A great resort gift shop gives guests another way to remember their stay long after they've returned home.
For Double JJ Resort, that meant developing a diverse collection of custom merchandise featuring the Double JJ Resort brand across products guests could use, gift and take home as souvenirs.
When the resort came to Cabin & Reel Engraving Co., the project wasn't centered around just one souvenir.
Instead, we helped create a multi-product custom merchandise collection with different styles, colors, uses and price points for their gift shop.
And after that initial project, the relationship grew into another opportunity: creating custom commemorative gifts for a special resort event.
Creating Variety With Custom Resort Keychains
Keychains were an important part of the initial merchandise assortment, but instead of choosing one style, Double JJ Resort selected five different keychain options.
The collection included:
- Rectangle leatherette keychains
- Round leatherette and metal keychains
- Oval leatherette and metal keychains
- Rectangle leatherette and metal keychains
- Bottle opener keychains
The keychains were also produced in a variety of colors.
This created something we love seeing in souvenir-shop merchandising: choice without losing brand consistency.
Rather than stocking a single Double JJ Resort keychain, guests could choose the shape, color and style that appealed to them.
And because every design still featured the resort branding, the assortment remained cohesive.
Going Beyond the Traditional Souvenir
One of the things that made this project especially interesting was the variety of merchandise selected for the resort shop.
Double JJ Resort also chose custom:
Can Koozies
A fun and practical souvenir guests can continue using at home, at the lake, while camping or during another adventure.
Mini Notepads
Compact, useful and easy for travelers to pack.
Leatherette Journals
A more substantial gift and a useful way to showcase the resort's branding.
Golf Bag Tags
A natural addition for resort guests and golfers.
Glass Bowls with Bamboo Lids
An elevated home item that provides another type of keepsake beyond traditional souvenir merchandise.
Card and Dice Sets
A particularly fun fit for resort travel, family vacations and evenings spent together.
Travel Jewelry Boxes
A practical travel-oriented gift that guests can continue using on future trips.
Flasks
Another giftable product that adds variety to the overall assortment.
Together, these products created a collection that went far beyond a rack of traditional souvenirs.
Guests could choose something small and simple or purchase a more substantial gift depending on their preferences and budget.
Why Product Variety Matters in a Resort Gift Shop
One of our favorite things about this collection is that not every product serves the same customer.
Someone looking for an inexpensive reminder of their stay might choose a keychain.
A golfer might immediately gravitate toward a golf bag tag.
Someone shopping for a gift might prefer a journal, card and dice set or travel jewelry box.
Another guest might choose something useful for home.
That variety gives a resort gift shop opportunities to appeal to different guests without losing the common thread connecting the merchandise:
the destination itself.
Turning Resort Branding Into Useful Merchandise
Custom souvenir merchandise doesn't have to feel overly promotional.
The goal is to create something guests genuinely want to own while incorporating the destination in a way that brings back memories of their experience.
For Double JJ Resort, their recognizable logo gave us an element that could be carried across multiple products and materials.
Laser engraving also allowed that branding to take on slightly different appearances depending on the material and color selected.
That makes it possible to create variety throughout a retail display while maintaining a recognizable brand.
From Gift Shop Merchandise to a Special Event
Our work with Double JJ Resort didn't end with the initial gift shop order.
The resort later returned to Cabin & Reel for a special project involving custom leatherette journals for an event.
This time, the goal wasn't traditional retail merchandise.
They wanted to create a commemorative gift specifically for event attendees.
We were able to engrave both the Double JJ Resort logo and the event logo onto the journals, creating a custom piece that represented both the resort and the occasion.
This is one of the things we love about custom merchandise.
The same product can serve completely different purposes.
A laser engraved leatherette journal can be:
- Resort gift shop merchandise
- An attendee gift
- A corporate gift
- A conference keepsake
- A commemorative item
- An employee or client appreciation gift
Changing the artwork transforms the product into something created specifically for that audience and occasion.
One Merchandise Partner, Multiple Opportunities
This project is also a great example of why we value long-term relationships with our wholesale customers.
A resort might initially come to us looking for souvenir merchandise.
Later, they may need gifts for:
- A special event
- Golf tournament
- Conference
- Employee appreciation
- VIP guests
- Corporate retreat
- Wedding
- Holiday gifting
- Anniversary celebration
Because we've already worked together, we understand their branding and have experience creating merchandise for their organization.
That can make developing the next project much easier.
Creating a Cohesive Resort Gift Shop Collection
For resort and destination retailers developing their own merchandise assortment, you don't necessarily need to put the same design on dozens of identical products.
Instead, think about creating a collection of useful items at several price points.
Start with smaller souvenirs such as:
Keychains
Bottle openers
Can koozies
Then add mid-range and giftable products such as:
Mini notepads
Card and dice sets
Golf accessories
Travel accessories
And round out the collection with elevated items such as:
Journals
Home accessories
Specialty gifts
The result is a merchandise assortment that gives guests choices while still telling one consistent brand story.
Custom Merchandise for Resorts, Gift Shops and Destinations
At Cabin & Reel Engraving Co., we work with resorts, souvenir shops, visitor centers, museums, golf properties and destination retailers to create custom laser engraved merchandise designed around their location and brand.
Whether you're looking for one proven souvenir product or want to build an entire merchandise collection, we can help.
Already have your logo and artwork?
Send it our way.
Need help deciding which products would work well together?
We can help you develop an assortment and create mockups so you can see how your branding translates across different products.
And when a special event or new opportunity comes along, we can help you create something specifically for that project too.
Ready to create custom merchandise for your resort or gift shop?
Explore Cabin & Reel Engraving Co.'s wholesale merchandise, request a wholesale account, or contact us to tell us about your property and the type of merchandise you're looking to create.
We'd love to help turn your brand and destination into merchandise your guests will be excited to take home.