Location is a driving factor in not just where a seaside retailer sets up shop but also how souvenirs are positioned in the store to capture attention, inspire more sales and trigger a giddy got-to-have-it feeling.
Impulse souvenirs abound at Imagine Gift Store in Warren, Rhode Island, which was settled in 1653 and is known as one of the oldest towns in New England. “We are an experience store,” says Owner Michelle Santiago.
Whimsical with an iconic building featuring two large cows at the doors, entering is a souvenir on its own with photo ops galore.
Immediately, guests experience a throwback ice cream parlor where “adults become a kid in a candy shop” because of hundreds of varieties of penny candies and nostalgic treats arranged in tiered shelves and baskets. They are front and center, including by the register. Display buckets and cubbies also brim with sweets.
Who can resist grabbing a fistful of confections to deposit in a handy basket the shop provides?
“If customers don’t have a basket, we offer them one,” Santiago says. “We offer to hold a basket for them, give them a new one and our associates know, if you see anyone empty handed, offer. Even if guests are carrying one item, suggest a basket and they will start filling it up.”
Wear it home
Souvenirs are staples at seaside shops. Even locals enjoy sending namedrop gifts to out-of-town friends and relatives.
Hilo, Hawaii-specific postcards, shot glasses and stickers are great impulse items at The Most Irresistible Shop.
Namedrop is key, agrees Tracie Yoshimoto, owner of The Most Irresistible Shop in Hilo, Hawaii. It’s not easy to find Hilo-specific items. But Yoshimoto has developed relationships with local vendors and suppliers who will customize so tourists can get Hilo gear.
“Hilo is not easy to find,” she says, though Hawaii and Big Island are much easier namedrops to find.
While the sea turtle is a common motif in North Carolina, Luckaia Strand says personalizing gift shop goods with the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center name is a memory visitors want to take home.
“Our biggest goal in the last year has been finding products we can customize and the majority of our products have our name on it,” says Strand, gift shop manager at the Topsail Island center. “It’s free advertising.”
The top category at The Most Irresistible Shop is T-shirts, mostly short-sleeved and unisex but with women’s options and children’s sizes as well. Clothing is easy to pack and take home, which is a consideration for all souvenirs at the shop, Yoshimoto says.
Apparel is equally an impulse purchase, particularly those that say Hilo. “The colors that really sell well here are the blues, turquoise hues and purples,” says Yoshimoto.
Yoshimoto often relies on local suppliers for graphic tees and hats, including embroidered namedrop ballcap styles that sell the most.
Logoed apparel with conservation messages like “Don’t let us fade away… extinction is forever,” and messages such as “Sea turtles dig the dark,” add an awareness element to apparel at the sea turtle rescue gift shop. Every year, the center chooses a theme and designs a shirt to honor it. Last year, the motto was “Turtley out of this world,” with galactic sea turtles in space imagery.
Interesting and iconic
From the display of Jelly Bellies to the 500 types of candies at Imagine Gift Store, the shop is designed to tempt guests of all ages to take home all kinds of goodies.
Santiago says impulse souvenirs are generally priced $10 or less, including bouncy balls, keychains, lip glosses, stickers, magnets and little mint tins fashioned after the Rhode Island license plate.
Shelves packed with various candies boost sales at Imagine Gift Store.
Local items are hot sellers. Those include brand names locals and visitors know such as Del’s Lemonade packets and bottles, Yacht Club Soda and Nettie’s Kettle Corn.
Imagine Gift Store assembles an array of variety baskets with these and other local products and souvenirs for weddings, corporate events and gifts. “People appreciate finding souvenirs that are Rhode Island-made,” says Santiago.
Prank gifts are great for customers who appreciate a gag or want to give someone else a good laugh, such as squirrel-themed air freshener or whoopie cushions.
Grab and go
An item Santiago underestimated that fires up sales is the adjustable wish bracelet by Two’s Company that sells for $4.99. “Once you hear the story behind it, you’re sold,” she says. “If a customer is looking for a gift, it’s an easy add-on we can suggest.”
At Most Irresistible, jewelry is a popular souvenir, primarily pieces created by local artisans that range in price from $10 to $30. Taylor Swift-inspired beaded bracelets with messages such as “be kind” or “Aloha, Hilo” rank high with the younger set, Yoshimoto says. Necklaces with a cutout of the Big Island are also easy add-ons.
A rack of postcards with beauty shots of the island produced by local photographers is a hotspot in the shop. “People like to send them because you just don’t get that kind of mail these days,” Yoshimoto relates.
This display of turtle-themed ornaments at Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center invites an easy sale.
At the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation gift shop checkout, Strand says a slat-and-hook display encourages visitors to score more — and give back more, too, since proceeds play a paramount role in supporting the center’s mission. It holds homemade Christmas ornaments (very popular!), keychains created by volunteers and even magnetic car decals.
It’s all about making souvenirs simply irresistible. Variety is huge.
Yoshimoto says, “We try to offer a little bit of everything so there is something for everyone.”
