FARRAH MAFFAI Jane Lynch of Aberdeen wears one of the fund-raising T-shirts to a memorial service Sunday in Matawan for victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
MATAWAN — Apparel Zone cannot keep enough off their special T-shirts, which they have been producing to raise money for the victims of the attack on the World Trade Center, on the shelves.
According to business partners Steve Barnett and Todd Berman, they are selling the T-shirts, emblazoned with an American alag and the words "God Bless America," as fast as they can possibly produce them.
Barnett said Friday that they had produced more than 2,000 shirts in their Main Street shop since the attacks of Sept. 11, with the initial intention of donating the shirts themselves to the rescue workers, who were on duty nearly around the clock digging through the rubble in search of survivors.
"They were doing a messy job up there, and we heard that they needed to change their shirts up to 8 or 10 times a day," said Barnett.
When Apparel Zone offered to donate the shirts by way of a Port Authority policeman who is a local resident, they were told that enough supplies had been received, so they decided to sell them and donate all the proceeds to the Red Cross and disaster relief funds, particularly those which will aid the families of rescue workers and others lost in the attacks.
Barnett said that the shop hopes to eventually raise about $40,000, but refuses to raise the price of the shirts to more than $5 for each. "We’d rather see everyone be able to afford these and be able to wear the flag and show support than have them be out of some people’s reach," he said. "If we made them $10, some people might not buy and that might lead to us selling less in the long run."
"We’re going to keep making these for as long as it takes," added Barnett.
Other local businesses have come forward to aid the Apparel Zone team in their quest to help the relief effort. Main Street institution Harris Hardware offered to display and sell the shirts in its shop.
"We get some more foot traffic than they do, so we said put them in here so more people can see them," said Harris Hardware owner Gary Miller, who added that many people picked up the shirts when they came in for flags and found the store completely sold out.
Harris Hardware sold out of flags within two hours of the attack on the World Trade Center. Mickey Hazeltine, an employee of Harris Hardware, said they have sold over 500 shirts in the shop, with 200 sold on Saturday alone.
According to Barnett, the shirts have already earned themselves a reputation far and wide. "I’ve had calls from all over New Jersey and some from New York requesting the shirts, asking where people can get them," he said.
"We want to sell as many as possible and raise as much as we can," said Berman.
"Whatever we have to do to raise money to support our country, we will do," said Barnett. "Unfortunately, no matter how much we raise, it can never be enough."
Apparel Zone is located at 123 Main St. and can be reached at (732) 441-7784 or at [email protected].