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Budget-Friendly Souvenirs From Our Gift Shop

  • 15th Sep 2023
  • Author: Elliott Langley - Marketing Administrator
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    What does the National Space Centre and the Tenth Doctor have in common? We both “love a little shop”! Buying a souvenir is a quintessential part of any day out, right? Whether it’s a little knick-knack to remind you of your day or a present for someone who wasn’t able to be there, it’s unthinkable to end a day without picking something up on the way out.

    If you have ever been to visit us then you will more than likely have seen our gift shop. It’s undergone some pretty big changes over the years! Back in the day, the gift shop used to be known as the Cargo Bay and it was even themed to look like a futuristic loading area. Then more recently we completely redeveloped the space from the ground up and went minimalist, changing the name from Cargo Bay to simply Shop.

Shop at the National Space Centre
National Space Centre

We like to think that the Shop has something for all of our visitors, from pocket money items, books dedicated to the history of space science, the iconic NASA t-shirt that has become so popular and all sorts of space-themed gifts.

But we also know that everyone has a different budget. We know that days out can soon add up, especially as prices continue to rise just about everywhere. So with that in mind, I decided to have a chat with our Shop team, Dan and Kerri, and see if they could recommend a few budget-friendly souvenir ideas whilst also telling us a bit more about the Shop!

Dan and Kerri’s Low-cost Souvenir Guide for All Budgets

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    National Space Centre Stationery

    Always a favourite of school groups, children looking to spend pocket money and anyone wanting to show off to their co-workers that they’ve been to visit the National Space Centre over the weekend. Our full range of stationery includes everything from pens, pencils, notepads, and rubbers. There’s lots of colours to choose from and will fit into any budget.

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    Postcards

    What kind of attraction would we be if we didn’t have postcards? Our range of postcards are perfect for pocket money and feature original artwork and designs that are created by our very own Design team (who we will be meeting in a future article!). These range from Apollo-themed designs that were created to tie in with the 50th anniversary, as well as images of Laika the dog, Soviet Cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova (who became the first woman to travel into space) and the Apollo Lunar Module.

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    Planet Keyrings

    No gift shop is complete without a decent selection of keyrings, and ours is no different. You'll find National Space Centre designs, astronauts and Science Fiction keyrings. But our favourite might be these colourful planet keyrings that are located just by the till as a low-cost extra to round off the day. They're the perfect way to carry around your favourite planet with you (or planets, depending on how many keys you have).

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    Astronaut Pendant

    Another low-cost accessory that is always really popular with people who want to add a little bit of space to their lives. The astronaut is by far the most popular, but we also have an alien design and a Saturn one which go down well. We price these low so visitors can carry a micro astronaut with them at all times, just in case they need to embark on an impromptu space mission. 

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    Mini Space Shuttle

    One of the most popular items in the history of the Shop. These mini space shuttle replicas are favourites of visitors of all ages and are kept at a low price so that everyone who visits can leave the National Space Centre with their very own space shuttle to remember their visit by and blast off to new adventures.

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About the Shop

Thank you so much for taking the time to do that, guys! How long have you both been looking after the Shop now?

Kerri (Retail Administrator): I’ve been here 19 years now. I started on Space Crew and became co-ordinator for Cargo Bay after around a year, so it’s been 18 years now! It’s been a long time, so I feel quite attached to the Shop.

Dan (Shop Co-ordinator): I have been a member of Space Crew for 21 years now! I started here on 28 October 2002. And it was actually 7 years ago today that I took on the addtional role of Shop Co-ordinator! 

Well happy anniversary Dan! So what is your favourite thing about working in the Shop?

Kerri: Dan, obviously. I think my favourite thing about my job is I get to interact with our visitors and help them choose their souvenirs and chat about their days. I also really enjoy the admin side of things, like looking at new products and going to trade shows. Plus I'm a neat freak, so it’s quite satisfying to tidy everything up after a busy day! 

Dan: Same as Kerri, but also I like that we're able to cater to pretty much all ages and budgets.

Now for the most important question: if you were an item in the Shop, what would you be?

Kerri: Oh, that’s tough! I think I’d be one of the Space Queen bath bombs we have in at the moment. Because I’m so sweet.

Dan: The set of silver star meteorite cuff links, because they're a bit different and unique... like me! 

Lovely stuff. Finally, Dan... legend has it that one of our old postcards featured an image of the Rocket Tower which was taken by a certain Shop Coordinator who also just happens to be a seasoned photographer. Anything to say to this?

Dan: No comment. 

Thank you to Dan and Kerri for their time! You can find both of them working in the Shop alongside our wonderful Space Crew team. And thank you to everyone who has made a purchase in our Shop. Every purchase directly supports the National Space Centre and our charitable goals.