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How Gift Shops at Aviaries, Arboretums and Gardens Are Welcoming Guests with New Merchandise and Added Safety Precautions

By Natalie Hope McDonald

Shofuso House is a hidden gem in Philadelphia’s Fairmount Park. Built in Japan in 1953, it was first shipped to New York and exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art before moving to its present location just five years later. After making its international journey, the structure, which was built using traditional materials and techniques, has become a popular yet always serene attraction thanks to its traditional tea house, pond garden and tiered waterfall island.

After reopening post-COVID, the venue is enjoying ongoing maintenance under the tutelage of Dr. Tomoki Kato, an eighth generation Japanese landscape architect, historian and horticulturalist. During which time, visitors are once again welcome to explore the house and garden, and to attend traditional tea service and other special events and classes.

Christina Schank , Shofuso House

Site Manager of the Japanese House and Garden, explained that there have been a few changes because of the pandemic.

For example, the gift shop began to sell powdered green tea, or matcha prior to COVID. “A lot of people are unfamiliar with how this tea looks compared to leaf teas, so we at one point decided to display an example that visitors could open in order to see the difference,” she said. “However, after COVID, we have decided to no longer put out an open container for people to pick up and observe, in order to minimize person to person interaction with our gift shop items. We have also begun to store more items inside of the ticket window for purchase, instead of having them displayed outside all day. These will both be permanent changes moving forward.”

The venue is also enforcing guidelines put in place by the City of Philadelphia which, to date, requires masking indoors.

At Shofuso, the gift shop is quite small and located outdoors within the venue’s grounds. But the few items it does showcase celebrates Japanese culture authentically.

Schank said that the 36-inch Koi nobori, or Koi windsocks, are particularly popular each season. “Koi

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Back to Business (From page 106) nobori are brightly colored with beautiful designs,” she explained, “that are mesmerizing to watch as they blow in the breeze. We even sell a small version attached to a wand for kids to fly around by hand, which are just as popular as our larger version.”

Interestingly, these decorations have a specific affiliation with a Japanese holiday, Children’s Day, which celebrates children in Japan, and aims to wish them a long and healthy life like that of a koi fish. “Every May,” said Schank, “families will hang Koi nobori of all different shapes and sizes around their homes to represent the different members of their family.”

Traditions like these play an important role in what types of gifts are sold at the intimate little shop. While they come from a variety of sources, the biggest suppliers are Miya Company and Shoyeido, which provide ceramic items, such as tea sets, sake sets and tea cups and a large and high quality selection of ceramic incense holders and long stick incense, respectively.

“When people visit Shofuso,” said Schank, “they want to buy something that they can take home that continues to remind them of their experience with Japanese culture. Therefore, our choice to use these suppliers helps us to keep our visitors connected and to enhance their experience, even after they have left our house and gardens.”

A new item that the shop is introducing this season is noren, Japanese room separating apparatuses that are made of cloth, and adorned with beautiful designs of Japanese scenery and art.

“We have one prominently displayed in our ticket window area, which does

Sales Tips Customer Service in the Age of COVID

As venues reopen and guests start to reenter both indoor and outdoor facilities, there are a few ways that gift shops can make accommodations that encourage browsing while lessening health risks.

Free masks: While recommendations vary from state to state in terms of mask wearing, the CDC suggests that anyone who has not been vaccinated wear a mask indoors and in crowds of people. To ensure unvaccinated people can meet these requirements, consider offering free disposable masks upon entry.

Hand sanitizer: Touching merchandise can be a dirty business, which is providing hand sanitizer stations is a good way to encourage customers to wipe down. Also consider asking guests to sanitize upon entering the venue to cut back on potential cross contamination within the store.

Limit try ons: Sunglasses and jewelry can be hotbeds for contamination, which is why it’s smart to create a plan for either limiting or disinfecting any items that people might ask to try on. Take a cue from most eyeglass stores that disinfect each pair of frames a customer tries on. One way to do this is to have a place for people to return “used” merchandise easily so that it can be refreshed and returned to the shelves quickly. a great job of separating our front window from our break room, and visitors are in awe of the quality of light that they provide through the cloth. Miya Company sells these as well, so I have been looking diligently into which designs I think will be of most interest to our guests.”

Open up space: Creating space in even the smallest venue allows guests to roam comfortably. Consider moving around tables and shelving, and even eliminating any bulky displays that make it harder to social distance.

Bird Is the Word

At the National Aviary in Pittsburgh, Pa., the gift shop reopened with all the usual best-sellers this season, including magnets, snow globes, keychains and stuffed animals. According to Kate Campbell , the aviary’s Senior Manager of Guest Operations, the most popular toys tend to reflect the venue’s residents, like penguins, sloths and flamingos.

“For many people,” Campbell explained, “magnets and snow globes are collectables, and for others, these are small ways to remember an amazing visit. During the pandemic, many people have turned to activities like doing puzzles for comfort and entertainment.”

As the only independent indoor nonprofit aviary in the country, the National Aviary is a unique place to see free-flying bird habitats and learn more about signature species being housed here. With a focus on conservation, many items in the gift shop serve to raise funds for the care of the birds and also to teach people about their characteristics and history. Guests, for example, can book a time to meet the African Penguin while learning all about this species in the shop.

Campbell stocked up on quite a few bird-related items this season, including stuffed budgies that she said “fly” off the shelves every year. “They are adorable, very soft and huggable, and people of all ages are buying them. With more people traveling and taking day trips to Pittsburgh, we’ve made sure to have plenty of items like magnets and snow globes on hand. These items make excellent souvenirs and a great way to re- member your visit.”

Even though the pandemic shut down much of the activity at aviaries like this one, Campbell said it inspired them to launch an online gift shop for the first time. She said it became “a vital source of revenue when we were closed in accordance with statewide guidance to help stop the spread of COVID-19. National Aviary fans from near and far have loved the option to shop online for some of our most popular products.”

Back in the brick and mortar, however, keeping things fresh has been a big part of the reopening. “We make it a point to change our displays frequently and find fun, thematic ways to group items. People love being able to browse by specific animals, so we might group all of our sloth items, like T-shirts, puzzles, books, mugs, games, together in one area.”

Overall, she said the shop seeks to create a friendly and customer-oriented environment by treating each guest with kindness. “We have also learned,” she added, “that parents appreciate having the tags on stuffed animals removed before they are given back to their child.”

Outdoor-Only Shopping

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Back to Business (From page 109) botanical lover’s dream since 1994 when the shop was first built with donations from a local supporter. Named after the woman’s daughter, Norrie’s has become a must-see for garden enthusiasts throughout Northern California.

Nursery Manager and Propagator Linda McNally said that these days succulent wreaths are very popular at the shop. “The succulent wreaths are made by volunteers here in our nursery,” she explained, “and they can be used as a hanging decoration or a table centerpiece.”

In addition to a selection of household items, jewelry and gifts, Norrie’s has also stocked up on a selection of plants that thrive in the region’s dry summers, plants that are sourced from the Mediterranean climates around the world, both local to California, but also as far as Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Both salvias and succulents are especially popular.

The inventory, though limited, is very specific since the shop is outdoor only. And since reopening after the pandemic, Norrie’s follows the guidelines set by the University of California, which are applied to all students, staff and visitors.

Book Club-Approved

A 400-acre native garden in Tuckahoe State Park in Maryland, Adkins Arboretum features five miles of paths through meadows and native plant gardens on the beautiful Eastern Shore. As a model for land management and conservation, the arboretum offers a range of educational and recreational events throughout the year. And in addition to the gift shop, the venue also hosts semiannual Native Plant Sales (April and September) where gardeners find the largest selection of ornamental native plants in the region.

The focus on nature continues at the gift shop located inside the visitor center lobby which underwent

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Vendor Spotlight

The Legend of Wild Berry

Fifty years ago when Mark Biales and Roger Atkin started making Wild Berry Incense on the front porch of Biales’ house, some people thought “That’s nuts.” But eventually other retailers began calling the Wild Berry store asking if they could sell their incense. Their sincerity and Biales’ and Atkin’s desire to share their passion for fragrance gave them the confidence to make a leap of faith into the wholesale market.

Biales and Atkin are thankful that each of their customers at one point thought “I like these nutty guys,” and decided to put their incense in their stores.

(For more information, visit www.wild-berry.com or circle 67 on the reader service card.) ❖