Reelfoot Lake State Park has debuted a newly remodeled Camp Store and Gift Shop in Tiptonville, Tennessee. The northwest Tennessee park is known for having the only naturally occurring lake in Tennessee and its wetlands that are a hotspot for American bald eagles, according to the park’s website.
Park Ranger Cory Hussey says the park had a gift shop for decades but decided to complete a major renovation and expansion to increase the store’s presence in the visitor center.
“Previously, the gift shop operated out of a much smaller adjoining room in the visitor center,” he explains. “We decided to relocate it into the main area of the visitor center, which completely transformed both the customer experience and our daily operations.”
Vanessa Henson, a clerk for Reelfoot Lake State Park’s gift shop, says she helped to secure a grant worth about $5,000 to provide the state park with fixtures and materials to renovate its gift shop. She says the state park was able to add new flooring, shelving, slat wall and display racks in the new gift shop.
“For state parks, investments like this are incredibly important because large projects can be difficult to fund solely through individual park budgets,” Hussey notes. “Parks are balancing operational needs while also competing for funding across the entire state system, so these opportunities allow improvements that otherwise may take years to accomplish.”
Hussey adds that the park contributed a few materials to the project such as paint and Sheetrock, and all of the renovation work was completed by state park staff members.
“Rangers, clerks, maintenance employees and park management all worked together painting, installing fixtures, organizing layouts and providing input on how the space should function,” he says. “Not only did that save a significant amount of money compared to hiring contractors, but it also gave the staff a real sense of ownership in the project. You can walk into the visitor center and see something that was truly built through teamwork.”
The new Reelfoot Lake State Park gift shop is more open, inviting visitors to immediately see the shop as they enter the visitor center building. With a larger space, Hussey says the state park was also able to expand its inventory in the gift shop and better showcase products from park-themed T-shirts and plush to hats, magnets, stickers and other park-branded souvenirs. The state park is also using its old gift shop space for storage, inventory and stocking space.
Hussey adds, “We are fortunate to have supportive managers and a state park system that understands the importance of gift shop operations—not only as a source of revenue but also as a way to enhance the visitor experience and connect guests to the park.”
