((PKG))  DESCENDING THE HILL --  JIM WARLICK  (PIA)
((Banner:  Descending the Hill))
((Executive Producer:  Marsha James))
((Camera:  Kaveh Rezaei)) 

((Adapted by:  Philip Alexiou))

((Map:  Washington, D.C.))   
 ((Courtesy of Jim Warlick)) 


((Jim Warlick, Owner, White House Gift & Presidential Scoops)) 

My first trip to Washington was 1965.  I was in the eighth grade and I wanted to come see John Kennedy's gravesite.  I think that the Kennedy assassination really affected me into being aware of politics and I purchased a little souvenir.  It was a little John Kennedy bust. 


((NATS))

((Jim Warlick, Owner, White House Gift & Presidential Scoops)) 
I dropped out of college four times to work in political campaigns.  That was my dream, come to Washington, being an advisor to a congressman or senator.  I wanted to go to a national convention.  And so, I designed five Jimmy Carter campaign buttons and they were big hit locally and I made more money in one week than I did in a year with my congressman.  So, I went back home and I said, Congressman, I’m going to have to quit because I'm going to travel.  I want to see the country.  I want to sell buttons all over the country and I'm going to make more money than if I’m working for you.


((NATS))

((Courtesy of Jim Warlick))
((Jim Warlick, Owner, White House Gift & Presidential Scoops)) 
And I opened a little kiosk, sold old political collectibles.  The kiosk was a success.  So, then I opened the full store.  The store was a success.  So, I decided open more.  So, at one time, I had six of these memorabilia stores.  When President-elect Obama won in ’08, then I opened the store across the White House, called the Obama Inaugural Store.  And then, after the inaugural, turned that into the White House Gift Store.  So, we get almost as many as, average 3,000 people a day.  


((NATS))

((Jim Warlick, Owner, White House Gift & Presidential Scoops)) 
Just outside the White House gift store, we have a gallery, and we take people's photos in an Oval Office setup and a presidential podium, and people love that, and they post on social media.  They talk about the store, but they say when they get to come over to have a photo made, it's great.  


((NATS))

((Jim Warlick, Owner, White House Gift & Presidential Scoops)) 
A little store opened across the street.  The company went out of business.  It was defensive for me because I thought someone is going to move in there and open a gift shop and compete with me.  So, I decided I'll get that space, but I didn't know what I would put in there.  But then, with all the news every day, what's the latest scoop, what's happening, I thought, how about an ice cream shop called Presidential Scoops.  It's a scoop of news and its scoop of ice cream and a friend said, “Making America Sweet Again.”  And it's a fun store.  I plan to take the profits from that and put back into some charities that I've been working with.  


((NATS))

((Jim Warlick, Owner, White House Gift & Presidential Scoops)) 
People call me a political entrepreneur.  You know, I’ve said, I don’t want on my tombstone that I was a souvenir salesman because hopefully, you know, I’m more than that.