Randy Dickson
Photos: Davillier Brand Photography
It’s more than a cosmetic procedure with some revamped exhibits thrown in. A $41 million project reshaped the entire experience at the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas in New Orleans — including the gift shop. Today, it’s no longer an afterthought; it’s along for the ride.
“I’ve worked in a lot of different places, and it doesn’t matter what we put on that gift shop floor, as long as people can see it, they buy it. It’s unbelievable,” Randy Dickson, store general manager marvels. “It’s a wild location.”
“Now we’re more of an exhibit,” describes Olga Urbina, retail manager for the Audubon Aquarium Shop. “Now, we’re the final stop so the kids are allowed to breathe a little bit more and take it in.”
In a renovation that nearly doubled the footprint of the gift shop, Urbina says making it an exit shop where guests pass through on their way out the door as opposed to being optional was a game changer.
“People say that we’re like Disney now,” she remarks. “Because a lot of parks do the same thing that you exit through the gift shop.”
The quality of the plush sets it apart from other nearby shops in the French Quarter.
Instead of Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck, however, children are greeted by plush sharks, sting rays, penguins, clown fish, jellyfish and other sea friends. And instead of amusement rides and thrills, an underwater adventure awaits in the aquarium while the importance of insects is stressed in the Insectarium, which now shares the building in the space the former IMAX theater once occupied.
It was an undertaking that changed the flow of the entire building, Urbina notes.
“A big thing now is everything is I would say backwards. If you’ve been here before, now you come from the second floor to the first floor where before you did everything on the first floor and you went up,” explains Urbina, an employee of nearly eight years. “We’re getting comments on it. People like it, but it takes a little getting used to.”
And in the gift shop, the breathing room and airiness is apparent, Urbina adds. “It’s a cleaner, fresher look,” she says. “And you can feel the difference when we get really crowded. It’s a better flow.”
Happy faces, happy places
The Audubon Aquarium Shop, which is operated by SSA Group, has been working feverishly since the aquarium reopened in June 2023 to add depth and better connect with the exhibits the aquarium is known for, such as the Gulf of Mexico tank, the renovated Amazon area and the Maya reef exhibit. An added bonus was freshening up some of the faces that greet customers, such as Dickson, who joined SSA Group and the New Orleans aquarium in April 2023.
“It’s a happy place to work.You get to see all these cool animals that you don’t get to see in your mundane, everyday life. It’s really hard to have a bad day at an aquarium.” — Randy Dickson
As the former regional director of operations for Circle K overseeing 78 stores in five states, Dickson settled into his position of managing the restaurants, snack bars and two gift shops on the premises at the aquarium at the request of his new bride, who asked for a job that kept him closer to home.
Dickson says the position is proving to be a good fit as he finds his footing.
“It’s a happy place to work,” he admits. “You get to see all these cool animals that you don’t get to see in your mundane, everyday life. It’s really hard to have a bad day at an aquarium.”
With the help of Urbina, Retail Director Kathy Schwandt, 10 other full-time employees and a handful of part-time employees, the team at the aquarium gift shop helps to guide visitors — mostly children — to their most favorite keepsakes.
Of the most popular items, plush and toys reign supreme, say Urbina and Dickson. For this reason, Wild Republic, Fiesta and K&M fill the shelves with sharks, octopus, penguins and any other sea life children find irresistible.
Just in town for a visit
Although Dickson notes the busiest time of year is summer, when the kids are out of school, there is another dynamic that plays into their locale: tourism.
“We get such a wide variety of people, and that’s the thing about New Orleans. It changes week by week, he explains. “It just depends on what convention is going on in town to really gauge who’s coming into the aquarium.”
Toys and children’s apparel encourage playful interaction with the Audubon Aquarium’s residents, which include sea turtles.
Whether travel is work-related or personal, the going’s on of a bustling town like New Orleans is sure to bring in a crowd. For instance, the first week of January, Dickson says, the Sugar Bowl at the Superdome brought in throngs of people to cheer the Washington Huskies to victory over the Texas Longhorns.
“So, we had a bunch of people from Washington state and Texas in the area,” he explains. “And they just came in by the hordes and bought up shirts and cups and anything they could find.”
Being a tourist destination has its perks, Dickson notes, especially when it comes to selling souvenirs and name-drop merchandise. Whether a T-shirt, hat, shot glass, magnet or keychain, anything with “New Orleans” or “Audubon Aquarium” tends to sell particularly well.
He notes that about 80% of the visitors are tourists while the remainder are locals.
To set the aquarium apart from the multitude of souvenir shops that line the French Quarter, Dickson says it comes down to quality merchandise.
“The quality of our plush and our T-shirts is a lot better from everything else in the French Quarter,” he asserts. “I firmly believe that our items are such high quality because our buyers do their due diligence to make sure people get a really good product.”
Beyond the plush that greets visitors are jewelry spinners, apparel displays, magnets, coffee cups, stickers, pajama sets, puzzles and toys tucked into a color scheme throughout the store that is reminiscent of a southwestern mesa, Dickson says.
A well-oiled machine
He adds that while some gift shops don’t immediately accompany an attraction, the Audubon’s gift shop has been a staple since the aquarium opened in 1990 and had formerly been named the Treasure Chest.
“It’s always been kind of a focal point and a good revenue source for Audubon,” he notes. “But I don’t think it really had a big footprint in the aquarium until now.”
Known as one of the top 10 aquariums in the U.S., according to Travel + Leisure magazine and the Travel Channel, the location is not without challenges. In fact, Dickson says, one of the biggest obstacles is not in staffing — like most establishments these days — but in staff parking.
Kids have no shortage of items to choose from to commemorate their visit.
“It costs $50 to park a day in the surrounding area,” he explains. “So, it’s hard finding staff that don’t want to drive and can take public transportation. Because a parking spot for everybody that works here is extraordinarily expensive.”
Regardless of the logistics, Dickson casually notes parking is merely a “hiccup” in what he considers to be an otherwise sterling operation. He credits his team and a positive attitude for making all the difference.
“I have an amazing team that really does a great job, and I’m nothing without them, I assure you,” he admits. “They’re really good at what they do.”
Personally, Dickson says, he has some bedrock principals that helps others achieve similar success.
“You have to immerse yourself with good people and you’ve got to lead by example,” he stresses. “And you really have to go above and beyond with good customer service.”
Whether it’s in the aquarium, the Insectarium or the gift shop, Dickson says, all play a role in making sure visitors have a good time from the front door all the way to the exit shop.
“We all just have an overall drive and compassion of wanting to serve people and making sure people walk away with a positive outlook,” he notes. “It’s probably the No. 1 thing that we strive to do.”
And if someone happens to whistle “Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah” on the way out, it’s a bonus.
