Legal Question in Entertainment Law in California
Can a retailer list celebrities who have made purchases?
1 Answer from Attorneys
A list, by itself, would be meaningless because people would have no way of verifying whether you just made it up. The way this is usually done is to ask the celebrity if they would mind giving you an autographed picture to put on your wall. (And make clear that you want to post it on the wall to let people know they've been there.) Most will say yes because they like your store well enough to shop there, and it keeps their face in front of the public. If they say 'no', respect that and don't use their name--some celebrities don't want to endorse retailers.
You should not use a celebrity's name or likeness in any advertising unless you have their written permission, usually by negotiating a large fee.