NATCHEZ — The proposed consolidation of the Natchez Visitor Reception Center’s two retail stores was up for discussion again Thursday at the Natchez Convention and Promotion Commission meeting.

The CVB is expected to come before the board of aldermen Jan. 26 to request approval to essentially consolidate the CVB’s logo gift shop with the National Park Service’s Eastern National Bookstore.

Both retail spaces would be combined into the current Eastern National Bookstore space, and given a new name: The Natchez Shop.

The CVB’s existing logo shop sells a variety of items, including T-shirts and other clothing, coffee mugs, jewelry, food and other merchandise.

Natchez National Historical Park Superintendent Kathleen Bond said the bookstore is more of a museum shop, and carries items specifically related to the park in which they are located.

Convention and Visitors Bureau Director Kevin Kirby reported after meeting with city attorney Hyde Carby that a signature line of the commission would need to be added to the existing proposal, as well as a line for the mayor’s signature to represent the city.

The commission was unable to sign the letter due to a lack of a quorum because Katie Johnson-Moore and Ron Bequette were not present. Commissioners debated their concerns ahead of a vote scheduled later this weekend.

At the previous meeting, board member Dennis Switzer expressed concerns that the consolidation may eliminate the locally sourced items in the present logo shop, and said he would not vote for the measure if it hurt local small businesses.

National Parks Director Kathleen Bond provided the commission a letter from the Eastern National Bookstore that explained their policy was to include USA-made items wherever possible, and several Mississippi items were already included in their merchandise.

Kirby said even if the bookstore does not include the Natchez-made items, the merchandise in The Natchez Shop would include most of the same products the logo shop currently does.

David Gammill, the commission’s president, said he was under the impression not much would be altered in the current competitive sourcing of the merchandise.

“Local vendors will be afforded the opportunity to be considered with everybody else,” Gammill said.

Switzer said his concerns were satisfied by the discussion.

Other issues raised by members of the board concerned the date an inventory would be taken and whether the logo shop would remain open during construction of The Natchez Shop.

Kirby said the transition would be seamless.

“We’ll have a space in the visitors center, so there’s a place to provide those products while we’re working on The Natchez shop,” Kirby said.

Gammill then brought up the possibility of contracting an accountant and an attorney for the CVB.

Switzer said he supports the idea of getting a certified accountant to keep the books, but said a full-time position would be expensive and unnecessary. Instead, he said the commission could contract a CPA firm to do a monthly job for a set fee.

A contracted attorney was discussed as well, to provide legal advice on relations with the board of aldermen, for which city attorney Hyde Carby would be unable to provide counsel.

“I think it is prudent on the part of the CVB to have someone managing the accounting, both in the CVB’s relationship with the city, the public, and certainly in-house, so there aren’t as many questions and things that aren’t clear.”Gammill said.