Gift Report

The Nature of Sales (From page 87) be accessible, with good signage. The store is 2,053 square feet and annual sales during fiscal year 2019 (pre-Covid) was $7,000,000.

Suzanne Fouts is the concessionaire owner of the stores at Fort Wilkins State Park in Copper Harbor, Mich., and McLain State Park in Hancock, Mich., which she described as being as far in the northwest of Michigan as you can get. Consequently, COVID had little impact. They were closed May and June 2020 but made up that lost income

Gifts Product News Brief NB

WoodzGear Offers Gifts with a Focus on Exclusive Products and Designs

WoodzGear was established in 2015, and like all great stories, ours started with a dream and a garage. We quickly outgrew that garage and today we fabricate, and hand assemble all of our products in our centrally located manufacturing facility in Olathe, Kansas. We are proud to say that the product materials we select are all sourced in the USA.

Our team takes pleasure in creating unique and personalized items. Our current offerings, where growth is constant, includes Real Wood Stickers, Acrylic License Plates and Frames, WoodzLids (hats) with Real Wood Emblems, Engraved Tumblers and Coasters, all with custom designs and name-drop options.

Our focus at WoodzGear, as a prime provider of exclusive products and designs, is to make our customer stand out by producing fresh designs, merchandise, and service with exceptional value.

We have a great team of employees, but it is our shop dog, Lola, that gets all the attention!

(For more information, visit www.woodzgear. com, call 913-228-2214, fax 913-541-0957, email orders@woodzgear.com, or circle 92 on the reader service card.)

the first three weeks they were reopened. Their overall numbers are way up. Her best-sellers are coffee mugs, magnets, and ice cream (she makes her own waffle cones). It’s important that whatever she sells be name-dropped with either the name of the park or the town. Fouts puts small items on the counter where they are handy for upselling and said it is important to keep everything neat and tidy, no clutter. The McLain store is about 40 feet by 30 feet and one day sales average about $1,500. The Fort Wilkens store is about 75 feet by 30 feet and the one-day sales average about $3,000. She sells subs, fudge, and popcorn in addition to souvenirs.

Fouts is bothered by the fact that, because of social distancing rules, she can’t have enough staff in place to provide what she considers to be good customer service. Like many other managers interviewed, she’s also having a hard time hiring staff. She’s also having some trouble getting merchandise, especially T-shirts, although she said that’s loosening a little. She has eight orders that were due in May that still haven’t arrived. Before COVID Fouts also owned a hockey rink; that closed and is not going to reopen. That’s the difference between indoor activities and people getting out into the wide-open spaces. ❖

Stickers and Magnets

Mountain Graphics offers eye-catching, outdoorweather-resistant stickers and magnets. There are many stock designs to choose from, and namedrops are free. Made in the USA.

(For more information call 1-888-764-6450, visit www.mtgraphics.com, or circle 93 on the reader service card.)