A newly established online “swag” store is donating all profits to struggling businesses in Israel.

The ten/eight website, based in the United States, sells a huge range of promotional merchandise (“swag”) – anything from golf tees to a $470 cocktail maker, all custom-branded with the buyer’s logo.

The founders say all profits will go directly to small businesses in Israel hit by the economic impact of more than a year of war against Hamas in the south, and now against Hezbollah in the north as well.

More than 46,000 business have closed since the Hamas massacre of October 7, 2023, and that figure could rise to 60,000 by the end of this year, according to a recent report by the Israeli credit-risk management firm CofaceBdi.

Ten/eight is inviting small businesses in Israel to apply for grants, which it aims to make available early in 2025.

Hoping to make a meaningful difference

Ten/eight is a project of the United States – Israel Business Alliance (USIBA), which creates economic opportunities between the US and Israel, in collaboration with the Swag Space platform, which streamlines the process of buying, producing and distributing promotional merchandise.

“We are hoping that US businesses, non-profit organizations, and individuals who need to order premium swag anyway for events, outings, holiday parties, etc., will order through ten/eight,” Aaron Kaplowitz, USIBA president and cofounder of ten/eight, tells ISRAEL21c.

“And we are hoping that this will generate enough profit to make a meaningful difference for small businesses in Israel.”

He said ten/eight, launched on October 8, 2024, was a nod to “the day after.”

“Our mission is to help Israel rebuild. Ten plus eight equals chai [18, Hebrew for “life”], which also embodies this goal.”

Ten/eight stocks over 7,500 products ready to be branded as giveaways (minimum quantities apply). They include goods by Nike, Marine Layer, North Face, S’well, Camelbak, Moleskine, Tile, JBL and other premium brands.

Among the most popular items currently on its website are water bottles, fleece jackets, mugs, Bluetooth speakers, laptop backpacks, notebooks, beanie hats, pet bowls and duffel bags.

Ten/eight has a sales team of student volunteers, recruited through Tamid, a nonprofit that connects US college students with hands-on business experience in the Israeli economy. The teams are based at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Tulane University in New Orleans and the University of Texas at Austin.

“Our sales teams are comprised of students who are motivated to change lives for the better,” says USIBA Managing Director Andi Flug Wolfer, another ten/eight cofounder.

“When they are able to keep people employed, our students feel empowered to take a more active role in helping Israel rebuild.

“In the middle of a war, the financial health of small businesses is rarely top of mind. Nevertheless, the restaurants, retail shops, service providers, and manufacturers are indispensable to a functioning society and critical to the economy,” she said.