Getting Souvenirs Selling

Coastal Gift and Souvenir Sales at Souvenir Stores

Acquiring a T-shirt, sticker, koozie or similar item when visiting a coastal setting is practically a requirement in most vacationers’ minds. With many purveyors all vying for the same shoppers’ attention, how can you make sure your establishment is the one they choose? For this article, four souvenir stores in various locales shared what works for them.

In Myrtle Beach, S.C., it’s easy to find mementos touting this famed vacation destination. However, at the long-established Gay Dolphin Gift Cove, a Myrtle Beach tradition since 1946, shoppers have been favoring store namesake souvenirs for the past five years. “Our top sellers are Gay Dolphin items –magnets, stickers, T-shirts and more printed with our logo. People want something that isn’t your typical souvenir, something kind of funny, that has some sticking power. It’s somewhere they went while in Myrtle Beach and want to remember instead of just the overall destination, you know?” said Owner Michelle Plyler .

Not that Gay Dolphin Gift Cove shies away from selling merchandise touting its locale. “We’ve always done really well with anything that has Myrtle Beach and someone’s name on it,” Plyler continued. The 35,000-square-foot store devotes an entire wall to bicycle license tags which feature 3,500 first names. Plyler does her homework, too. “I research the Social Security website for new baby names in the states around us that typically visit our area.” Her diligence about staying on top of trending and unusual names has thrilled many a customer and resulted in sales. “I had a 45-year-old man in here the other day who bought a tag. His name was Kermit and he’d never ever found his name on similar displays before!”

When hunting for merchandise to feature, Plyler is a fan of companies that welcome small quantity orders – especially when Gay Dolphin Gift Cove is set to introduce something new. “A lot of companies will do things that are custom and you don’t have to just take their stock designs either. You can differentiate yourself. In the age of buying online, you really have to make your store an experience, carry unique things and cater to the visitor. Because once they get one item in their hand, they’re much more likely to buy other things in your store since they’re already planning to make a purchase,” she concluded.

T-shirts, shot glasses, magnets and coffee mugs are the top selling souvenirs at Everything’s Beachy “Beach Shop” in Colonial Beach, Va. Part of the Northern Neck peninsula, Colonial Beach is a river and beach town located on the Potomac which features the second largest strand of sand in the state. Naturally, the souvenir favorites at Everything’s Beachy all say Colonial Beach. “But the T-shirts might feature a picture of a crab too since we’re a big crabbing area, or a sunset or maybe even a palm tree, although those aren’t native to the area and have been brought in,” Continued on page 56

Getting Souvenirs (From page 54)

said Owner Maryann Day who runs the business with her daughter Tara.

Their 3,000-square-foot store sees a lot of Christmas ornaments fly out the door year-round. “We’re a golf cart community. You’re allowed to drive them all over town so we have a little golf cart ornament with Christmas tree lights around it that’s a good seller,” said Maryann. All holiday baubles mention Colonial Beach as well. “People say the same thing – we collect an ornament from everywhere we go.” Display-wise,

Everything’s Beachy makes sure souvenirs are readily visible. Magnets are on a big magnetic board by the cash register and T-shirts dominate a wall in the same area. “If you see a T-shirt design you like, we point you to the rounder where you can find it in whatever size and color you want,” Maryann said.

When the mother/daughter team first thought to open Everything’s Beachy, they took their cues from shops they’d seen in Ocean City, Md. Between what they observed there and what they discovered attending gift shows, it wasn’t hard to figure out what they should carry. They’ve since supplemented souvenir offerings with beach essentials such as rafts, beach balls, pails and shovels, even sundresses. “And things people might have forgotten like suntan lotion, towels. We get a lot of that ‘Oh, I forgot my towel or my umbrella.’”

Topography definitely influences the souvenir selection at Block Island Trading Company on its namesake island in Rhode Island. The 750-square-foot shop’s best-sellers include glassware and ornaments etched with the Island image or its historical points of interest. Coasters, pillows, blankets as well as baby onesies, sweaters, bibs and hats bearing Block Island imagery rank among shoppers’ favorite purchases as well.

Merchandise displays at Block Island Trading Company cleverly reflect their content. “My ornaments are all displayed on a ‘Christmas tree’ made of slat wall wood looking very rustic,” said store Owner Jon MacKenzie . Meanwhile, a glass cube displaying items in the front window is secured with a fake ivy screen which is ideal for hanging still more ornaments. As for all those baby items? Well, they show to their best advantage housed in a large attractive crib.

MacKenzie spends the off-season winter months frequenting trade shows and traveling the country vis- iting other shops and art fairs to find unique items to fill the shelves at Block Island Trading Company. “Since the majority of items in my store are customized, I often find artists on my own and ask if they will customize for my shop,” he concluded.

On the West Coast, go-to souvenir items mimic East Coast favorites. Mugs, shot glasses, magnets and postcards are best-sellers at the Old Wharf Trading Company in Santa Barbara, Calif. “They’re the most expected item in a gift shop so when people come in, it’s usually what they’re looking for. They already expect to find a silly shot glass, magnet, sticker or a postcard and it’s what they want,” explained Manager Mike Spackman . Everything in the generously sized store located on iconic Stearns Wharf denotes either the town of Santa Barbara, the state of California or is Californiathemed.

As popular as small souvenir items are, Old Wharf Trading Company’s real business lies in apparel. “We have slatted walls and lots of them so clothing is hung throughout the store. We have everything from chil- dren’s to men’s to women’s clothing as well as sandals, towels and more,” said Spackman. In some way, shape or form, apparel and sundry all gives a nod to this vacation spot’s enviable location. As for finding new and appealing merchandise, Old Wharf Trading Company makes regular sojourns to merchant shows in Los Angeles and Las Vegas. ❖