Trends in Souvenirs and Gifts at Caves, Caverns, and Non-Profits

By Carimé Lane

Outdoor explorers will be taking in experiences at caves, caverns, and non-profits this summer. Take a peak at what five of these organizations are selling as souvenirs, and what they have in store for their visitors this summer.

JD Harshfield, gift shop manager at Ohio Caverns, explained that, as they’re a cavern, most of their gift shop merchandise consists of rocks and mineral specimens. Amethysts and tumbled rocks are best-sellers at the caverns. They have an 8-foot-by-4-foot table of these tumbled rocks that guests dig into, Harshfield said.

Gem mining bags also sell particularly well. These bags contain dirt along with rocks and minerals. Guests sift through the dirt to find the remaining rocks and minerals that they can take home with them.

This summer, they’re planning to increase the amount of logoed souvenirs available at their shop. Harshfield said these are products serve as a reminder of a guest’s visit, as conversation starters and as advertising for the caverns as well.

Harshfield abides by the philosophy that: “You’re not going to sell anything if people don’t know what it is, especially with rocks and minerals.” You must identify each individual piece you’re trying to sell, Harshfield said.

At the Caverns of Sonora gift shop located 15 miles southwest of Sonora, Texas, on the I-10, they steer away from being a “standard kitschy,” gift shop, said Patti Landrum , who handles inventory at the 4,185-square-foot Caverns of Sonora gift shop.

They carry logoed stickers with the cavern’s image, walking stick medallions and iron-on patches. Top- selling souvenirs include the cavern’s magnets and plush toys.

“For the more discriminating customers, we offer unique fossils from our middle eastern market,” Landrum said.

Landrum added that they offer very competitive prices on all items ranging from small rocks and kids’ jewelry to choice fossils and minerals. They also stock a good selection of jewelry for all budgets.

For the summer, Landrum is experimenting with selling tank tops.

“So far, I’m noticing the women are really liking it. Slow to sell are the kids’ and mens’ tanks,” Landrum said.

They recently moved nearly all of their display cases, which opened up traffic flow.

“This worked wonderfully during spring break. It gave customers a chance to see items in a completely different way,” Landrum said.

In The Peregrine Fund’s headquarters at the World Center for Birds of Prey 400-square-foot gift shop, offerings range from apparel to stickers to puzzles to books and fair trade items from their project areas

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