At Cabin + Gift, name-drop gifts celebrate the spirit of Creede while telling the story of the scenic Colorado mining town. And owner Miranda Dickinson brings an artistic approach to showing off custom products, consistently the top-selling category at her shop.
The goal is simple. “We want customers to feel like they’re walking through a modern mountain cabin filled with treasures from Creede,” she says. “Our name-drop merchandising philosophy centers around storytelling, warmth and creating emotional connections between visitors and the products we offer.”
Dickinson seeks out a combination of expected name-drop souvenirs such as tees and hats — with an eye for soft materials, on-trend cuts and stylized Creede prints, some of which she designs herself. She blends this with tea towels, drinkware, magnets, keychains, candles and decor bearing the Creede name.
Cabin Gift features forest and mountain name drops on some custom souvenirs as well as the Creede city name.
“Visitors want products that help them relive their experience in Creede,” says Dickinson. “This could be a candle that reminds them of the mountains, a mug they’ll use every morning or a sweatshirt that becomes their favorite souvenir from vacation. Customers are searching for meaningful pieces that feel connected to the town.”
Jeremy Myers sees the same trend at the Navy Pier Store in Chicago, the only gift shop on the pier dedicated to Navy Pier merchandise.
“Other stores focus more on Chicago or neighborhoods, but we’re the go-to when visitors are looking for Navy Pier souvenirs, so we show off those products,” says Myers, store director.
Layers of location
When name-drop souvenirs cover every category, displays could easily look like a mishmash of “more of the same.” How do you create a cohesive custom look rather than a dizzying mess of ZIP codes, city names, state abbreviations and other location reminders?
Dickinson acknowledges that custom souvenirs could look messy without a merchandising strategy that goes beyond the name-drop theme.
“We have found the best method is to mix custom name-drop merchandise throughout the store alongside lifestyle and home decor products,” says Dickinson. “This creates natural discovery moments and encourages customers to envision the products as part of their home, wardrobe or vacation memories.”
Dickinson’s layered approach to name-drop merchandising is much like a container gardening rule of thumb to incorporate plants that are “thrillers, fillers and spillers” with a statement piece that rises above the rest, a lush presentation to fill out the look and trialing visuals that guide the eye down.
“One of our best-performing display strategies is combining texture, height and product variety within displays,” says Dickinson.
To pull off the look, she recruits a variety of props and fixtures, from stacked crates and reclaimed wood furniture to lanterns, greenery and mountain elements to set the Creede mood. In a word, Dickinson says the experience is immersive.
“We might bring in a metal Coleman ice chest from the 1970s,” she says. “I have a cool display behind my counter of vintage thermoses.”
Combining name drop with nostalgia inspires purchases. And Dickinson looks beyond stock products to be sure customers can find a souvenir at Cabin + Gift they won’t see elsewhere.
“Whether it’s an artist who designs tea towels for us or myself designing the embroidery that goes on hats, we want every product to have a story that makes it unique and special to Creede and our shop,” she says.
More neutral color schemes are popular on name-drop apparel at the Navy Pier Store.
Creede tea towels by Little Birdie are top sellers, along with those from Art Studio + Co., whose designer customized a bag, as well. Meanwhile, handmade pennants by Yoho & Co. are Rocky Mountain-made.
Dickinson says customers also reach for a scented, name-drop candle by Allure Fragrance. “It’s our store’s logo but we work on the scent together,” she says. “It is inspired by Creede’s historic charm and smells like blue spruce, sandalwood and feels outdoorsy.”
Perfect positioning
At the Navy Pier Store, Myers says his team relies heavily on visual storytelling rather than simply grouping products by category.
“We’ll put the anchor items together, the sailboat items together, or the Ferris wheel items together,” he says. “Sometimes we’ll group by audience, like women’s apparel, but color is a big part of how we merchandise.”
The store’s palette mirrors the waterfront setting, with blues, grays and other neutral tones dominating the assortment. Grouping products by color helps create a cohesive presentation while allowing visitors to quickly identify collections and themes.
The approach is especially important in a relatively compact footprint of roughly 300 to 400 square feet. With limited space, displays must work hard to tell multiple stories at once while showcasing as much merchandise as possible.
Myers and his team make the most of every square foot. The Navy Pier Store uses vertical merchandising and strategic placement to draw attention to featured graphics and apparel.
“If everything is folded, customers don’t see the designs,” Myers says.
Shelving displays body forms wearing featured apparel, allowing visitors to see tees that might otherwise be hidden deeper in the store. Rolling mannequins serve a similar purpose.
Both name-drop and cause-driven merchandise stand out on a display at the Navy Pier Store.
“If there’s something we think is going to be popular and it’s in the back of the store, we’ll put it on a mannequin out in the walkway so people see it right away,” Myers explains.
This strategy extends to impulse purchases near the checkout area, where stickers often become easy add-on sales.
As for name-drop product positioning, Dickinson also makes merchandising moves that draw guests’ attention and boost sales. Because repeat tourists and locals frequent the shop, along with RV visitors who camp out for the summer, she wants customers to find something new every time they drop in.
“They’ll bring their friends, family and visitors so I tackle one table every week and switch it out so they can say, ‘Oh, I didn’t see this last week,’” she relates.
The product may carry a destination’s name, but the purchase is often driven by a memory, experience or feeling attached to that place, whether it’s Creede, Colorado, or the Navy Pier.
And for Myers, every merchandising decision matters because many visitors are experiencing Navy Pier for the first time.
“Most people are here on vacation and having a good time,” he says. “You get one chance to help them find something that reminds them of their visit.”
