03 Apr Our Fun and Full-of-Surprises Gift Shop

Posted at 18:42h in Happenings by

In July of 2022, the Newport Car Museum Gift Shop expanded, doubling in size to 2,100 sq. ft. More recently, a back wall was blown out to accommodate more clothing and artwork, and it has proven quite popular. With over 50,000 people visiting the Museum in 2023, we heard (and read) plenty of reviews about the quality and quantity of goods (both car-related and otherwise) available for purchase, and the overarching theme was that the prices are right, the items are unique, and it’s just as fun visually to visit the Gift Shop as it is to wander through the Museum’s seven amazing galleries where cars are displayed as art and tell the story of automotive design and history.

Popular attractions beyond the Gift Shop’s glass doors are a six-foot-high motorized K’NEX ferris wheel, made from 8,550 pieces, and a display where hundreds of colorful die-cast cars lie in wait for a new owner, whether young or old. (In April, to celebrate Newport Daffodil Days, a $30 purchase gets you a free yellow diecast car, valued at $8.95.)

Here’s what else you can find: Newport Car Museum merchandise; car-related T-shirts and sweatshirts; top-selling Buckle Down keychains, belts and lanyards; prints of the Museum collection; regionally-focused gift items, ranging from lobster platters to stuffed sharks; and books, puzzles, toys, and greeting cards for every occasion.

“We like to say we sell more exotic and classic cars than any dealership in the Northeast,” said Museum Co-Founder Maggie Buerman who curates the Gift Shop offerings (and constructed the K’NEX piece). “Kids are thrilled with the pink Lamborghinis and the flower-power VW vans, while adults are apt to search for specific marques and makes such as a 1966 Ford GT40, a 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air or a Porsche 911 GT3. We also have Lamborghinis and McLarens.

“More than anything, we love that the Gift Shop is a happy place,” added Buerman. “It has become, in a way, an eight Gallery of color and fun.”

So come enjoy the Newport Car Museum’s constantly evolving Gift Shop where you’ll encounter courteous and helpful staff every day of the week during Museum hours (10 am and 5 pm). You don’t need an admission ticket to shop, and there’s plenty of free parking!

See more of our Gift Shop here.