Our Inspiring Story

The Ravinia Gift Shop has been a project of the Women’s Board since its humble beginnings as the Friendship Booth in 1972.  A group of very enterprising women created a way to both raise money for Ravinia and contribute to the audience experience.  At first, the Shop sold posters and cookbooks out of an old, repurposed ticket booth.

By the 1980’s, the Women’s Board had expanded the merchandise selection and increased inventory to meet the demands of the concert-goers. As sales grew, so did the store.   In 1984, the Women’s Board began planning a new gift shop on the east side of what is now the Martin Theatre, facing the Pavilion. The new Ravinia Gift Shop was unveiled during the summer of 1985.

The Women’s Board did not stop there. The second Ravinia Gifts store opened in the summer of 2007 in the newly created dining pavilion. It offered new product lines, a jewelry showcase and a space for customers to gather and have a hands-on experience with our merchandise.  Ravinia Gifts also began “pop-up shops” in downtown Chicago, the Ravinia business district, holiday fairs and in the lobby of Ravinia’s Bennet Gordon Hall during performances.

The growth of the shop created a need for additional space.  On May 23, 2018, a new Women’s Board shop – now called the Festival Shop – opened in the renovated dining pavilion offering more opportunities for park visitors to peruse Ravinia merchandise and support initiatives of the Women’s Board through their purchases.