Beam Me to Ohio: A Visit to Federation HQ

By
Carey Spears
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If you ever wondered if malls in the United States of America were worth visiting, head over to Sandusky, Ohio, for a treat! Federation Headquarters, the physical location of the International Federation of Trekkers, Inc., charms Star Trek fans and mall patrons alike. Housed in a former Express storefront in the Sandusky Mall, Federation HQ offers unique Star Trek-themed merchandise, a captain’s chair photo area, and memorabilia. There is even the ambience of the franchise, with the door chiming from the Original Series welcoming all as shoppers enter.

Crossing the threshold into Federation HQ delights visitors with the brightly lit retail area decorated with mannequins dressed in Starfleet uniforms and Federation flags hanging from the ceiling. The custom IDIC (Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations) shirts are among the first visible merchandise and proudly project Star Trek’s philosophy to fans and casual shoppers alike.

International Federation of Trekkers and Roddenberry’s Vision for the Future

Russ Haslage, president of the International Federation of Trekkers, Inc., centres the message of Gene Roddenberry’s vision for the future. The International Federation of Trekkers launched in June 1984 and has chapters worldwide. Haslage goes on to add, “Our mall store serves as our headquarters offices as well as a gift shop and archives of some of the rare items we’ve managed to acquire over our 40 years of service. It also allows us to spread the word of our mission and ideas, broadening our outreach to even more people as they visit.” The current retail space is a new location for the group. Previously, the organization operated a store out of Columbus, Ohio after purchasing Starbase Columbus in 2015. The main purpose for the group, he says is the “worldwide mission of helping those in need.”

Planning a visit to the Sandusky location is something many Trek fans might want to do. And even non-Trekkers sometimes get in on the fun. Haslage says that some unsuspecting mall patrons do occasionally visit.

“We see a lot of non-Trek people at our shop. Some walk in the front gate, take a few steps in and turn right around. Others come in and take it all in, mentioning how cool of a place it is, even though they aren’t Trek fans,” he says.

A glimpse inside Federation HQ

Federation HQ Retail Plans

Haslage has more plans for the store, even though he has already done a bit of remodeling. “One set of 4 [former Express] dressing rooms became our Communications Room, a studio for recording audio and video. The other dressing rooms [became] the space for our big screen (which will eventually become the viewscreen for the bridge of the Enterprise). … We also had the large Engineering doors cut into the wall between the two sections. … We also had the Ready Room doorway cut in that wall for easier access for our staff” he says.

The future looks bright for Federation HQ. “We will be building the bridge behind our captain’s chair. In addition, the 13.5-foot-long USS ENTERPRISE will be restored and put on display on the main floor of the shop. Once those items are completed, we will rebuild the smaller section to resemble the engineering room and conference area from the TOS Enterprise,” he says.

Some of the merchandise found at the mall store is available online. Haslage says that he hopes to make more items available online, but sizing for some of the jackets requires folks to try them on for best results, so they are not listed as of now. Fans and supporters of the organization’s work can join Trek Federation on the website as well. As Haslage notes, even some non-Trek fans who have entered the store out of curiosity have joined Trek Federation because of the group’s mission of service.

A Model of the USS Enterprise on display at Federation HQ and a United Federation of Planets flag behind it.

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