Engraved souvenirs for state and county park stores
Park stores buy differently from private gift shops. A review group meets before anyone orders, every park wants its own name, and the animals on the cup have to live in that park. This page lays out how a park agency typically approves a new vendor, what we use and do not use on park merchandise, and which catalog designs were built for park and visitor-center shelves.
How a park agency approves a new vendor
The state agency we know best publishes its own process. A merchandise review group meets quarterly and looks at samples, wholesale prices, minimums and a catalog. A coordinator described it to us this way: the whole group will approve, but they still follow protocol. After approval, the state wants vendors registered in its procurement system before any purchase, and it wants its own version of the W-9 with an original signature. Registration itself is free, and vendors may pay a transaction fee on invoices.
The same agency holds a two-day vendor gift show each March where its park stores write orders. Booth space is limited and sign-ups close in February. Ask your coordinator whether your system works the same way, and whether approval at the top lets every park store buy, or whether each park orders on its own or through one central PO. That answer changes how we ship, so ask early.
Park names, never agency marks
We put a park name on a piece only when the buyer is that park system. We do not use an agency logo or emblem anywhere, and never the National Park Service arrowhead. For federal parks we stay with the plain place name your buyer asks for. If you are unsure whether park names on merchandise need your agency's approval, ask once and send us the answer.
Real animals for each park
A state park retail coordinator corrected one of our drawings by pointing out that no elk live in any of that state's parks, so the elk became a black bear. Several catalog park designs show an elk (W-106, B-154, N-121 and M-068 do), and those are exactly the ones we redraw for a park that has no elk. Send each park's real wildlife and plants and we tie every animal to the place. An interstate park or trail that crosses a state line is not one of that state's own parks, and we keep it off a state system's art.
Catalog designs for park and visitor-center shelves
Real catalog numbers. The first group is the Park & Visitor Center chapter; the others are terrain designs that park systems have asked us to pair with their parks.
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W-107 Trail Blazes
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W-109 Lookout Point
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W-190 Cave Entrance Descent Wrap
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W-098 River Days: Paddle and Drift
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W-134 Gone Fishing First Cast
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B-155 Trailhead Crest
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N-123 Park Lookout Tower
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N-195 Cave Entrance: Open Year Round
Park sign, trail and lookout
W-106 Ridgeline Park Sign, W-107 Trail Blazes, W-108 Field Checklist, W-109 Lookout Point, B-154 Park Name Plate, B-155 Trailhead Crest, B-157 Coordinates Plate, B-158 Lookout Shield, B-159 Junior Explorer Banner, N-121 Park Ridgeline Band, N-122 Park Trail Marker, N-123 Park Lookout Tower, M-068 Park Ridgeline Band, M-131 Park Lookout Tower.
River, cave and lake parks
W-098 River Days: Paddle and Drift, W-190 Cave Entrance Descent Wrap, N-195 Cave Entrance: Open Year Round, M-225 Cave Entrance Magnet, W-134 Gone Fishing First Cast, N-183 Cabin on the Lake Ornament, M-216 Cabin on the Lake Magnet.
Coastal and bay parks
W-128 The Long Pier, W-172 Sea and Shore Coastal Wildlife Full-Wrap, N-181 Quiet Water Heron Ornament.
See every design, with photos, on the phone-friendly catalog.
One design per landmark, and a real park order
A county parks department with nine parks ordered for a Christmas store that opened the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Its rule was one design per landmark, sold in that landmark's own store, with no collage of several landmarks on one cup. Five custom designs became 28 tumblers (8, 8, 4, 4 and 4) in White, Warm Sand and Sage Green, shipped in two boxes of 14, on Net 30 with a PO number and tax-exempt certificate on the order. Before ordering, the buyer asked to test with about $300 to $500, four per design, mixed colors, mostly 20 oz tumblers. That is a normal first park order.
Several parks, one bill
We can bill one address, such as a central office, and ship a separate box to each park store with its own date. Quantities per park do not have to be known up front; start with the parks that sell most. Parks with staff-run stores can each choose from a short list of designs and add their own park name, since catalog name swaps are free. Visitor-center stores and chambers of commerce can use the same designs; the Park & Visitor Center chapter of the catalog has 15 designs aimed at them, including W-108 Field Checklist.
Season and timing
Park stores peak from spring through fall, camp stores run year round, and a Christmas store opens when the holiday season does. Work back from your opening date: production is 5 to 10 business days after proof approval, and an agency that needs a review before buying should be asked early. For a March vendor show, plan the sample box and catalog for February.
Ordering terms in brief
Production is 5 to 10 business days after proof approval. Minimums are 4 per design on drinkware and 6 per design on ornaments and magnets, with designs and colors mixed freely. The opening order is $300 and reorders are $125. Catalog name swaps are free; custom artwork is a $35 setup with one revision included, and nothing is engraved until you approve the proof. Opening orders are prepaid by card, ACH or check; Net 30 is available to approved repeat accounts and to institutions. Shipping is UPS Ground at cost from Prattville, Alabama, or your own carrier account. The full details are in the wholesale terms article.
Buyer FAQ
- What does a state park store need from a new vendor?
- It depends on the agency. The one we know best has a quarterly merchandise review of samples, wholesale prices, minimums and a catalog, then vendor registration in the state procurement system and the state W-9 with an original signature, then purchasing. Ask your coordinator for your own steps and we will match them.
- Can our park names go on the products?
- Yes, when the buyer is the park system. We never use an agency logo or emblem or the National Park Service arrowhead. Catalog name swaps are free and new custom artwork is a $35 setup with one revision.
- Do the animals on the cups really live in our parks?
- They do when you tell us what lives there. A state coordinator once corrected an elk to a black bear because that state has no elk in its parks. Send each park's wildlife and we draw only those animals.
- Can you bill our office and ship a box to each park?
- Yes. One billing address, a separate box to each park store, each with its own ship date. Per-park quantities can be set after the first order.
- Is Net 30 available for parks and government buyers?
- Yes. Net 30 is available to parks, universities and government buyers. Put your PO number and tax-exempt certificate on the order; a W-9 is available on request.
- Where are your products made?
- Every piece is engraved in our shop in Prattville, Alabama. The drinkware and birch blanks are imported, so we say Engraved in Alabama and nothing broader. Wood Unlimited is veteran-owned.
Related wholesale guides
Ask for a quote
Tell us the design numbers, the colors and how many you need. Email wholesale@woodunlimited.org or call Louie Hartley at (334) 310-4506 and you will get a written quote and invoice. You can also go back to the wholesale program overview for the line sheet request form.
Wood Unlimited is a brand of Signature Craft LLC. Veteran-owned. Engraved in Alabama. 12,000+ Verified Reviews · 4.97 Average.
