(Reprinted without permission from the Philadelphia Inquirer, 7/2)
A local store called On The Air, at the Willow Grove Park mall, is among the handful of American retail outlets handling the red-hot artwork known as "The Kramer", a 24-by-36-inch lithograph of a painting that starred in a "Seinfeld" episode last season.
Aesthetes throughout the country started hoarding copies of the licensed reproduction on Wednesday, after USA Today reported the existence of "The Kramer". On Wednesday night alone, the answering service for the Boise, Idaho, company that manufactures the poster logged 200 orders. Yesterday, every one of its 19 employees was assigned to telephone duty.
As yet, the frenzy has yet to hit Willow Grove. On The Air (on the third floor, near Strawbridge's) has a couple of dozen Kramers in stock, according to owner, Bob Weinstein.