I feel that sense of nostalgia every time I peer into the showcase of antique souvenirs inside the Museum of the Historical Society of Ocean Grove Change purse on a neck chain, made from shell. There, you too can view a collection of quaint memorabilia from Ocean Grove’s past, some dating as far back as 1890, although souvenirs were being sold in Ocean Grove by at least 1871 (more info below).

It’s a funny little aspect of the human condition, isn’t it? With one quick transaction in a gift shop, we transform a low-value object into a treasure. We’re endowing the object with fond memories, peak experiences, warm moments. We’re taking that particular brand of bliss that can only come from being on vacation and imprinting it onto that object.

Because when we buy a souvenir, something magical happens. Seaside souvenir shops wouldn’t exist without willing customers, and believe it or not, they’ve existed for well over a century.īut where one might encounter somebody else’s souvenir at a garage sale or flea market and see “junk”, there still lingers some residue of love. Or a Christmas tree ornament in the shape of a lifeguard stand on which is painted the words, “Ocean Grove”. You come to the Jersey Shore on vacation and you buy a t-shirt to show where you’ve been. Victorian Seaside Souvenirs & Harry Houdini

Cecelia weisz