Zoo and Aquarium Section

Name-Dropped Plush (From page 199) shelves,” noted Banks. “I’ve actually had to order it three times already.”

The Cleveland Metroparks Zoo gift shop names drop certain specialty items, like an endangered animals line from the “Future for Wildlife” conservation program. Store Manager Paula Hlucky said the line includes lions, tigers, elephants, rhinoceros and giraffes; all bear the zoo’s logo and the slogan “Be a hero for wildlife” on the tag.

A whimsical plush elephant, styled as a zookeeper, wears a vest with the zoo logo on it. “That one is pretty popular,” Hlucky observed.

With strong sales from a busy summer season, zoo and aquarium retailers have to move merchandise quickly. “I’ve never had to put plush on clearance, but I do have a small discount section for clothing when we get down to just a size or two,” said Girardy at the National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium.

Megan Kennedy creates raffle baskets or baskets with markdowns at the Frank Buck Zoo. And at Wildlife Safari, Crystal Banks drops prices on slow selling items, then

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What Name-Dropped Items Sell Best For Your Store And Why?

Tried-and-true souvenir staples — magnets, keychains and mugs — remain among the best-selling name-dropped items at zoo and aquarium gift shops around the country. But drinkware, a soaring category for retail this year, is making inroads, and logo apparel remains a customer favorite.

At the Frank Buck Zoo in Gainesville, Texas, newly introduced T-shirts featuring zoo animals with a screen-printed logo are so popular that Gift Shop Manager Megan Kennedy can’t keep them in stock. Magnets, keychains and stickers also remain strong sellers. “That’s what most people ask for when they come in,” Kennedy noted.

“They like these kinds of items as keepsakes — things you can’t get just anywhere.”

A children’s water bottle is the name-dropped best-seller at the National Mississippi River Museum at Aquarium in Dubuque, Iowa. “With the pandemic and our water fountains closed, people really like the idea of a reusable, personal container that has a top on it,” explained Store Manager Mark Girardy

A new line of logo silicone drinkware has done well at Wildlife Safari in Winston, Oregon. Gift Shop Manager Crystal Banks said other named dropped souvenirs, like coffee mugs and utility knives, are also top sellers. Water bottles, mugs and mag- nets are also the name-dropped favorites at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden, said Gift Shop Manager Samantha Tritsch Water bottles and coffee mugs are top items at The Cleveland Metroparks Zoo gift shop. But the current hit is a name-dropped set of binoculars for children, “so they can look at our animals right up close,” said Store Manager Paula Hlucky. In addition, jewelry — much of it name-dropped — has consistently been a strong category during her 30 years at the store, Hlucky said. “We’re always running out,” she observed. “Jewelry does well with young people, and a lot of young people come here.” ❖