A 26-mile stretch of coastline on Topsail Island in North Carolina is where Karen Beasley and a grassroots group of concerned community members started an initiative that eventually grew into what is today a 13,000-plus square-foot sea turtle rescue and rehabilitation center that depends on the gift shop’s proceeds to do its good work.
With only seven on staff and more than 500 volunteers, every pair of hands plays an integral role in sustaining and growing the effort. “All of the proceeds we make at our gift shop go right back to the turtles,” says Luckaia Strand, gift shop manager.
Interestingly and totally unrelated, Lucky was the name of the very first injured sea turtle Karen Beasley and the Topsail Project cared for, which was returned to the wild after lots of TLC.
Luckaia shares the “luck” as a marine biologist trained in Hawaii and retail specialist who says the shop’s 100% charitable mission is the best of both worlds.
A hand in helping
T-shirts that promote the Topsail Turtle Project are a popular item at the rescue center’s gift shop.
Photos: Hannah McMahon
Volunteers help with tours, care for turtles and walk the beaches — and there are a number who contribute creatively by donating handmade artisan wares for the gift shop. This is a win-win because it reduces the cost of obtaining products, gives visitors a story to accompany their purchase and allows volunteers to spread the word.
“We definitely focus on buying products locally and many are our talented volunteers,” Strand says. “Some completely donate their art because they are doing it for the turtles. Others, we pay them the cost of the materials, so they are basically making items for us to sell for free.”
These keepsakes, all with a turtle theme of sorts, include pottery, jewelry, wood-engraved ornaments, keychains, kids’ hats, dog bandanas, blankets and more.
The gift shop also has classic earrings, bracelets, necklaces and some jewelry made from microplastic that is cleaned off the beach and put into resin shapes like turtles and shells.
Strand even makes these repurposed pieces. She began making repurposed jewelry while in Hawaii when she noticed that beaches were “covered in microplastics.”
“It’s fun to see how what we do makes a difference. These turtles come in really sick and months later, we get to release them and we can only accomplish this because of the gift shop.” — Luckaia Strand
“I love making jewelry and I’m passionate about marine biology, so I started sifting through the sand, sorting the plastics by color and then pouring resin over them,” she explains.
All around the store, display tags telling the stories of artisans’ and makers’ inspired pieces that support sea turtle rescue and rehabilitation pull visitors’ heartstrings. “They are already willing to purchase because they know it’s for the turtles, but then there’s the extra meaning when it’s handmade by a volunteer,” says Strand.
Fair game
Fair trade products are important to the center because it underscores the organization’s conservation focus. Most items are sourced on Faire, and Strand says “certified fair trade” is essential.
Toys with a purpose engage young guests in the sea turtle hatching and care journey. For example, plush sea turtles wearing a name-drop shirt feature a mama carrying the baby in a special pouch on her back.
The shop has sea turtle-themed artwork, puzzles, stickers and more.
Stuffies span across sea turtle varieties and the center’s shop tells the story. For example, a loggerhead plush commemorates the significance the organization’s search, rescue and rehabilitation mission for this sea turtle type over the years. Also, mama loggerheads lay nests up and down the beaches of Topsail Island. It’s home turf.
A sea turtle medical rescue bag for kids includes all the play-based essentials. And there are plenty of products for pets, from toys to leashes and bandanas. (Fido will probably be pining for the kids’ huggables, too.)
A section of “reusable sustainable swaps” includes a Blu Bag reusable shopping bag emblazoned with Save The Oceans, name-drop tumblers, and reusable straws including a keychain tin that holds a fold-up silicon straw to reduce waste and microplastics.
Displays are organized by categories such as children’s goods, apparel, handmades and those important impulse buys that are especially popular with field trippers, scout troops and senior living tour groups that visit.
Ts with a theme
T-shirts are hands down a top seller, and the shop creates an engaging campaign every year while developing an annual theme. Staff members and volunteers contribute ideas that are posted on Facebook for the public to vote. Themes range from last year’s gemstones to this year’s motif, stars and constellations.
What do these concepts have to do with turtles? You’d be surprised.
For instance, because turtles like to hunker down in the dark, a shirt depicts the moon with messaging that explains the biology.
Keepsakes such as ornaments feature turtle themes at the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue gift shop.
“We have a T-shirt that shows little turtles in space,” says Strand of a playful design that appeals to all ages.
Themes go well beyond the shirt. The team develops a list of names related to the theme — this year the galaxy — for every turtle that is recovered to heal at the hospital. “When a turtle comes in, we pick a name from that list,” says Strand. “We’ve had Little Dipper, Big Dipper, Gemini and all the different astrological signs and constellation names.”
Most T-shirts are designed in-house and printed by a local shop, reducing carbon footprint from shipping and supporting a nearby business owner in the community.
Apparel is a mobile billboard for the center. Guests visit from across the country and world. Purchasing something to wear is a way to start a conversation with someone who then will learn about Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center.
The center closes from November to February when its turtle patient capacity is greatest and all hands are on deck to care for the animals.
Every purchase at the shop is a way to spread the mission — a circle of giving back.
“I have worked a lot of retail and marine biology jobs, and this is the best of both worlds,” says Strand. “It’s fun to see how what we do makes a difference. These turtles come in really sick and months later, we get to release them and we can only accomplish this because of the gift shop.”
