Friends of Prime Hook NWR    

The Friends Store is staffed by volunteers and the merchandise offered is nature and education related. There is an excellent selection of field guides to birds, plants, insects, fish, etc. (right)

The Store is open most afternoons and weekends. You can call 302-684-8419 to find out the store status.

Proceeds from store sales go toward nature and education activities at the Refuge.

Following is a store summary by David Fiske which appeared in the Winter 2012
Prime Hook Notes:

Birds, birds and more birds. That could be the theme of some exciting, colorful products that we brought into the Friends’ Gift Shop at Prime Hook this summer, and which we think could be big sellers in the fall – and as holiday presents in December.

The beautiful depiction of about a dozen shore birds, from tall Black Necked Stilts to little sandpipers, is the backdrop for a variety of products. On all of them, the colors of the individual shore birds are bright and clear.
First, we superimposed the picture across the front of a tall shop-ping/carry bag with ample straps to allow it to be used in a vari-ety of ways, from holding binoculars and notebooks on a birding hike, or just picking up milk and butter at the grocery store.The names of each of the shorebirds are listed next to each depiction.

Second, we took the same picture, and put the shorebirds on the front of a round fishing hat. What bird watcher wouldn’t want to be the first in his or her club to sport this unique cap!

Then we reduced the picture to fit on a ceramic coffee mug, and then onto a small picturesque refrigerator magnet. The hat, coffee mug and magnet were too small to include the names of the birds, like the carry bag, so our volunteers printed out little cards identifying each of the shore birds to give each purchaser so that even the novice bird enthusiast would be able to answer the in-evitable question when they sport these products – what are they?
These shore bird products already attract attention to visitors to the gift shop, and we are confident they will continue to be popular.

Christmas enthusiasts should also take notice of the incredible hand-painted Christmas tree balls with artistic rendering of some of the most popular shore and wading birds. A number of them are hanging above the dis-play cabinets, and we think they will attract a lot of attention as we get closer to the holiday season.

We, of course, continue to stock a wide variety of Prime Hook caps, shirts and sweatshirts, and have added new reading litera-ture as well.

Finally, as an incentive to get people to drop bills in the Friends bird-feeder donation tube, we have put a number of the Ellen Miller “Memorial Garden” note cards in a small basket under the tube, and anyone making a Friends donation receives a packet of cards as our thank you for contributing to Prime Hook.

Thanks to all the volunteers who staff the gift shop, and cheerfully greet visitors. You are the ones whose great spirit makes this gift shop – and the activities of Friends of Prime Hook – work so well, and your services are greatly appreciated.

Below is a selection of clothes with accurate bird paintings.

And below are a selection of ornaments also with accurate bird paintings.