Mackinac's Souvenirs Are As Diverse As Its Tourists
By Bernie Nguyen

Vaishali Archarya with six-year-old daughter Priyana and and three-year-old son Pavan wear their Mackinac gear. The Acharyas visit the Island every year.

A stroll down Main Street reveals dozens of shops selling mementos of Mackinac Island, from fudge to fine gifts to novelty hats. Souvenirs, in their infinite variety, are as numerous and diverse as the tourists who buy them.

As with other retail products like clothes and accessories, souvenirs follow patterns that may also reflect the changing tastes of visiting populations.

Tim Leeper, manager of The Big Store with the Little Prices, describes how the shop, which has been around for over 60 years, has sold everything from pillow toppers, now long off the shelves, to modern day Tshirts and toys.

"Souvenirs are a big memory," Mr. Leeper said. "If they didn't like it here, they wouldn't buy."

As memories, souvenirs serve a unique purpose. Unlike photographs, a T-shirt may be worn, and decorative items such as picture frames and magnets that depict Mackinac Island are often useful around the house. T-shirts, Mr. Leeper added, are undoubtedly the biggest seller in his store, and on the Island.

A popular product that got its start on Mackinac Island is the three-dimensional resin picture frame, which depicts Island scenes such as carriages, horses, and the Mackinac Bridge. Mr. Leeper, who came up with the idea about 10 years ago, said that when they first came out, they flew out the door. Now, he explained, the frame is a standard for all souvenir stores, and the concept has been formatted to display everything from Grand Hotel to Arch Rock around a picture frame.

Some items have been on store shelves for decades, like decorative cedar boxes that are often manufactured in the U.S. and are used for everything from holding jewelry to coins. In a business which caters to immediate buyers during a specific season, however, Mr. Leeper said that trends may be a shopowner's best friend.

"Last year, pink was hot," he said, adding that everything in The Big Store that was pink sold, no matter what. Even boys were buying pink shirts and hats, he said.

A market trend of that strength has not yet emerged this season.

"We're missing that in the business this year," Mr. Leeper said

Buzz Waggoner of La Galerie also noted that color has a great deal to do with the popularity of a given article.

"The trends come out in terms of colors," Mr. Waggoner said. "That's related to the fashion industry, and the gift business picks up on that."

As an example, he cited last year's Lilac Festival Poster, which included a great deal of bright, verdant green, a popular color in last year's fashion designs. The poster, he said, sold very well, indicating that the public picks up on trends, however subconsciously, and tends to gravitate toward items that appeal to their senses of color and style.

La Galerie, Mr. Waggoner said, operates as an upscale gift shop rather than a souvenir shop. Only two items in the store bear the name Mackinac Island, a Christmas ornament and the Lilac Festival poster.

Decorative home pieces are popular at La Galerie, said Mr. Waggoner, and his customers for these tend to own second homes in northern Michigan. Accessories that appeal to them, he said, often feature nature themes.

Fashion's impact on the souvenir industry is widely felt, in style as well as color. Judy Dufina Bynoe, whose family has owned Betty's Gifts on Main Street for 60 years, and The Birches on Market Street, said the trend for T-shirts has shifted from specific scenes of Mackinac Island, such as Arch Rock, to more stylistic shirts with distressed fabrics and bright colors made popular by retailers like Abercrombie and Fitch.

"The designs aren't specific to Mackinac Island anymore," she said. "That's been the biggest change that we've seen over the years."

Ms. Bynoe explained that in the years since her mother, Sally Dufina, pioneered in the souvenir business and first brought the Tshirt design to Mackinac in the early 1950s, the designs and colors have changed, often returning to old trends, such as tie-dye, which is again becoming popular.

In general, she said, the basic souvenirs are still sold, but their colors and designs reflect current trends.

"It's very interesting," Ms. Bynoe said. "The same souvenirs, as in the thimble, the spoon, the key chain, have remained the same," and while she sells the same items her mother used to sell, the classic souvenirs have been updated in color, design, and material to adapt to changing modern tastes.

Knives, one of Betty's Gifts best sellers, are also a reflection of how manufacturers change products to suit consumer tastes. Details such as handle design and the opening mechanism often influence buyers.

Mary Dufina, owner of The Balsam Shop and The Loon Feather, said that novelty hats are still a big seller with the youthful set.

"The crazy hats hit, and they've stayed for a few years," she said. "It's funny to see some of the adults. People have a lot of fun with them."

With the wide variety of souvenirs available to tourists, shops often depend on specific niche markets to maintain their business, such as the hand-made Cherokee Native American goods sold at Betty's Gifts.

Jill Kubatko, visiting from Maricopa, Arizona, stayed at Grand Hotel and bought a bottle of wine with the hotel logo on the label to take home with her, as

well as T-shirts for herself and her daughter and a set of playing cards for a friend.

"I look for memory-inducing things, like the wine," she said.

Vaishali Acharya of Chicago, whose family visits each year, says that it is a tradition for them to visit the shops on Main Street.

"We always go to the Christmas Store, and Great Turtle Toys, and always Ryba's Fudge," she said. "We come here every year."