Fall 2008

Best Sellers in Nashville, TN By Kami Rice

Frist Center Gift Shop

The Frist Center for the Visual Arts opened in 2001 with the mission of presenting and originating “high quality exhibitions with related educational programs and community outreach activities.” The gift shop’s sales benefit the Center’s exhibition and education departments. From art prints to art supplies, from books to educational materials, from pottery to jewelry, the products reflect the center’s revolving exhibits. Suzy Herron, retail manager, notes that over 70 percent of the merchandise comes from regional artists or from other museums.

Jon Emmitt, operations manager, says this focus on regional artists benefits the community and that ties in with the center’s mission really well. The shop’s faithful customers come back regularly to check out new products, and many do their Christmas shopping there.

Best Sellers
Overall: Susan DeMay pottery (a local artist who teaches at Vanderbilt University)
Kids: Zolo creative structural toy, ShapeScapes—sculpture in a box
Jewelry: Barbara Mellen earrings
Stationery: Galison Stationery Company
Home: Bruce McGaw Graphics art blocks
Spiritual: Philosophy: 100 Essential Thinkers by Philip Stokes (Enchanted Lion Books)
Art Books: catalog for the current exhibition

Suzy Herron, Retail Manager/Buyer
615.744.3990
FristCenter.org

Kami Rice

Kami Rice (www.kamirice.com) has lived in Nashville for six years. She loves the opportunities her work as a full-time freelance writer gives her to continue getting to know her city better. In addition to Nashville stories, she has covered stories from Africa and Haiti.