Kentucky Derby Museum finishes $30,000 renovation of new, improved gift store
This week Kentucky Derby Museum leaders finished up a massive renovation of its gift shop.
As product has been coming in these past few days, Kentucky Derby Museum retail director, Kristina Gerard, has been helping sort it. The renovation gave them a lot more space to add more products on display.
"I'm really excited about this opportunity," said Gerard. "It's something we've been thinking about for a while, so the fact that we were able to make it work, really excites me."
This Saturday, Gerard will re-open the store to the public.
It was closed all throughout the renovation.
"After opening in 1985, we moved over to this space in 2000," said Gerard. "We really haven't done anything to it since then. We really wanted to freshen it, and modernize it."
Updates included blonde wood shelves to solid white ones. The renovation also called for new floors, new lighting, and more added space.
Gerard said while all of those changes will be eye-popping, they were made just so that they could draw your eyes to the products.
Nearly half of all of the products on display this year will come from a local vendor. The museum store has been open since 1985, and this is the first year that they can say that.
"We're also local," said Gerard. "So we are sort of local helping out local, and we are supporting each other. I want it to be more than just getting stuff that you can get anywhere else. We have a lot of great people out there making wonderful things in Kentucky, and I really want to showcase that for the."
When the store re-opens Saturday, Gerard said the first 50 customers will receive a free derby 149 mint julep glass.
"Those glasses, once they are made, they are not made again," said Gerard.
The renovation cost the derby museum $30,000.