Looking for a great gift for a friend or family member this Holiday season? Then look no further because The Museum Store is full of wonderful items from BCM-branded products and kid-friendly items to artisan crafts and CDs and books about music. And here are 27 of the coolest things to choose from:
1. If you love this region’s music, then the Bear Family box sets are for you. Celebrating the music of the 1927 Bristol Sessions, the Johnson City Sessions, and the Knoxville Sessions, the boxsets each include several CDs and a beautifully illustrated and in-depth book. And as a bonus, The Museum Store also carries the new Tennessee Ernie Ford boxset highlighting the music and life of this Bristol boy who made it big on stage, on screen, and behind the mic.
2. Celebrate the uniqueness of Appalachia with an Appalachian Disasterpiece. Created by folk artist Eric Cunningham, these mixed-media works depict musicians, southern icons, moonshiners, and a variety of other subjects related to this region.
3. While we might not want to admit it yet, fall is almost over. And what better way to celebrate the end of fall but with pumpkins! Glassblower Johnny Glass (yes, it is his real name!) creates beautiful glass pumpkins – pleasing in shape and color, topped with curling vines and leaves, and wonderfully iridescent.
4. If your heart is in the Birthplace of Country Music, then you should wear your heart on your sleeve – or on the front of your BCM t-shirt! We have a variety of designs to choose from — including our striking pick logo, a colorful guitar, and a 1927 Bristol Sessions design. Plus, we still have the App-uh-latch-uh tee – which is sure to prompt conversation every time you wear it.
5. If your child is a music lover or a musician, we have just what they need – pens in the shapes of music notes and instruments, and rulers decorated with the great Johnny Cash and listing the “Rulers of Country Music”!
6. And for all of you music lovers who still prefer vinyl, check out our wonderful selection of Vinylux goodies made from old records – from notebooks and bookends to coasters and keychains!
7. Many of the store’s artisans are inspired by nature, and their pieces can bring a little bit of nature’s beauty into your home. Potters like Mary Curtin and Debbie Grim-Yates decorate with plants and flowers in their pottery designs, while Susan Fields creates flower and tree sculptures one bead at a time.
8. Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion festivalgoers wait each year to see the new festival poster design, and each year the demand for these beautifully designed posters is high. Now you can have the complete set – as notecards!
9. You need to freshen up; we have boot and guitar tins filled with mints! Or you can show which side of the line you walk on with our Destination Mints for Tennessee and Virginia.
10. A basket of Grandview Farm’s beautiful yarn – ranging across almost all the colors of the rainbow – is the perfect inspiration for knitters and crafters.
11. If you like steampunk and metal craftwork, you’ll love Terry Clark’s pieces made from repurposed and found objects – from a wonderfully unique lamp to art made from the parts of an old bicycle.
12. Even though we are seeing the last of the flowers in our gardens, you can still enjoy beautiful blooms with glass artist Becky Chapman’s pieces. Each “bloom” is made from old plates, glassware, and crystal, and can be displayed inside or planted in your yard.
13. Virginia is known for its peanuts – and we stock only the best from The Peanut Shop of Williamsburg! With a variety of gourmet flavors to try – hot and spicy or chocolatey and sweet – you are sure to find the perfect snack.
14. Dried gourds are another decorative favorite for late autumn. Chris Jones’s ink-stained gourds shine with color and would be wonderful as centerpieces on the table or hanging in your home. The bat gourds are our particular favorites!
15. Hark back to the past when games were simpler but always fun. We have a variety of great children’s games including wooden spinning tops, decks of cards (bedecked with country stars), and car games.
16. A wide selection of CDs offers you the chance to delve deeper into the music of the region, explore the recordings of Smithsonian Folkways, or listen to old favorites like the legendary Loretta Lynn.
17. Jeff Neil’s wooden boxes are inspired by traditional quilting blocks, using various woods to create the quilt design on the lid. And if you love beautiful wooden objects, you’ll also want one of Terry Clark’s turned bowls, made from the wood of Grayson County, Virginia.
18. If you are traveling light but still want a souvenir of your visit to Bristol and the Birthplace of Country Music Museum, then a magnet is the perfect thing – from the BCM pick logo and Radio Bristol to your favorite state (Tennessee or Virginia!), an instrument or music note, and the Bristol Sign.
19. Nashville artist Leigh Ann Agee created Moonbound Girl back in 2013, and now her character – and friends – can be seen in an illustrated book, as framed art, on pillows and other decorative items – and on this year’s Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion poster!
20. Show your love for BCM while enjoying your morning coffee – or even an adult beverage at the end of the day. We stock a variety of mugs, travel mugs, glassware, and shot glasses, adorned with our pick logo or highlighting our radio station, WBCM.
21. A picture is worth a thousand words – and it’s worth even more when it’s printed across the words on the page of a dictionary. There are a variety of Dictionary Art designs to choose from including instruments and microphones to the Bristol sign and the state of Virginia and Tennessee.
22. Paula Kahn creates jewelry from the Allegheny Chinquapin tree. Each piece is one-of-a-kind and combines elements of the tree with beads and other decorative elements.
23. There’s nothing better than a puzzle on a rainy day. And not only will you have fun putting together the Grand South and Tennessee puzzles, but you’ll have something that can be hung on your wall as art once the last pieces fit together.
24. Aleta Chandler’s pottery is full of personality. Her unique clay creations are impressed from local barnwood and then refined into works that evoke pride in Appalachian culture.
25. If you want your kids to love music, our kazoos and harmonicas are a good place to start! They can even try their hand(s) at the accordion and the spoons (not shown). (And perhaps these instruments are even better presents for other people’s children…!)
26. Our very own Courtney Farquharson of Buffalo Street Print Co. creates beautiful and intricate wood-block prints. We have several of her notecard designs, including a variety of instruments.
27. Do you love soaps and smellies? Then you’ll love Treva Watson’s Bohicket Apothecary candles and bath & body products – beautiful to the eye and filled with wonderful scents, they are perfect for a night of pampering.
To find all the above items and much more visit The Museum Store at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum in Downtown Historic Bristol. We also offer corporate gifts, employee gifts, personal gifts and much more.
To shop online, click HERE.