If You Can't Be Chairman, You Can Still Get the Chair

Donald Trump always sits in first class, now you can, too.

That's the claim made by The Donald in the press materials distributed for the launch of Trump Office for Staples, a collection of office chairs created by a joint venture between Staples and The Trump Organization.

The big unveiling (quit literally - the chairs were dramatically shrouded in black cloths at the start of things) took place at the Staples store on the Upper West Side of Manhattan on Monday. Staples C.E.O. Ron Sargent and Donald Trump both took turns at the lectern touting the "luxury, style, and quality" of the new office chairs to a crowd of reporters and clicking flashbulbs.

Donald Trump has already pinned his name to everything from business clothing to vodka to bottled water (Trump Ice, offered at the event), so the move into office furniture comes as no surprise. Trump has long since stopped seeming like a real estate tycoon and started functioning as a "professional executive," an identity he has managed to develop into a career of its own.

As far as these chairs go, Aeron look-alikes they are not. The tone is exactly what you would expect from Donald Trump - corporate thrones grandiose enough for the mid-level executive who fancies himself the next J. Pierpont Morgan or Cornelius Vanderbilt. But, this is the 'everyman' version, so they retail for $350 and $550.

The chairs are named things like Bedminster and Briarcliff, and Trump noted at Monday's event that each name was inspired by something significant to the Trump Organization - Bedminster, for instance, being the area bulldozed to build the Trump National golf course.

All are swivel-bottomed and four are meant to achieve a clubby look with dark woods, leather, and brass fittings. The fifth model - the Varick - is an awkward, hulking attempt to use black leather and boxy lines to give a modern option for consumers. The top of the line Westchester chair is a monstrous, high backed, button-tufted armchair, whereas the Briarcliff is a more modestly proportioned composite of leather and chenille. Anyway, you get the picture.

Though the chairs were officially introduced today, they have been available in Staples stores for the past two weeks. Trump wasn't shy about telling the press gathered for the occasion that sales were already exceeding expectations. He says that the Briarcliff model in particular is selling like hotcakes.

With furniture and apparel already under his belt, where will Trump turn for his next branding venture? The man himself hasn't offered clues, but may I suggest Trump shampoo?

Liz Gunnison