By Amanda Hofman, Chief Swag Officer and Branded Merchandise Expert
What does a love poem to smoked fish ๐ have to do with swag?
Everything – if youโre Zabarโs.
To celebrate their 75th anniversary, the iconic Manhattan grocery store dropped a limited-edition branded tee. And it didnโt just feature a logoโit came with a perfect poem:
๐๐ค๐ฎ๐ฆ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ก๐ข๐ฃ๐ข๐ณโ๐ด
๐๐ช๐ต๐ต๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ข ๐ต๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฆ
๐-๐-๐-๐-๐-๐-๐
๐๐ช๐ณ๐ด๐ต ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ด ๐ง๐ช๐ด๐ฉ,
๐๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ด ๐ฃ๐ข๐จ๐ฆ๐ญ๐ด,
๐๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ด 75 ๐บ๐ฆ๐ข๐ณ๐ด ๐ข๐ต ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฐ๐ฑ ๐ฐ๐ง ๐๐ ๐ต๐ข๐ฃ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ด
This isn’t just any grocery store tee.
Itโs wearable nostalgia, a New York cultural flex, and a prime example of what great custom swag can be.
The Best Swag Aligns With IdentityโNot Just Branding
This limited-edition Zabarโs shirt works because it speaks to more than the brandโit speaks to identity:
๐ฅฏ โI know where the good bagels are.โ
๐ฝ โIโm an actual New Yorker.โ
๐ฌ โThis shirt will get people talking.โ
Branded merch at its best doesnโt scream look at meโit says this is who I am. Itโs not just a promotional productโitโs a story, a memory, a conversation starter.
From Grocery Store to Cult Brand: What Zabarโs Got Right
Hereโs why this worked so well:
- Limited-edition swag builds urgency and exclusivity
- Itโs deeply local and culturally relevant
- It hits both nostalgia and modern design sensibilities
- The merch becomes a badge of taste and belonging
Whether youโre a local deli or a fast-scaling startup, the lesson is the same:
Merch should do more than promote. It should resonate.
Want Your Brandโs Swag to Feel This Good?
Your branded merch can be more than just a logo tee. It can be:
โจ A flex
โจ A souvenir
โจ A shared wink between fans of your brand
When we create custom branded merchandise for our clients, weโre thinking about more than giveawaysโweโre thinking about what people will actually wear, keep, and connect with.
๐ Would you wear a grocery store tee? Why or why not?
Drop your hot takes belowโIโm collecting the best of brand-aligned swag wins (and misses).