“What the phenomenon that we’ve seen with Obama is the ‘Obama the politician,’ ‘Obama the political candidate’ sales are over but it’s been replaced with ‘Obama the pop culture icon,’ ” she said, pointing out that since the election, the number of Obama products for sale has continued to grow.

“It’s almost like what you’ve seen with Che Guevara or Eva Peron, when a political leader has this coolness factor that goes well beyond their political beliefs. They represent something even bigger.”…

Starcher said people are snatching up the stores’ T-shirts, buttons and hats.

“There is really no true word to explain what this man is about to do for us and the entire country. It’s a long time coming, just like the shirt says,” she said, pointing to one of the items for sale as a recording of an Obama speech played in the background.