History can never be brought back, but stores operating in Public Lands are helping visitors commemorate important places and time periods. These retailers are offering souvenirs that also remind guests of their enjoyable experiences exploring sites that have shaped the U.S. landscape.
Valley Forge is a must-see for Revolutionary War history buffs, and when they look for souvenirs at the Pennsylvania park’s The Encampment Store, they don’t come away empty handed. And because the 3,500-acre park that was once an encampment for the Continental Army doesn’t charge admission, guests have more reasons to spend their hard-earned dollars on some take-home treasures.
“The grounds, public buildings, museum and film are all free, allowing for more money to be spent on souvenirs during their visit,” says Operations Manager Briana Edmonds.
Encampment Store shoppers can choose from an array of price points.
The Encampment Store was founded in 2006 as a nonprofit partner of Valley Forge National Historical Park, which operates the park’s retail operation, public and private tours of Valley Forge, and a seasonal bike rental.
“A percentage of our annual revenue goes to Valley Forge National Historical Park, which drives sales as visitors want to support the park,” Edmonds says.
Revolutionary products
The store carries books, apparel, 18th century reproduction items, children’s toys and plush, souvenir staples like magnets and postcards, art, drinkware, convenience items like drinks and snacks, and the audio tour of the park. “We strive to provide an array of price points for every visitor. Our adult T-shirts, for example, range from $14.95 to $38.95,” Edmonds says.
Outside of the audio tour and convenience items, post cards, tokens and magnets account for most single items sold.
“They’re inexpensive and collectible,” she says. The park’s guided and audio tours bring in more money than any single product department, but apparel has been dominating in 2023 as a product department.
“We sell socks, T-shirts, hoodies, scarves and hats at the moment. We also make sure to carry tees and hoodies cut for women which we’ve gotten very positive feedback on,” Edmonds says.
Name-dropped souvenirs are popular with customers visiting the Encampment Store. “The words ‘Valley Forge’ carry a lot of historical and emotional weight for visitors,” Edmonds explains.
Toys and books featuring native animals are displayed at The Padre Island National Seashore in Corpus Christi, Texas.
When choosing souvenirs to sell, Edmonds says, “Everything stems from the park. The items we sell should somehow relate back to Valley Forge’s points of interest, the American Revolution, the National Park Service or the different plants and animals on the grounds.”
The Encampment Store goes through an approval process with the National Park Service to only carry items relevant to the park’s history or mission. “Then, we look at what’s trending for the year, what Made in the USA or local products are available, if any vendors have a compelling story to go with their products, and what other historic sites might be carrying,” explains Edmonds.
For Edmonds, anticipating what customers want is a fun challenge. “Buying gives an opportunity to highlight vendors with great products and stories, and there’s something really satisfying about having your item become part of someone’s memory of a place,” she says.
For adults, the top selling souvenirs, outside of the audio tour and convenience items, are postcards, the National Parks Passport stamp, magnets and a pocket-sized Declaration of Independence and Constitution. For children, top sellers are a reproduction wooden fife, flexible pencil and a set of plastic soldiers.
This year, the store is also selling more children’s apparel than usual, including children’s hoodies “which we took a chance on this year,” she says. “Toys are also way up from the past few years, specifically our combination toys like a compass/light/whistle. We credit that to school groups coming back post-COVID.”
A ticket to ride
Children also make up a large percentage of the visitors coming through the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento, California. Toy trains are always a classic toy, but the introduction of books, TV shows and movies such as Thomas and Friends and The Polar Express have added to their popularity. Plenty of adults are devoted to trains as a hobby too. The museum’s range of transportation-themed gifts are popular with train-loving guests of all ages.
A plethora of nature-themed goods sell well at The Padre Island National Seashore store.
“We carry a wide variety of merchandise, all railroad related, to stay within our mission statement,” says Tom Grenache, director of retail operations. “To reach a majority of our shoppers, we offer railroad-related books, DVDs, tees for adults and kids, mugs, toys and wooden trains from BRIO and Thomas the Tank Engine.”
The store covers all the bases with railroad recipe books and reproduction railroad china patterns. The china makes “wonderful gifts for the visitor who didn’t come for the love of trains,” he says, and comes in patterns based on the dishware of the Santa Fe Railway and the Southern Pacific Railroad.
The California State Railroad Museum is America’s largest and most-visited train museum, according to Grenache. It opened in 1981 as a part of California State Parks. The museum features steam locomotives and rail cars on the first floor, with the top floor showcasing the best in model railroading and WWII-era toy trains. A majority of attendance is driven by Northern California visitors on day trips and school field trips.
The museum store sets itself apart by offering specialized merchandise such as “an unrivaled selection of wooden train sets that cannot be matched by any competitor in California,” according to Grenache. Smaller items like keychains, magnets and mugs always sell well, he says, especially with school groups.
Children’s books and T-shirts for adults and youth are also always bestsellers, he adds. While adults go for railroad history books, keychains, magnets and T-shirts, he says kids favor keychains, magnets, T-shirts, whistles and wooden trains from BRIO and Thomas the Tank Engine.
Customers young and old are always looking for that name-drop or custom design. “We add name-drops to existing graphic tees, and sell museum logo mugs, hats, pencils, shot glasses and wooden train whistles,” Grenache says. The opportunity to create custom souvenirs is Grenache’s favorite part of the job. The museum’s large attendance allows the museum store to create custom items including magnets, pins and mugs.
Grenache says space on the sales floor is at a premium. “Generally, any new item must replace an existing item, so we’ve relied on testing, and trial and error to narrow down the best souvenir styles over the years,” he says.
Wild sales
Another Public Land, The Padre Island National Seashore, is more of a nature-themed park than a historical landmark. It is made up of 66 miles of protected wild coastline along the Gulf of Mexico in Corpus Christi, Texas. The narrow barrier island is home to one of the last intact coastal prairie habitats in the United States.
The Park Store at Padre Island National Seashore carries collectibles such as passport books and stickers, Junior Ranger caps and vests, T-shirts, caps, park stickers, magnets, prints from a local artist, plush animals, educational books, postcards and notecards, bird books and kites, according to Store Manager Kathy Sanders, who is employed by the Western National Park Association, an official nonprofit partner of the National Park Service.
“I love helping visitors find the particular item or size that they are looking for. — Kathy Sanders, The Padre Island National Seashore
Sanders says the top selling collectible items are passport books and anything with a turtle, “as during the summer we have public hatchling turtle releases.”
Name-drop top sellers are T-shirts and caps, and bestselling collectibles for adults are name-drop T-shirts and caps with stickers being the biggest name-drop bestsellers. The top selling collectible for kids is the Kemp’s Ridley plush sea turtle, Sanders says.
The WNPA collaborates with the chief of interpretation and park superintendent to determine which items to add based on educational importance, visitors’ preference and retail price. “It is important to know the clientele to determine the type and price of collectibles to carry in the store,” Sanders says.
“I love helping visitors find the particular item or size that they are looking for. Or suggest an item that would fulfill their need,” she says.
Visitors of all ages love stickers, and the store recently added new children’s books and historical books specific to the location. “Visitors love to collect items that help them remember their visit or learn more about the animals, birds, history or geology of the park,” Sanders says.
