When Queen Elizabeth died in September, Carl Hulme happened to be in England 鈥� the perfect spot to scoop up commemorative fine bone china, tea towels and canvas bags to stock his Blimeys British Store and Gift Shop in Essex, Ont.
Most of it sold by the time goods marking King Charles鈥� May 6 coronation were arriving at his shop about 30 kilometres from the Windsor-Detroit border.
But with the new sovereign鈥檚 popularity lower than his mother鈥檚 and recent royals drama stirring up calls for Commonwealth countries to reject the monarchy, Hulme and others were uncertain there would be much of a market for King Charles memorabilia in Canada.
鈥淲ith the queen, most of us grew up with her. That鈥檚 the only monarch that we ever knew and so with the passing of the queen, it kind of brought an end to an era, so I wasn鈥檛 sure,鈥� Hulme said.
His doubts have since been dashed as Victoria Eggs cups and saucers with a coronation motif and Emma Bridgewater mugs celebrating the King鈥檚 reign have sold at a steady clip at Blimeys.
Elsewhere in Canada and online, one can find Charles- and coronation-themed coins, stamps, Nespresso coffee pods, McVitie鈥檚 biscuit tins, Royal Scot Crystal decanters and dresses, pyjamas, pillows, socks, makeup bags and crown-topped teddy bears from Marks & Spencer.
Joanne McNeish, a Toronto Metropolitan University professor specializing in marketing, suspects the array of products will delight Canadian monarchists, royalists, memorabilia collectors and many who just want something to mark a historical moment.
鈥淧eople love a big event and the closer to the event, the more the idea of having something to remember it will ramp up, so within Canada鈥� I definitely think there鈥檚 an appetite,鈥� she said.
She suspects most of that interest will come from older shoppers, who have more of an attachment to anything historical, but said Gen Z is becoming increasingly fond of nostalgic items too.
She estimates collectors of memorabilia or people who pick items up now in hopes of selling them for a profit years later will only make up five per cent of buyers.
Between celebrations, memorabilia, books and tourism, the Centre for Retail Research in Norfolk, England estimates more than 拢1.4 billion ($2.3 billion) will be spent on the coronation by U.K. consumers.
The centre鈥檚 director, Joshua Bamfield, estimated 鈥渙verseas enthusiasts鈥� will generate 拢79 million ($132 million) in sales.
鈥淢ost of this will be U.S., of course, but I would have thought that spending by Canadians on coronation merchandise would be around 拢8 million ($13 million) naturally,鈥� he wrote in an email to The Canadian Press.
鈥淐anadians will come as tourists to see and engage in the coronation, but I would not have thought the Canadian delegation would be greater than 2,000 to 3,000.鈥�
It鈥檚 hard for McNeish to predict how strong Canadian sales tied to the King鈥檚 coronation will be or how it will compare to interest in memorabilia tied to his mother, Queen Elizabeth.
When Elizabeth took the throne in 1953, many watched the spectacle on newly-purchased televisions and commemorative tchotchkes might have seemed inappropriate.
Since then, television has lost its novelty with the dawn of livestreaming anywhere and on any device and it鈥檚 seldom that a big event is not turned into a marketing opportunity that is milked for profit.
But the queen鈥檚 death stirred up fond sentiments for many who saw her as a grandmother-like figure.
鈥淭he queen was different in that the queen was finite and there was a coming to an end,鈥� McNeish said.
鈥淲hen people are going to die or even after their deaths, there tends to be a bigger explosion in acquiring something (linked to them).鈥�
The queen remains the most popular royal with 80 per cent of British respondents to YouGov polling completed in the first quarter of the year having a positive opinion of her.
She is followed by her daughter, Princess Anne, then her grandson William, the Prince of Wales and his wife, Catherine, Princess of Wales.
King Charles is the fifth most popular royal, with 55 per cent of people surveyed saying they have a positive opinion of him.
The breakdown of his marriage to the late Princess Diana and her assertions that his second wife, Queen Consort Camilla, was to blame spurred much of the public dislike of the King. His son, Prince Harry, who recently departed royal life, levelling mistreatment allegations at his family, did not help the King鈥檚 appeal.
However, Hulme said consumers are sympathetic to the King.
鈥淭he majority are buying because they feel that Charles has been somewhat put in such a bad light by Harry and (Duchess of Sussex) Meghan. They feel they want to support him in some way.鈥�
While Little Taste of Home, a British and Irish shop near Calgary had yet to receive its order of King Charles spoons, cups, mugs and plates by mid-April, patrons had been asking about when they鈥檇 arrive for weeks.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a lot of people that are from England who want to do what they can at this side of the pond for celebrating his coronation,鈥� said worker Diane Dennis.
鈥淭hen, there鈥檚 a few people who collect things just because it鈥檚 once in a lifetime.鈥�
Asked whether the royal drama was putting off shoppers at the New Horizon Mall store, she added, 鈥淥h, no, no, definitely not.鈥�
鈥擳ara Deschamps, The Canadian Press
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