Urban Outfitters – who knew?

Shopping_mug_01MUG , Manhattan Users Guide, is one of the emails that I subscribe to.  The topics are anything from politics to art to music to trivia about NYC.  Always fun to read.  Today the email was about Urban Outfitters.  Urban Outfitters is chain of stores that began in Philadelphia many years ago and have grown rapidly.  I’d say their customer is the under 30 crowd.  Trendy basics. 

Charlie Suisan, the man behind MUG, wrote today that growing up they were never allowed to drink Welch’s Grape Juice because Robert Welch was one of the founders of John Birch Society and since they were opposed to Civil Rights, they did not have Welch’s in their house.  In our house, we were never allowed to have Knotts Berry Farms products because they were anti-Semites. 

Little did I know that Urban Outfitters is owned by a man who has generously donated money to the campaign of Rick Santorum.  One of the more pious people in Congress today.  Anti-abortion, anti-gay etc.  I have seen the t-shirts in Urban Outfitters, which change constantly, and have never noticed the politically charged ones that send out a right wing message.

Richard Haynes is the man behind Urban Outfitters.  Big supporter of Santorum’s PAC.  So, now that I am aware of this we will no longer be supporting Urban Outfitters with our dollars.  Just like we didn’t support Knotts Berry Farms growing up.  Knowing the real face behind the product allows me to choose whose pockets I want to line with profits.  Knowledge is key.  Now that I have it,  I can make better choices.  Shopping at Urban Outfitters will no longer be an option.

Comments (Archived):

  1. Mitch

    Robert Welch was a founder of the Welch *Candy* company, maker of Sugar Babies, Pom Poms, Junior Mints, and the like.

    I’m pretty sure Robert Welch had nothing to do with the grape Welches. And that’s reassuring, since I had Welch grape juice this morning at breakfast.

  2. Mitch

    Robert Welch was a founder of the Welch *Candy* company, maker of Sugar Babies, Pom Poms, Junior Mints, and the like.

    I’m pretty sure Robert Welch had nothing to do with the grape Welches. And that’s reassuring, since I had Welch grape juice this morning at breakfast.

  3. Jim Fobes

    the Knotts funded the west coast loony branch of the Birchers.And one of my Congressmen, John Rousselot–the only Bircher ever to win a seat in the House. having said that it was my mom’s favorite place for mother’s day supper. In addition to the Berry Farm they also had the lesser known (except tp teenaged boys) Alligator Farm to the north of the berry farm. For $.50 you could feeed an annoying poult to the gators. It was a boy thing.

  4. I am not Star Jones

    i was online checking out area rugs and went to the UO site and then remembered there was a connection between UO and the intelligent, charming humanist Santorum.

    That’s when I hit your blog and decided that an affordable area rug from UO was not to be in my future.

    Also, do you know if UO is also affiliated with Anthropologie?