Gift helps gem shop lure visitors to Rice Museum
OR — Jane Guariniello knew what an excellent opportunity the offer presented.
When the retailer Sharper Image filed for bankruptcy protection and closed its stores, one of the most desirable retail locations in Hillsboro came available. Rather than have the storefront formerly occupied by Sharper Image remain empty, the property managers of the Streets of Tanasbourne approached Guariniello, executive director of the Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks and Minerals.
They offered the space to the nonprofit as an annex to its main gift shop, at a reduced lease with the condition the museum cover the cost of utilities.
Guariniello recognized what an opportunity this would be. The Rice Museum is itself a gem, but its location north of Highway 26 is both a boon, due to the beauty of its secluded acreage, and a burden, since new visitors seldom stumble on it.
The Rice Museum Gift Shop at the Streets of Tanasbourne provides visibility they’re never had before. “Every customer who comes into that space is asked if they have ever been to the museum,” Guariniello said. Eighty percent of them say no, but once they get a taste of the shop’s offerings, they can develop a hunger to visit.
The shop carries the same rock and gem-related items as the gift shop at the museum: crystals, healing stones, fossils, meteorites, amethyst cathedrals and tables, onyx and Burma teak bowls and platters and beads for crafters. It also offers an extensive selection of jewelry: estate quality, amber and varied gemstones. Salt lamps, a popular item, are currently on sale.
For Guariniello, the Streets of Tanasbourne’s initial offer was an example of local people and businesses reaching out to help each other, “to keep local business local.” The museum, in turn, has tried to “pay back” this generosity by inviting local musicians into the shop and hiring local caterers.
