1. (a) Mission Statement.

   1. (1) The gift shop will offer visitors items related to the Capitol, General Land Office, and the State of Texas. It will feature books and products reflecting Texas, Texas history, historic preservation and Texas government with priority given to products with an education focus.
   2. (2) Consideration will be given to Texas-made products, and at least 80% of vendors supplying items to the gift shop should be from Texas.
   3. (3) In accordance with House Bill 2626, it is our goal that 30% of the dollar value of items purchased for resale in the gift shop will be provided by minority-owned and women-owned businesses.
   4. (4) We will also encourage purchases of relevant materials published or produced through Texas state agencies by Texans with disabilities. We will encourage purchases of recycled or recyclable materials.
   5. (5) Net revenue from the gift shop will help support the administrative operations and education programming of the center.

2. (b) Criteria for Product Selection.

   1. (1) The gift shop manager will review potential products and make final determinations regarding purchase and quantities of products. Products will be selected based upon review of the following criteria:

      1. (A) compatibility with the mission statement;
      2. (B) quality;
      3. (C) value;
      4. (D) uniqueness;
      5. (E) presentation potential;
      6. (F) visual appearance;
      7. (G) demonstrated marketability; and
      8. (H) quality in packaging.
   2. (2) All items should reflect the mission of the visitors center, should be of production quality, and should be suitable for display within a significant historic structure on the state Capitol grounds. Only the highest quality products relating to the Capitol; Texas state government; or its land, history and heritage will be considered for the gift shop.
   3. (3) Consideration will be given to minority-owned and women-owned businesses to achieve a goal of a minimum of 30%.
   4. (4) At least 80% of vendors supplying items to the gift shop should be from Texas.
   5. (5) Consideration will be given to products made of natural, recycled or recyclable materials whenever possible. Every effort will be made to avoid products made from plastic or other synthetic materials.
   6. (6) All products must complement existing shop inventory.
   7. (7) All products submitted for review must have a demonstrated record in retail sales.
   8. (8) Letters of recommendation will not be considered in evaluating products submitted for the gift shop.
   9. (9) A majority of the products carried in the gift shop will have a retail price of $25 or less.
   10. (10) All products must achieve an acceptable level of sales activity within three months of receipt of order to be considered for continued representation in the gift shop.
   11. (11) Items must be able to be produced and shipped quickly in reasonable quantities for resale.
   12. (12) When comparing similar products with other criteria being equal, the lowest wholesale cost will be the determining factor.

3. (c) Submission of Potential Products.

   1. (1) All requests to carry products must be submitted in writing with catalogues or photographs to the gift shop manager, Capitol Complex Visitors Center, 112 East 11th Street, Austin, Texas 78701.
   2. (2) Do not send samples. Samples will be requested at a later date if necessary.
4. (d) The gift shop manager's decision regarding acceptance or non-acceptance of any item to be sold in the gift shop is final.

Source Note:The provisions of this §111.29 adopted to be effective April 4, 1996, 21 TexReg 2644.