Algonac venue welcomes Valentine’s shoppers
By Barb Pert Templeton
A good book, a comfortable sweatshirt or perhaps a colorful puzzle will make your Valentine’s heart soar.
Those items and many other unique trinkets are for sale at the Ship to Shore Gift Shop located inside the Maritime Museum in Algonac. Normally only open on weekends from May to October, the store also opens its doors on the Saturday before Valentine’s Day to give shoppers some nautical options for gift giving. This weekend the store will be open on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The shop and museum are run by members of the Algonac-Clay Historical Society. President Pam Allen said in the past they’ve included special Valentine themed items on the one-time winter store opening day in February. This year shoppers can pick up a copy of the new 8th Edition of “The Guide to Historical Destinations in Michigan” that’s published by the Historical Society of Michigan.
T-shirts are just one of the popular items sold frequently at the Shop to Shore Shop in Algonac.
Amid a wide array of items from t-shirts, to hats, books and bags shoppers can also peruse shelves lined with puzzles, glasses and coasters. The sweatshirts, t-shirts and hats are by far the most popular items in the shop, Allen said.
Filling the shelves with unique gifts is a project undertaken by members of the society who shop local, when possible, otherwise special vendors help them get the products they need. For example, the new Michigan travel guide, which is only published every few years, will be making its debut on the shelves at the shop this Saturday.
Allen said the store is normally open from the first weekend in May until the first weekend in October. The hours on Saturday and Sunday are 1 to 4 p.m. A simple phone call for requests to open the store on other dates is also welcome by the society who will do their best to accommodate visitors.
The Ship to Shore Shop doesn’t actually display items related to the city’s history. Those are on regular display at the community museum across the street from the store, Allen said.
The shop has been open for five years, is run by an all-volunteer staff and it started out small but has worked up to having many new items each year. The idea behind the shop was to utilize funds from the sale of merchandise to help the society keep all of their venues up and running.
The Algonac-Clay Historical Society was founded 32 years ago with a mission to preserve and promote the history of the Algonac-Clay Township area. Today, the group boasts more than 180 members who meet on the fourth Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. at the Maritime Museum.
Monthly meetings consist of a short program, refreshments and then taking care of current business matters. The society is always accepting new members and applications are available on their website. A monthly newsletter is also available and can be found on their website at achistory.com. They are also on Facebook.
Beyond the Ship to Shore Gift Shop the Algonac-Clay Historical Society hosts many events in the community throughout the year including teas, raffles and dinners.
The Ship to Shore Gift Shop is located inside the Maritime Museum at 1117 St. Clair River Drive in Algonac.
