully selected keepsake items for retail.”
The museum officially opens to the public next week.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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