Work on special Exhibit Shop under way

As exhibit installation begins, Museum Shop staff prepares focused retail space

Staff of the Museum Shop has been busy painting, sanding, designing layout, and selecting and editing merchandise for the Washington Exhibit Shop, set to open September 10.  The special 1,000-square-foot space at the end of the Discover the Real George Washington exhibit will focus on the Washingtons, Mount Vernon, the Colonial time period, and the Revolutionary War.

Lynn Brower, director of retail operations for the Museum Shops, worked with the exhibit team to design a space that will accommodate groups of school children as well as adult history buffs and collectors.

She developed a plan to merchandise the L-shaped space along two aisles, creating a natural traffic pattern to attract discerning shoppers of all ages and pocketbooks.

The staff created several distinct areas, including:

--a section for books and men's gifts with a library feel
--a kitchen and homewares section with foods from Mount Vernon, cookbooks, and decorative "cherrry" items
--a patriotic American display--very popular during Washington's time--with presidential souvenirs, homespun sayings and slogans, and items imprinted with patriotic slogans
--children's books and toys from the period

Patrons will move from the exhibit's final segment on the Mount Vernon Ladies Association, into the Exhibit Shop and a panoply of items from Mount Vernon, including the newly-published book celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Association.  Fans of the Museum Shop's holiday ornament series will be able to purchase the Mount Vernon ornament for 2010 as well as past editions.

The serious shopper and collector will be rewarded with the decorative arts section of the Exhibit Shop, which will feature china, reproductions of painting and sculpture, jewelry, and items commemorating the Society of the Cincinnati.

Several Mottahedah china patterns will be available:  "Prosperity," Washington's own elegant, all-white design; "Blue Canton," the familiar blue and white pattern with an Oriental influence; and "Tobacco Leaf," which is the pattern being raffled by the Associates.  Any piece not available for immediate purchase in the Exhibit Shop can be ordered by the Shop staff.

One striking piece will certainly draw the eye--a 24-inch replica of Houdon's bust of Washington (above left).  The bust will also be available in smaller sizes.

The jewelry section will feature cameos and other pieces that are similar to those owned by Martha Washington.

The main Museum Shop will carry a sampling of the Exhibit Shop's wares as well as its ongoing stock of books, music, pottery, jewelry, food, souvenirs, toys, and decorative items.  Associates members receive a ten percent dioscount on most items.  Everything is tax free.

Discover the Real George Washington: New Views from Mount Vernon is funded by the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation and organized by the Mount Vernon Ladies Association.  The exhibit opens September 10 and runs through January 21, 2011.  For more information on the exhibit, visit www.ncmuseumofhistory.org.

Associates members are admitted free to the exhibit, which otherwise costs $10 for adults.  To join, to find out more about the Washington Gala Celebration on September 16, to enter the exciting raffle, or to find out more about the Associates' George Washington Lecture Series, visit www.ncmuseumassoc.com.

To speak with someone in the Museum Shop, telephone 919-807-7835.