What is a Museum Store?
Much more than a gift store, museum stores perform integral and multi-faceted work for their institutions — from earning income and extending mission-related programs, to visitor engagement and educational outreach through store products, programs, and experiences.
Dedicated directly to, and an integral department of, their institutions, museum stores operate as nonprofit retailers under section 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Code and are a key earned-revenue department of the museum. As nonprofit retailers, museum stores further the educational mission of their institutions through the offering of products that allow the public to “take home” a part of the museum for their enjoyment and ongoing memory of their museum experience.
Products sold in museum stores reflect the mission, collections, and programs of the museums and cultural institutions to which they belong. Every item offered is curated just as the works selected and displayed in their respective institutions. In addition, many items are developed exclusively by the museum store, resulting in distinctive and unique offerings that are mission and program related.
Museum visitors traditionally range from school children to professionals, from college students to retirees, and from families to single adults. When visitors patronize the museum store during their visit, they encounter store products that are educational and inspiring. This engagement helps to create future audiences that can support the museum on an ongoing basis. .
As museums and other cultural institutions embrace sustainability, diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, museum stores are seen as familiar and welcoming entry avenues. Instead of “exiting through the store”, museum stores are important spaces that allow for accessible “entry” introductions for both first-time and regular visitors to museums.
de Young Museum Store
Dedicated directly to, and an integral department of, their institutions, museum stores operate as nonprofit retailers under section 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Code and are a key earned-revenue department of the museum. As nonprofit retailers, museum stores further the educational mission of their institutions through the offering of products that allow the public to “take home” a part of the museum for their enjoyment and ongoing memory of their museum experience.
Museum visitors traditionally range from schoolchildren to professionals, from college students to retirees, and families to single adults. Museum stores engage children, teens, and young adults with store products that are educational. This engagement helps to create future audiences that can support the museum.
As museums and other cultural institutions embrace diversity and inclusion initiatives, museum stores are seen as familiar and welcoming entry avenues. Instead of “exiting through the store”, museum stores are important spaces that allow for accessible introductions for both regular and first-time museum visitors, especially as museums recover from the pandemic.
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