Saks Inc. (Birmingham, Ala.) has announced that its Saks Fifth Avenue division will provide store design and visual merchandising assistance to help launch the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati. The retailer will design the museum’s gift shop and promote it in its April catalog.
The Freedom Center is a museum and memorial honoring Cincinnati’s history as the Northern terminus of the so-called underground railroad before and during the Civil War. The city’s position on the Ohio River, directly across from Confederate Kentucky, made it the gathering place for runaway slaves. The center is scheduled to open this summer.
Actress and singer Vanessa Williams will serve as honorary spokeswoman for the Freedom Center, along with Susan Taylor, editor of Essence Magazine.
“We have plans to hold more of these in-store events in New York and Beverly Hills to tell the Freedom Center story and say thanks to our supporters,” said Saks Inc. chairman and ceo Brad Martin, at a reception in Saks Fifth Avenue’s downtown Cincinnati store. “We’ll be promoting the Freedom Center to anyone who has a Saks credit card or shops at our stores.”
Martin said the effort might include selling Freedom Center merchandise such as artifacts, jewelry and books at Saks stores.