Sunny Souvenir Sales Resort and Beach Store Souvenirs

By Carimé Lane

Post-pandemic, tourists–and locals–are still snatching souvenirs up at resort and beach stores across the country. Here’s how three of these stores are faring with their souvenir selection now.

At The Happy Mermaid in Portland, Ore., sales of souvenirs have been trending up since the pandemic. Owner Cindy Anderson had more requests for souvenir-type items of all kinds, and feels customers are more willing to pay for souvenirs, given the uptick in post-pandemic vacations. Locals are also showing interest in her souvenir items.

This year, they introduced hats to their souvenir line up. “They sold like hotcakes,” said Anderson. Along with dedicating more space to their apparel souvenirs in general next year, they’ll be adding more hat styles to their selection.

A few years ago, Anderson decided to capitalize on the popularity of the floating café next door –the Island Café –by referring to the café in her souvenir collection. Since then, souvenir T-shirts referring to the café have been long-standing favorites. She attributed their success to the practical nature of the item.

The success of the Island Café merchandise has led her to wonder why she didn’t make the move sooner: These Tshirts outsold merchandise referring to

Portland by far. Her current selection of souvenirs in her 400-squarefoot floating shop is small but, due to the success of these items, she has her eye on expansion. She plans on attending the upcoming Vegas Souvenir Show, and has already made plans for new items she’ll be stocking come next year. For instance, she’s excited to be carrying earrings featuring photographs of the area, made by Dunitz & Company. She’ll often mix slower selling souvenirs with other souvenirs.

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