Toronto Star October 8th 1985

 The difference between involvement and commitment is the difference between most Blue Jay fans and Art Kraus.

While the faith of many Blue Jay fans wavered slightly during the Detroit Debacle last week, Kraus just continued pouring thousands of dollars into his belief that the Jays would be champions.

As a result, he has a warehouse full of souvenirs saying just that - champions of the American League East, champions of the American League, even World Series Champions.

The 60 different items, from beer mugs, to key chains, to dinner bells, to shoelaces, to inflatable dolls don't hang around the warehouse long.

Retail stores across the nation are screaming for whatever Blue Jay paraphernalia Kraus can send them. He has had to hire extra staff to man the phones, pack the boxes and get them on the trucks.

Kraus, 30, picked the perfect year to win away from Irwin Toys the licence to use the Blue Jay name and logo.

Kraus, in fact, has been picking winners for 10 years. It started when he was 20 and his hometown of St. Catharines was preparing to mark its centennial.

Kraus arranged to have some large lapel pins and bumper stickers made and sold them to his fellow citizens.

"I had $100,000 in sales my first year and when the centennial year was over, I started looking around for something else to promote," says Kraus.

He used the initials of his name, Arthur Mitchell Kraus, to create AMK Distributorship Ltd. That was while heading into his second year at the University of Toronto.

"I kept the company going, and it paid my way through university and then through law school and gave me a nice company car as well," says Kraus.

Despite an eight-hour working day with AMK, he graduated with a B average from Osgoode Law School in 1979 and was called to the bar.

"I took my oath in the Supreme Court, but by then it was an oath to myself not to practice law."

His sales figures have grown 1,000 per cent in the past four years and Wayne Gretzky is partly responsible. As well as having the Canadian licence for all 26 major-league baseball teams, Kraus has acquired the licence to use the names and logos of all NHL teams.

"Edmonton Oil souvenirs sell year-round in Canada, and now it will be the same for the Blue Jay name, too."

But Kraus hasn't put all his eggs in the Blue Jay nest.

He won the exclusive rights to advertise Toronto's Sesquicentennial on dozens of souvenir items, as well as Ontario's 200th anniversary. He has become the largest distributor of Canadian- made souvenirs.

"About 90 per cent of my products are manufactured in Canada and most of them are made in and around Toronto," says Kraus. "That way, I can keep a close eye on the quality and get orders filled quickly. It takes four months to get souvenir products from the Orient and you have no control over quality."

After his St. Catharines coup, Kraus signed up Purolator Couriers as his next client. He has been producing their identity garments, gadgets and souvenirs for 10 years. Dozens of other major firms, such as breweries, have since joined the stable.

One client just ordered 28 million items bearing its name and logo, but Kraus says he can't yet reveal the customer.

Could it possibly be the Stanley Cup imposed on a Maple Leaf crest?

Nah!
Illustration

Caption: Star photo (Beaty) Kraus with Blue Jays souvenirs