ARNOLD PUMPS UP GIFT PROFITS ACTION-HERO GOVERNOR INSPIRES CAPITOL VISITORS TO SPEND.

Byline: David M. Drucker Sacramento Bureau

SACRAMENTO - Having an action hero in the governor's office - one married to a Kennedy, no less - has made its mark on the profits at the state Capitol gift shop.

While standard tourist fare such as books on California history and replicas of the state Constitution and seal comprise the bulk of the inventory, the prime display area in the Capitol basement shop is filled with a collection of three ``Gov. Schwarzenegger'' T-shirts and a trio of books by his wife, first lady Maria Shriver.

And the $19.95 jar of trail mix sporting Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's name is flying off the shelves at Capitol Books and Gifts as the holidays approach. The last jar sold Wednesday, with a new supply already on order.

``Business has improved since we've had the new governor,'' said assistant manager Rosemary Campana, who's worked there 13 years. ``We always had a good business, but more people come in now because they might be able to see him.''

The trail mix is one of the shop's best sellers, Campana said. It comes in a souvenir jar - one side sports the governor's official seal, on the other is written ``Following the governor's trail.''

Profits from the gift shop are donated to the Developmentally Disabled Services Organization, a group with locations in Sacramento and Stockton.

The collection of Schwarzenegger/Shriver paraphernalia extends from the mundane to the extravagant and soon can be viewed on a Web site now under construction, www.capitolbooksandgifts.com.

There's the Gov. Schwarzenegger postcard for $1 and Gov. Schwarzenegger coffee cup for $9.95. And then there's the Gov. Schwarzenegger commemorative medallion complete with gubernatorial seal for $14.95 and Maria Shriver-designed charm bracelet for $225.

While Campana said all items featuring the governor and his wife have moved briskly - ``Her books do well, especially after she was on Oprah'' - some shoppers still opt for the traditional.

Fontana resident David Olson, 59, bought a historical book chronicling California ghost stories and the Schwarzenegger postcard. In Sacramento to visit family for Thanksgiving, Olson didn't find the store's Schwarzenegger-centered offerings particularly unusual or over the top.

``I've seen goods featuring all kinds of (elected) representatives, so why should it be any different here?''

Don Keller, a Sacramento resident touring the Capitol with his wife and 5-year-old daughter, was surprised there wasn't more Schwarzenegger- inspired merchandise.

``I thought the gift shop was rather small. I thought it would be a lot bigger and have a lot more to choose from,'' Keller said.

There was never a demand for items featuring the likenesses of past governors, though there were postcards with pictures of former governors Ronald Reagan and Jerry Brown, Campana said.

But given Schwarzenegger's star-studded past, there actually are few, if any, references to his days as a world-champion bodybuilder and box-office star.

There's the 60-cent pin featuring the Terminator as ``Arnold Schwarzenegger, The Governator.'' And he can also be seen with a machine gun in full Terminator regalia on the three of spades in a specialty collectors-edition deck of playing cards ($7.95). Under his black leather jacket is a shirt that says ``I love California,'' and in the background is a graveyard with a headstone that reads ``Gray Davis.''

It was Schwarzenegger who made California history a year ago when he ousted Davis from office in a recall.

During that campaign, Schwarzenegger and his wife made trail mix their snack of choice. Terri Carbaugh, a spokeswoman for the couple, said the two received a jar of jelly beans as a gift and, liking the idea, opted for a healthier snack to pass out to staff and others.

Shriver then decided to market the trail mix at the shop as a contribution to charity.

``Maria thought it would be a win-win. Visitors have the option of selecting a nutritional alternative to candy while at the same time there's a charitable benefit.''

David M. Drucker, [phone]

david.drucker(at)dailybulletin.com

CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) A variety of Arnold Schwarzenegger-themed gifts are available - and raising profits - at Capitol Books and Gifts. Funds raised through the sale of the souvenirs are given to charity.

(2) Pins commemorate the movie star-turned-governor. There's also a pack of playing cards that pay tribute to Arnold Schwarzenegger's legendary role as the ``Terminator.''

Evan Yee/Staff Photographer