The Sharon Smith Myers Wharton Gifts shop is preparing to more than double in size, moving from a 400 square foot space to a 1,000 square foot space inside the Wharton Center at Michigan State University.
“What’s new about Wharton Gifts is that we’re assuming the mission statement of the Wharton Center to enrich and strengthen the value of the arts,” says Nina Silbergleit, house manager for the Wharton Center.
Previously, the gift shop carried general merchandise such as cards, MSU gear and jewelry—items that can be found in a variety of gift shops in the Capital region.
“Now, 90 percent of everything that we have will have a music or dance or theater them that helps develop creativity,” she says. This includes instruments, music books and instructional DVDs. The Sharon Smith Myers Wharton Gifts is also working with Urban Samaritan, a New York-based company that employs homeless people and transforms recycled show posters and vinyl banners into tote bags.
“We’re really excited about this,” she says. “We’re also trying to do a lot of fair trade items.”
The gift shop expansion is part of the overall $11 million Wharton Center renovation expansion that started in 2008. The expansion includes larger dressing rooms, a new façade, a multi-purpose space, corporate lounges, an educational space and administrative offices.
The Sharon Smith Myers Wharton Gifts will have a clearout sale from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Sept. 9-10 in the Sierra Lobby (formerly the Box Office Lobby). The expanded gift shop will be revealed the weekend of Oct.10.
Source: Bob Hoffman, Wharton Center
Ivy Hughes is the managing editor of Capital Gains and can be reached here.
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