New Museum Gift Shop Unveils First Ladies Ornaments
The National First Ladies Library & Museum commemorates First Lady Dr. Jill Biden and former First Ladies Melania Trump and Michelle Obama in ornament series.
A recently unveiled expanded gift shop at the National First Ladies Library & Museum in Canton, Ohio, just dropped new visitor favorites—first ladies holiday ornaments commemorating sitting First Lady Dr. Jill Biden and former First Ladies Melania Trump and Michelle Obama.
The gift shop earlier this month was relocated to a 240-square-foot space in the site’s museum building, originally an old 1890s Victorian-style bank building, according to the National First Ladies Library & Museum CEO and President Patty Dowd Schmitz. The holiday ornaments featuring first ladies are collectible by many loyal visitors and first ladies enthusiasts.
“We have beautiful displays,” Schmitz says. “It’s very browsable and people are able to spend time in there.”
The gift shop also offers a variety of books and a seasonal section featuring a first lady. Currently, the section features home goods themed around former First Lady Lucy Hayes (serving from 1877 to 1881) who was nicknamed “Lemonade Lucy” because she would not serve alcohol in the White House.
The organization started selling commemorative first lady holiday ornaments more than 20 years ago with some of their best sellers being Jacqueline Kennedy and Eleanor Roosevelt.
“We definitely hear from people who have collected them over the years and are always looking to add to their collection,” Schmitz says.
Each ornament designed by Rhode Island manufacturer ChemArt features a hand-picked image of the first lady that is packaged in a square jewelry box displaying the National First Ladies Library & Museum logo—ideal for gift-giving, adds Schmitz. The site also offers a commemorative Christmas-themed McKinley House ornament.
“We see people who are traveling and an ornament is a nice commemorative thing to take back with them,” Schmitz says. “Then, once a year they look at it when they put it on their Christmas tree.”
The National First Ladies Library & Museum operates and manages the First Ladies National Historic Site in a partnership with the National Park Service. The site consists of the Ida Saxton McKinley House, the family home of First Lady Ida Saxton McKinley and the longtime residence of President William and Ida McKinley, as well as First Ladies Park and the National First Ladies Library & Museum (Visitors Center), which includes exhibit space, a Victorian theatre, a research library, conference and seminar rooms, archival storage and processing rooms, and administrative offices.