Proponents say expansion of gift shops would increase proceeds to worthy causes

BILL SPARKES/Acorn Newspapers VOLUNTEERS—From left to right, Elissa Dishinger, Faye Gibbs, Jerry Lewi and Marion Dee are some of the volunteers who help a group called Friends of the Civic Arts Plaza. They’d like to acquire a larger permanent spaces to sell merchandise that, in turn, helps local children’s programs. Jerry Lewi wants the gift shops at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza to make as much money as possible. That’s why Lewi, a member of a volunteer support group for the theaters, appealed to the city council last month to upgrade the gift shop in the Scherr Forum Theatre lobby.

Operated by the Friends of the Civic Arts Plaza, of which Lewi is a board member and gift shop committee chair, the shops in the Scherr Forum and Kavli theaters have earned more than $80,000 since the complex opened in 1994. The proceeds help offset the costs of children’s programming by reducing the cost of performances or ticket prices or making tickets free for disadvantaged children, according to Lewi.

“We want to make the display case better, more attractive and most importantly, more profitable for children’s programming,” Lewi said.

The city is in the process of creating a 10-year upgrade plan for the Civic Arts Plaza. Last month, the council approved six areas of top priority, including improving the city hall lobby, which includes the gift shop.

Three or four years ago, the Alliance for the Arts provided funding to upgrade the Kavli shop, which consists of a display counter in a dedicated, prominent space. The Scherr Forum setup is far from ideal, believes Lewi. That display case is considerably smaller than the Kavli cabinet and shares a corner of the Scherr Forum/city hall lobby with a city computer, city literature and agenda notebooks.

Since the Scherr Forum is a much smaller theater than the Kavli, with a smaller group of potential gift shop customers to draw from, its shop doesn’t generate the same sales as the Kavli’s, Lewi acknowledged. But enhancing the gift shop could increase sales, he said.

“I would like to get the city to commit to dedicating the entire alcove to the gift shop,” Lewi said. “We need that commitment to begin raising funds for a new cabinet.”

The city has always intended to upgrade the gift shop, according to Liz Perez, city construction project coordinator. With the design phase still in the early stages, it will take months of planning and budgeting before any actual work takes place.

“How it will ultimately look I don’t know yet, but we will work with Jerry and his group,” Perez said.

The shops sell a variety of items including musical jewelry boxes, costume jewelry, statuettes, purses, artificial flowers and seasonal items. Staffed entirely by volunteers, the shops have no operating costs, Lewi points out. The counters are open prior to the start of performances and during intermission.

“We will make appointments if someone wants to buy something and can’t get to a show,” Lewi said.

In addition to the gift shop, other upgrades being considered to the theater and city hall entrances and lobbies include landscaping, clearer signage and improved traffic circulation. The city’s capital improvement budget includes $500,000 per year for 2006-07 through 2009-10 for those projects approved by the council.