Showing posts with label merchandise. Show all posts
Showing posts with label merchandise. Show all posts

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Swag & Review: Las Vegas's Zombie Apocalypse Store

Back in January I took a trip to Las Vegas with a few friends. While walking around the seedy back streets, we came across a fairly odd little store: The Zombie Apocalypse Store.

Stuck about a mile off the strip, this storefront seems too good to be true (who loves zombies and apocalypses more than me?). In retrospect, it's certainly not what it boasts. It's small and it offers a very limited stock of items. Many of these items are offered at a pretty high markup, and those that are reasonably priced don't seem to be worth too much more than you're paying for them. Still, it was a fun place to stop in for a few moments, and it might be worth a little walk on a lazy Vegas afternoon.

The shop is a clear product of the new uptick in zombie fascination; it looks to reap profit out of a new market rather than actually running on genuine fandom. But whatever. I'm not picky. I was a huge pirate fanatic before Pirates of the Carribean came out, and when the whole world went pirate crazy, I looked at the plus side--more pirate merchandise for me. You have to look at the zombie craze the same way. But I digress.

The store is small and clearly put together quickly and haphazardly. They've tried their best to make it creative, and it certainly doesn't need a whole lot of flash to be filled with people. Painting "zombie apocalypse store" on the side was pretty much a dinner bell, as the place was teeming with customers when we went. The best part about the store, however, was the sheer comedy created by the fact that the store shares a building (and actually a sales floor) with an artificial grass company. I was particularly entertained by the fake patio setup on the back that looked up at a projection screen playing the zombie flick Fido. Hilarious.

As far as merch, the place is a start up. They have what they advertise on their sign out front, but that's really it. They had a few cool t-shirts, but they were a little pricey. They had some food rations that looked relatively cool, but again they were a little pricey. They had some cool zombie targets, but we never got a chance to try our hand at the gun range. Where I spent my money was on a freaking sweet knife. Now, to be clear, when I say "freaking sweet", what I really mean is that it was super cheap (like $15) and it looks cool. Is it of good quality? Heck no. I'm sure some sweat shop overlord is counting those fifteen singles and saying "Stupid American" as we speak. Still, it looks cool hanging on a hook next to my sword, so that's all I ask.

Overall, I had a good time, but it wasn't anything worth going out of your way for. If you're in the area and looking to kill time, check it out. If not, skip it. You can get better deals online, and the decor isn't really worth seeing at all...unless you like a sarcastic chuckle...which I do. I will say that it looked like they had just opened when we went, so maybe they'll be better stocked by now. You can check them out online here. Enjoy!

Friday, December 2, 2011

Swag: Zombie Art, Household Items, Etc...

So, as an artsy girl, I'm a big fan of etsy.com. It really empowers some talented, but possibly unrecognized, artists, and it gives those people a digital forum for pedaling their goods. So I was very excited to stumble upon this shop today.

This artist, by his own report, is living out of a Winnebago (just like Dale!) and creating some pretty haunting zombie art. His creations are available on a variety of items (purses, wallets, shower curtains, rugs) or simply as prints. Here are some awesome samples...
http://www.etsy.com/listing/37975031/rw2-signed-limited-edition-print-12-x-18
http://www.etsy.com/listing/65036574/rw2-signed-limited-edition-print-12-x-18

http://www.etsy.com/listing/72867525/rw2-nightlife-zombie-shoulder-clutch
He'll also do personal zombie portraits for $100 that are pretty authentic looking. Check it out.

Saturday, November 19, 2011

Swag: Zombie Portraits

Ever wondered what you might look like as a member of the undead hordes? Well now you don't have to use your imagination because artist Rob Sacchetto will paint you a custom zombie portrait for the incredibly reasonable price of $80 (plus shipping and handling)! As the sister-in-law of an artist, I know how expensive custom work can be, and $80 is basically highway robbery on the buyer's part.


Plus, Sacchetto's work is beyond creepy. He takes your photograph and zombifies it just for you. Nothing like having a picture of yourself as a bloody, rotting corpse on your living room wall. Certainly would be a conversation starter. Just saying, I bet you know a zombie lover who would love to have this under the Christmas tree (Hanukkah bush, atheist stick, whatever) this holiday season.

With the holiday shopping season beginning in the next week, watch for more posts about perfect gifts for the zombie lover in your life!