Eclipse souvenirs as popular as the exhibits at S.C. State Museum

Teacher Mary Jane Evans went shopping Friday at the South Carolina State Museum after driving 100 miles from her home in Cheraw.

“I came to zero in on the (solar) eclipse,” she said.

She was looking over a display of merchandise to see what could be used for lessons related to the Aug. 21 solar eclipse.

The display in the museum’s gift shop is proving to be as popular as some exhibits, officials say. Columbia is expected to be one of the best locations in the country for experiencing the eclipse.

Offerings mix maps and educational books explaining the natural phenomena with commercial souvenirs such as T-shirts, soap, candy, earrings and prints. Sales have taken off this spring, gift shop manager Scottie Nicholson said.

“We’re one of the primo spots to see it,” she said. “It’s putting Columbia on the map.”

Finding merchandise initially was a challenge because there was little national awareness of the eclipse until a few months ago, she said.

Now, suppliers regularly restock the display, she said. Most items also are available online through the museum’s website, scmuseum.org/eclipse. And some, such as the orange blossom-scented soap, are made locally.

Tickets to view the eclipse under the guidance of museum experts also are becoming hot sellers, spokesman Jared Glover said.

A series of eclipse-related events are planned at the museum during the weekend leading up to the happening. Museum officials continue to review the plan and make tweaks to prevent problems, Glover said.

Evans will be back in class when the celebration occurs at the museum.

But the material she took back from a trip during summer vacation will help guide what students in her first-grade classes and those of her fellow teachers learn about the eclipse, she said.

“That’s the reason I came,” she said.

This story was originally published June 16, 2017 at 4:30 PM with the headline "Eclipse souvenirs as popular as the exhibits at S.C. State Museum."