Pin-able Memorabilia A Hot Button Business for One Man at DNC

Mark D. Evans keeps up with the hot button issues surrounding the political elections, but more than that, he is "Hot for Buttons."

Evans, a resident of Avon, N.Y., traveled to this year's Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C., to sell pin-able memorabilia for his business, Hot for Buttons.

"Just the Democrats," Evans said. "I wouldn't travel for the Republicans."

Evans sat outside the delegate meeting rooms at the Embassy Suites in Charlotte on Monday, selling the pin-sational items for $3 each or five for $10

"'Are you hot for buttons?'" he'd call out as delegates walked by.

Collecting buttons became a hobby for Evans while he was just a kid.

"My dad brought me my first Kennedy button in 1960," Evans said. "So as a third-grader, I volunteered for JFK in Buffalo, handing out campaign literature in front of polling places."

Evans said he doesn't even know how he knew what to do, as his parents hadn't encouraged the activity and there were no adults to supervise the literature distribution.

"I've been a flaming liberal ever since," Evans said. "I probably have 50,000 buttons in my collection."

But why buttons?

"Buttons tell the story," Evans said.

Buttons that tout "Obama got Osama," "Born in the USA," "Nurses for Obama," "Women for Obama," "Romney Hood: Take from the POOR to give to the RICH," and a counter "Robin Obama: He takes from the one percent to give to the 99 percent."

A steady stream of customers stopped by the table to take a peek, and each would leave with at least one button.

Evans said that some will become collectibles, making them valuable because of the limited quantities of the button.