Travel Girl’s Gift Guide: Museum gift shops are stocked with glee and unique gifts
NEW ORLEANS — History and fashion come together in historic proportion at the National WWII Museum, and that can translate into some fabulous Christmas gifts. WGNO’s Travel Girl, Stephanie Oswald, recommends museum gift shops for unique items that will have recipients saying, “Wow, where did you get this?”
The National World WarII Museum has four gift shops in all, but the one on the corner of Magazine Street and Andrew Higgins Drive is the place to go if there’s a 1940s fashionista on your “to buy for” list.
“I think it’s classic styles, classic looks. It’s something you can put on for a 1940s look but it could also be something that modernizes today because they’re classic silhouettes and classic lines,” says store manager Maggie Greenbaum, the cheerful young woman in charge of making sure the shelves at the shop are stocked just right.
“My vendors laugh at me because I’m always looking and searching,” says Maggie, who strives to find the perfect balance between authentic historical pieces and modern style.
There are items in every price category from hair decor to shoes, to faux fur jackets and fancy cocktail dresses.
Beyond wardrobe-related gifts, there are other WWII-themed gifts that include games, glassware, jewelry and even makeup.
One of the most popular items is shipped around the world: A WWII themed Monopoly game. The game pieces include a tank, airplane and a 1940s radio. Instead of real estate, players purchase war campaigns. Boardwalk and Park Place, traditionally the most desired properties to own, are instead “Victory in Europe” and “Victory over Japan.”
Another wonderful gift idea: glassware and jewelry made by Mignon Faget, exclusively for the National WWII Museum. One set of glasses reads “We’re all in this together,” offering a classy way to raise a toast for good cheer, and perhaps to give thanks to all the people who serve to protect our freedoms.
Buying gifts at this shop is a way to honor the past, with gifts in the present.
