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The Business of Estonia-Themed Merchandise


Entering “Estonia” as one of your search criteria on a site like Walmart's online retail platform will give you 25 pages of Estonia-themed products. For example, a t-shirt with “EST wrestling” printed on the front; the “EST” in blue, black, and white. The same design comes on a linen throw cushion, and it's possible to swap wrestling for nearly any sport you can conceive of.
An Estonian coat of arms shower curtain by Libin. Photo: walmart.com

Other items available for purchase include an approximately 20 by 30 centimetre metal sign that says “Parking for Estonians only… All others will be towed.” Or how about a shower curtain that displays the coat of arms of Estonia? Beyond products with decorative purposes, there are many different varieties of Estonian language Aabitsad (alphabet books) for kids. To stimulate the intellect, there are also books like Catalytic Hydrogenation of Liquids from Estonian Kukersite Oil Shale. And this is just one site. You can fill in the gaps with a platform such as alibaba.com or amazon.ca.

Huge e-commerce sites like these host countless smaller brands who specialize in patriotic or otherwise niche products. Brands such as Hollywood Thread and Colorado-based Flagline have their own websites, but capitalize on the visibility of a huge international retail company through the Walmart Marketplace and others.

(Read more: Estonian Life No. 8 2022 paber- and PDF/digi)

Written by Vincent Teetsov, Toronto


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