Rose Bowl Leftovers Are Yours for a Song

It’s been almost three weeks since the New Year was ushered in by the Tournament of Roses Parade and USC’s victory over Michigan in the Rose Bowl game. But if you’re just now thinking about getting a souvenir from Pasadena, fear not: You still have time.

In fact, selling novelty items from past Rose Bowls has become something of a big business. Last weekend, Service America Corp., the official vendor of such merchandise at the football game, occupied the stadium for two days to sell its surplus of rose-emblazoned memorabilia. A T-shirt that may have cost $10 less than a month ago could be purchased for as little as $1, said Mark McClure, general manager of the corporation’s Rose Bowl operations.

Company officials declined to give a dollar figure for the weekend take but said at least 20% of the leftover merchandise is now in the hands of 350 to 400 fans who showed up for the sale.

Leftover Rose Bowl items sometimes are purchased at reduced prices by people who sell them in Mexico or at swap meets, McClure said. Occasionally, Service America saves some of the souvenirs to give away at civic functions and charity events, he added.

And things will be coming up roses in Pasadena again this weekend.

Today and Saturday, Tournament Souvenirs, the official store of the Tournament of Roses Assn., sponsors of the parade, will hold its January clearance sale. Most goods will be discounted by 50%, while some older items will sell for 75% off the marked price.

“It’s nothing like the rush on a white sale at Bullocks or Broadway or anything like that, but we stay quite busy on those three days,” said Inman Moore, 64, of Pasadena, who has co-owned the shop with his wife, Nellie, for the last seven years.

During the sale, Moore said he expects “several hundred people” to come through the doors of his store at 59 W. Del Mar Blvd., four blocks from Tournament House, the parade’s headquarters.

Located in a 4,000-square-foot facility that includes a warehouse, a shipping area, a mail-order service and a merchandise showroom, Tournament Souvenirs is a dream come true for aficionados of Roses regalia.

One can find lapel pins, pens, pennants, programs, caps, T-shirts, sweat shirts, sweaters, jackets, watches, jewelry, license-plate frames, bookmarks and souvenir spoons (to name a few)--all adorned with the rose, the famed mark of the “Granddaddy of them all.”

For some of the more popular items, Moore said: “It can be a madhouse for the early part of the first day. Particularly for clothing, when people realize we’re going to be out of certain sizes.” Prices for T-shirts start at $2.50, he said.

Other high-demand items include commemorative watches and collectors’ pins, some being mementoes of the grand marshal and the queen and court of the parade, while others are marked with the names of parade and float themes, Moore said.

Selling rose-related merchandise is not for those who want to get rich quick. Manufacturers of any game- or parade-related merchandise must first pay a royalty to the schools and/or tournament association before any merchandise can be sold. The royalty is included in the cost when merchants purchase the goods. So vendors must pay that cost even if the merchandise is not sold.

Since profits from such a big sale are minimal, the rewards come in other ways, Moore said. Ever since the shop began selling a wide variety of rose-related merchandise in 1983, it has held such clearance sales twice a year--in January and July--because it “establishes some customer bonds that we think are quite good locally,” he said.

Not all customers are misty-eyed alums, Moore explained.

In fact, most are not what Moore referred to as “team-oriented” buyers.

“While they may buy team merchandise, they may just like the game or the parade itself,” Moore said. “You have people buying team merchandise and they could care less who played.

“But there are a lot of rabid fans,” he added.

Moore said he does not expect the upcoming sale to be nearly as busy as his peak season--the rush that begins a few days before Christmas and ends about a week after New Year’s. During those times, Moore said, people have had to line up to get in.