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Meet Laurie Craig
There’s
a new face in the State Historical Museum Store. As the new store manager, Laurie
Craig is brimming with ideas for change. She motions to different parts of the
store as she explains.
“We’ll just see how it evolves,” she said. “We’ll
keep some of the books, but not all of them. We want to move toward becoming more
of a gift store. Many of the children’s things will stay, but we want to
incorporate things like wine from the Amanas or Maytag’s blue cheese.”
(She makes a note to call Maytag about acquiring products that don’t require
refrigeration.)
Craig’s background is in hospitality, and she most recently worked as an
office manager for a dentist, but was looking for a position that had more interaction
with the public. Having lived in Des Moines basically all her life, Craig now
has two children in college: Emily, a graduate student at DePaul University in
Chicago, and Jack, a second-year student at Johnson County Community College in
Overland Park, Kan.
Hearing of the trials and tribulations of New Orleans’ residents following
Hurricane Katrina, Craig was prompted to help. She recently returned from a three-week
stint serving as a food manager at a shelter in San Antonio, Texas, where many
evacuees have been housed since the disaster.
But back at the Museum Store, she continues to brainstorm ideas, including more
gift basket options and working closely with the hospitality industry in Des Moines
to market the store’s products.
The phone number for the museum store remains (515) 283-1757, email Museum.Store@iowa.gov.
