Trends at Museum Stores

Nowhere to Go But Up (From page 91)

collection of Rainbow Row T-shirts since Rainbow Row is just around the corner. Houser points out that competition is heavy in tourist-centric Charleston.

Attendance at the South Carolina Aquarium in Charleston is trending up and that’s causing a surge in gift shop sales as well. The items they carry all have a tie to sea life and the most popular things are T-shirts and plush, according to Marci Coleman , gift shop manager. Any item with a river otter or sea turtle design is popular but the real standout are items with an exclusive design that plays off the Red Cross logo and represents the Sea Turtle Care Center program on site at the Aquarium. The products they offer allow guest to go home with an emotional connection to this very special program.

At the Battleship South Dakota Memorial in Sioux Falls, S.D., the long-time store manager said they sold lots of puzzles, history books, children’s books, tiles and coasters. In addition, they have been successful with a novelty item: honey from hives on the roof of the attraction.

Keystone Area Historical Society in Keystone, S.D., opened early this season to get a jump on sales and they have been strong. Casey Sullivan is in his second year as a manager. Books are the top sellers plus anything to do with Carrie Ingalls (she lived nearby) and The Little House on the Prairie stories including bonnets, pioneer toys, and T-shirts.

At the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts, the Gift Shop Manager Kathy Patterson said that customers are environmentally aware and are really looking for eco-friendly gifts, and those items tend to have a higher price point. She counts on vendors who understand what they are about. The store offers branded items such as socks. Online sales are up and in-store sales are strong.

Sylvia Weslie has been the CEO and Museum Shop Manager for The Butterfly Place in Westford, Mass., for over 30 years. She described the shop as a fun place that offers all things butterfly including, books, plush toys, stickers, jewelry made from butterfly wings, ornaments, and more. They prefer American-made products and do offer special pricing sometimes such as when a customer buys 15 or more kites. The Butterfly Place has even become a popular wedding venue.

The Spellman Museum of Stamps and Postal History in Weston, Mass., is just one room and the gift shop is very specialized. Manager Anne O’Keefe offers stamps, puzzles relating to stamps, and post cards. She wants items on sale to tie to the exhibits. The museum is a must-see and must-shop stop for philatelists.

The Penn Museum, more formally The University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology in Philadelphia, Pa., has undergone recent renovations and sales are now up per capita and attendance is holding steady. Scott Lloyd , the museum shop manager, said they have launched an online store and are reaching more people than ever who are interested in items imported from Africa or Mexico or South America. The museum also acquires merchandise from Desert Design wholesalers and sometimes creates its own products such as silk scarves in designs inspired by the museum’s archives. Fair trade is important to Lloyd and he sometimes shops the fair trade section of NY Now.

There is a hopeful vibe at most museum and attraction gift shops these days with some shops even running ahead of pre-COVID numbers and others having developed a new or a stronger online presence. ❖