54 | DECEMBER 19 • 2019
A
Star Wars T-shirt — with bold
Hebrew lettering — stands out as
a prized possession of Kenneth
Friedman. He can’
t wear the shirt because
it’
s not his size, but he smiles whenever he
comes across it among the many items of
Star Wars memorabilia he owns.
Friedman, 49, an Oak Parker and long-
time member of Congregation B’
nai Moshe,
has been a Star Wars fan since he was 7. His
interest launched when he was taken to an
early movie by his uncle, Russell Jacobs.
Caught up in the galaxy adventure series,
Friedman decided, at 25, to turn his hobby
into a career and left behind the world of
professional photography. Using money
saved from his bar mitzvah and various
jobs, he began working through fan shows
and conventions
that trade in an
array of merchan-
dise, from comic
books to multi-
media products.
“I remember how
my uncle was a
collector of coins, unicorns and Star Wars
action figures,
” Friedman recalls. “I thought
the action figures were pretty cool, and I
also remember he explained that someday
they may be worth a lot of money.
”
While deciding to deal in those action
figures, which then sold at $2 and have
gone up to as much as thousands of dollars,
he expanded his inventory to original and
replicated props, costumes, toys and auto-
graphed pictures. While items
linked to Star Wars account
for about 70 percent of his
business, memorabilia from
other science fiction media
take up the rest.
Away from day-to day
work, Friedman is looking
forward to seeing this week’
s
release of Star Wars: The Rise
of Skywalker, the final episode in the film
saga.
“What I like about the Star Wars films
and gear is that it’
s all not part of reality,
”
Friedman explains. “The good guys are
going to win, or maybe the bad guys are
going to become good guys. Watching gets
me away for two-plus hours from what is
troubling in the real world.
”
Friday’
s release, also known as Episode
IX and showing the final battle between
imagined galactic forces, was produced,
co-written and directed by J.J. Abrams,
who also has worked on television series
and comic book creations.
The cast includes Mark Hamill, Adam
Driver, Daisy Ridley, Keri Russell,
Ian McDiarmid and Billy Dee
Williams with clips of the late
Carrie Fisher. John Williams
scored the film.
The feeling of escape from real-
ity will not be available to every
fan. The Walt Disney Co. is warn-
ing that the film’
s special effects
could pose a seizure risk to those
with photosensitive epilepsy.
“I tried selling merchandise on
the web, but it never was good
for me,
” says Friedman, who also
works through wholesalers and
retailers and can be reached at
kifs@comcast.net. “I used to do 30
shows a year. Now, I do 10 or 12.
”
Friedman has had conven-
tion help through family — his late father,
Bernard; mother, Judith; sister Debbie; wife
Sharon; and sons Zachary and Kevin. They
have accompanied him to shows in America
and on distant shores, including Japan,
England and Saudi Arabia, most recently.
“In Saudi Arabia, it was the first-ever big
media convention with 10 other dealers
besides me,
” Friedman says. “It was unique
to find people who had never seen Star
Wars and had no idea what it all was. Some
people just got to see the first Star Wars
movie, which is over 30 years old.
”
Friedman, who will participate in Motor
City Comic Con May 15-17 at the Suburban
Collection Showplace in Novi, defines no
common demographic among his custom-
ers.
“They span all ages and professions,
” he
says. “I even recall meeting two rabbis.
”
Arts&Life
collecting
Longtime Star Wars fan turned his hobby
into a business that caters to other fans.
SUZANNE CHESSLER CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Still
Fascinated
TOP: Star Wars memorabilia dealer
Ken Friedman’
s booth at a fan trade
show. Friedman with a fan dressed as
Chewbacca.
PHOTOS COURTESY KEN FRIEDMAN
A Star Wars Chanukah
A capella group Six13 released its latest video Dec. 12
to celebrate the festival of lights. This year, they are
paying homage to the Star Wars franchise with “Star Wars
Chanukah” to coincide with the release Friday of Star Wars:
The Rise of Skywalker. Members of the group admit to being
huge Star Wars geeks. Check for it on YouTube.