Starshipsstarthere merch!

An internet sensation you can wear

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Sometimes being a successful entrepreneur in Nova Scotia just means having a clever idea and good timing.

Check this:

Back in August when everyone was waiting on tenterhooks for whether the Irving shipyards would get the big contract, digital wizard and self-described "weird spaceship kid" Andrew Burke, created the Ships Start Here spoof site starshipstarthere.ca.

"The site started as just a little one page joke among friends (someone else had beaten me to shitstartshere.ca), but it really took on a life of its own," explains Burke in an email. "I had so much fun putting the first picture together (the Space Shuttle launching from the old Chronicle lot on Argyle) that I expanded it into a full website. I asked for contributions and ended up getting way more than I had expected, some from as far away as South Korea. I've now managed to put up a new picture every weekday since early September (currently at #76)."

To celebrate this site's awesomeness and popularity (more than 100,000 hits so far) Burke has now made shirts, buttons and stickers related to the site, available at the online store.

People can order items online and have them shipped through Canada Post or can save money on shipping and PayPal processing by dropping by The Hub (1673 Barrington, 2nd floor) and buy from him directly. He'll be there every weekday afternoon through December. You can also email him at [email protected] and arrange to meet up somewhere.

Burke had a vendor booth at Hal-Con in November, which was so successful he's running low on certain shirt sizes and designs. (White-on-black version of the "Citadel Walkers" design will be coming soon.) However, he can custom order any sizes and have them ready in a week or so from order. If people want items in time for the holidays, they should probably order before December 12. If you want them mailed at this point there's no guarantee they'll get to you before December 25.

All of the items are printed locally: the shirts are from Fresh Prints (2411 Agricola Street, 404-6468), the buttons are from White Elephant Buttons of Halifax, and the stickers are from Custom Kreations (CK Signs) of Upper Sackville. "I got helpful advice from 24twentyeight's Logan Hudak as well as I Heart Bikes' Sarah Craig," says Burke.