Resort Show Section

The Happy Mermaid Owner Cindy Anderson, with Main Mermaid Assistant Jodee Bray, in the red T-shirt, photographed outside of the store. Introduced this year were souvenir hats. “They sold like hotcakes,” Anderson said, and more hat styles will be added next year.

When it comes to managing slow-moving merchandise, they are proactive. They are very focused on testing products, starting with a small level of stock and gradually increasing this level, said Falvey. While they must remain cognizant of the fact that merchandise must be well-stocked, their location right off Bourbon Street allows them only so much space.

“The key is to be judicious before the fact, and... test, test, test,” emphasized Falvey.

Although they were initially brought in on a whim, stickers have been a customer favorite for years at Unique NOLA. Falvey said they remain a big seller with a large mark-up. One of the key reasons for the success of the stickers is that they can be decorated with any type of graphic or wording. Stickers are also a personal buy.

“The key is to figure out what sorts of things the customer wants to be proud of, as this item is something they use to show off who they are,” said Falvey.

Lowcountry Whimsy, a “soul inspiring gift shop & studio,” is located in a shopping center in Mount Pleasant, S.C. The Isle of Palm Beach and Sullivan’s Island are nearby tourist attractions.

Lowcountry began as Owner Sylvia Barnhill’s fulltime Reiki practice but expanded when clients made requests for the books and stones Barnhill used during sessions. Now, the eclectic store offerings include everything from tarot cards to jewelry to bath bombs.

The store doesn’t carry souvenirs in a traditional sense. However, many tourists shop in the store, and so Barnhill is quick to point out local jewelry and food items to them. They also recently relocated at the beginning of the pandemic to increase their visibility to visitors, said Barnhill.

This season’s best-selling souvenirs include jewelry from a local jeweler who fuses beach sand from The Isle of Palms with glass. The line, which includes earrings, bracelets and necklaces, is popular with the year-round residents and seasonal tourists alike according to Barnhill. Necklaces in the line sell for $26.

“Jewelry is a way to easily carry something home with you as a gift or as reminder of what you were doing in this area,” Barnhill said.

Barnhill sees merchandise sell in cycles–for a time, certain items may be flying of the shelves, then sales of that item will be slow for another period of time, and then revert to selling quickly again.

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