Salt shaker collection — Page 1B
The Bella Vista Historical Museum has acquired a new, very temporary exhibit from which visitors can purchase pieces.
Hundreds of salt and pepper shakers line shelves in the museum gift shop, each set for sale at $5.50.
Historical society member Jill Werner, who manages the museum’s gift shop, said that the purchase price, aside from sales tax, goes entirely to the museum.
The massive collection belonged to Delite Stucky of Flanagan, Ill., and was donated by Bella Vista resident Carolyn Hunnicutt.
Werner said it took eight hours for her to unpack the 11 boxes of shakers and she’s already sold 74 sets — though it’d be hard to miss them looking at the full shelves.
“I never got tired of doing it. It was like opening Christmas presents,” she said. “It was a delight.”
They’ve been organized and placed based on categories, including people, holidays, food and animals, to name a few.
A few particularly valuable pieces were separated out to sell online, Werner explained.
The oldest piece she was able to positively identify was a commemorative set celebrating the 1939 New York World’s Fair.
“Everybody’s found something that they can relate to in some way,” Werner said.
Werner said that, when she took the helm running the gift shop, business was very slow. She initially focused on Bella Vista merchandise, she explained, but has also started selling vintage goods like these shakers. It works well, she said, because the gift shop doesn’t have a flea market or antique shop to compete with and it’s about the only place to find non-golf Bella Vista merchandise.
With so many pieces and the shakers selling well, Werner said this collection is a significant donation for the museum.