Resort Show Section

Merchandise Journeyers (From page 74) also popular with local vacationers. “When people come from out of state, or even as far away as Mexico, they want to take something home to their family that has the name of where they’ve been,” Tudor explained.

Manager Hilda Vieyra just started carrying souvenirs at the Wenatchee Valley Truck Stop in Wenatchee, Wash. “We put them out on a rack right in the front of the store, and we found they sell better there than when they were toward the back,” she reported.

Car decals bearing the Wenatchee name are the number-one item so far, but keychains and other mementos are also proving popular with area tourists. “I found a local person who can customize them, and people really like that,” Vieyra said.

Seasonal travel patterns both drive sales and determine displays at the Wenatchee store. While winker winter shoppers are more likely to be commercial truck drivers, the summer season brings an influx of tourists, many headed to the resort area around Lake Chelan. Starting around Memorial Day, Vieyra puts out summary displays of straw hats, swim goggles and other vacation items; in the fall, those racks feature beanies, gloves and other cold-weather gear. Practical items like snow brushes also fly off shelves in wintertime.

Aside from gifts and souvenirs, the Wenatchee truck stop does a brisk business in fresh, hot meals for hungry travelers. Panini sandwiches are especially popular, from the breakfast panini to the rotating daily lunch special. Breakfast burritos and, especially, hot biscuits and gravy round out the morning best-sellers, while

Continued on page 80