Museum Store Fall 2012 by Museum Store Association

www.MuseumStoreAssociation.org FALL 2012 | $15

201

2-2013 and

BUYER’S GUIDE

L 24

WEARING TWO HATS

EXPLORING E-BOOKS

Fall 2012

Museum Store helps cultural commerce professionals operate more effectively, find sources of museum-quality products and contribute to the missions of their institutions.

Volume 40

Issue 3

Features

MSA STAFF EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

BEVERLY J. BARSOOK

COMMUNICATIONS STAFF SENIOR MANAGER FOR COMMUNICATIONS

Fashion & Apparel Buyer’s Guide Unleash your fashion sense and discover tips on increasing sales in this category with our latest buyer’s guide. BY APRIL MILLER

STEPHANIE PETERS COMMUNICATIONS EDITOR

KATHY CISAR

Wearing Two Hats How to cross over from the museum store to the museum café without getting burned. BY MARGE D. HANSEN

Exploring E-Books How museum stores are joining the popular phenomenon. BY CATHERINE NEWTON

Idea Gallery: T-Shirt Displays Go to the head of the class with these clever designs from your peers.

Is Pinterest Right for Your Store? Discover how museum stores use the social networking site to showcase products and drive trafﬁc to their web store. BY TRACI RYLANDS

COMMUNICATIONS AND OFFICE ASSISTANT

SYBIL FAURER

ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF DATABASE ADMINISTRATOR

ADRIANA HERALD MEMBERSHIP & MEETINGS COORDINATOR

C ANDRA HENDRICKS CONFERENCE & EXPO SERVICES COORDINATOR

JENNIFER ANDER SON OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR

LEIGH RUSSO

SKIES AMERICA PUBLISHING COMPANY ART DIRECTOR

JACQUELYN MERRILL EDITOR

REBECCA OSTER BACH

Departments

ADVERTISING

MARY PETILLO PRODUCTION MANAGER

President’s Message Revisit your favorite MSA tools and resources for additional success.

Executive Director’s Message Communicating up the ladder.

Knowledge Standards Q&A Why is communication so important to nonproﬁt retail? BY MARY HELE

Strategic Management How to craft a valuable museum store mission statement. BY ANDREW ANDONIADIS

Business Relations Proactive quality control helps reduce damaged products. BY KURT ROSSLER

Strategic Management A 10-step checklist to ensure you’re holiday ready. BY NICOLE LEINBACH REYHLE

CINDY PIKE CIRCULATION

ALLEN NELSON HOW TO CONTACT US E-MAIL: speters@museumstoreassociation.org Please provide your full name, location and institution or company name. MAIL: Museum Store Association 4100 E Mississippi Ave, Ste 800 Denver, CO 80246-3055 www.MuseumStoreAssociation.org Phone: (303) 504-9223 Fax: (303) 504-9585

38 24

ADVERTISING: Mary Petillo: (503) 726-4984 maryp @skies.com Museum Store magazine (ISSN 1040-6999) is published quarterly by the Museum Store Association. Postmaster: Send address changes to Museum Store Association 4100 E Mississippi Ave, Ste 800 Denver, CO 80246-3055

© 2012 Museum Store Association Inc. All rights reserved. Except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review, no part of this magazine may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from MSA. Opinions expressed by contributors are not necessarily those of the Museum Store Association. Printed in the USA.

New Vendor Showcase

Product News

Vendor Focus/Advertiser Index

MSA and Museum Store Association are registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

New Releases

Cover Image: istockphoto.com/©Kevin Russ

FALL 2012 | MUSEUM STORE

| president’s message |

An Excess of Riches REVISIT YOUR FAVORITE MSA TOOLS AND RESOURCES FOR ADDITIONAL SUCESS. | BY ELIZABETH RICKER an you believe it is fall and the holidays are galloping toward us at what feels like a faster pace than usual? We get so wrapped up in the day-to-day operations of our stores, the long-range plans of our institutions, and oh yes, our home life is there too. It can be difficult to balance it all and give each segment the attention it deserves. When was the last time you stepped back from your daily tasks and did a little analysis of your business? Earlier in the summer, there was much discussion of writing business plans on ShopTalk. This takes time, but is a helpful tool to aid you in better understanding your business, and also allows you to have a document to share with your management and board members. When was the last time you looked at the online product sourcing tool, Museum Store Marketplace, to see what vendors might be new, or who might have just the item to go with your upcoming exhibit? When you placed an order from a vendor, did you mention that your saw their ad in Museum Store magazine or that you saw the item at the MSA Expo in New Orleans and just had to have that certain something for the holiday season? I know our vendors appreciate knowing their advertising has paid off or that their participation in the Expo is worth their time and money. There are past magazine articles, videos, and so many other tools on the MSA

website to help you grow your business and inspire your staff. I want to encourage you to reach out to non-member museums in your community to take advantage of a free month of trial membership. Share your enthusiasm and help them experience all MSA has to offer. The access to ShopTalk alone can be reason enough for a smaller museum to justify MSA membership. We have been lucky to have had our association executive director in place for 25 years. Few associations can say that! The goal of the current board of directors is to find our next director to travel with us into the future with vision and enthusiasm. The board is dedicated to this task as we move forward. Toward this goal, a Candidate Review Committee has been put in place to ensure that the most qualified candidate joins us. Comprised of myself and current board members Stacey Stachow and Barbara Lenhardt, and past board presidents Valerie Troyansky, Leslie Hartman and Meta Devine, the Committee will do everything possible to find the best leader for MSA. I hope your winter season is successful! Please feel free to contact me if you have questions or concerns.

The core purpose of MSA is to advance the success of cultural commerce and of the professionals engaged in it. An international association, MSA is governed by a seven-member board of directors.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS PRESIDENT

ELIZAB ETH R ICK E R NEW MEXICO MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY AND SCIENCE ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.

FIRST VICE PRESIDENT

STAC EY STACHOW WADSWORTH ATHENEUM MUSEUM OF ART HARTFORD, CONN.

SECOND VICE PRESIDENT

B ARB ARA LEN HARDT THE JOHN F. KENNEDY CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS WASHINGTON, D.C.

SECRETARY

J ANIC E W R HE L GEORGIA O’KEEFFE MUSEUM SANTA FE, N.M.

TREASURER

C AND AC E ALLE N MUSEUM OF NEW MEXICO FOUNDATION SHOPS SANTA FE, N.M.

DIRECTORS AT LARGE

G LORIA ROSENA U- STE RN

Elizabeth Ricker bricker@naturalhistoryfoundation.org

MINNESOTA HISTORICAL SOCIETY/ SPLIT ROCK LIGHTHOUSE TWO HARBORS, MINN. -AND-

J ULIE STEIN E R THE BARNES FOUNDATION PHILADELPHIA, PA.

MUSEUM STORE | FALL 2012

NEW from THAMES & HUDSON

THE BOOK OF KELLS Bernard Meehan A newly photographed book that reveals the astonishing detail and richness of one of the greatest treasures of medieval Europe 275 illus. | $95.00 slipcased

COMICS SKETCHBOOKS Steven Heller The creative thinking and doodling behind comic art today, from political cartoons to the “funnies” to underground comics 700 illus. | $44.95 paper

JOSEPH CORNELL’S MANUAL OF MARVELS Dickran Tashjian & Analisa Leppanen-Guerra A fabulous facsimile of an almost unknown masterpiece by Joseph Cornell, along with a volume of essays and an interactive DVD

JEWELRY BY CHANEL Patrick Mauries Celebrating eighty years of Chanel jewelry in new photography and archival images, from the iconic 1932 collection to the 2012 anniversary designs 148 illus. | $95.00

PERSIAN ART AND ARCHITECTURE Henri Stierlin Monumental architecture, sumptuous carpets, ceramics, and paintings: the arts of Persia captured in glorious detail through hundreds of color photographs 280 illus. | $65.00

103 illus. | $80.00 · boxed set

GAUDI POP-UPS Courtney Watson McCarthy Specially created paper constructions explore the vision and masterpieces of this seminal architect 7 pop-ups and 13 illus. | $29.95

Distributed by Norton For more information, visit thamesandhudsonusa.com

THE PHARAOH Life at Court and on Campaign Garry Shaw A highly illustrated look at what it was like to be the pharaoh of Egypt, revealed through the king’s role as lawmaker, judge, priest, builder, and warrior 234 illus. | $39.95

RODIN & EROS Pascal Bonafoux Rodin’s erotic depictions of women in drawings, sculptures, plasters, bronzes, and marble 150 illus. | $34.95

THE SUMMER PALACES OF THE ROMANOVS Emmanuel Ducamp Specially commissioned photographs and archival images capture a bygone age: the treasures of Tsarskoye Selo 340 illus. | $100.00 slipcased

WARI: LORDS OF THE ANCIENT ANDES Susan E. Bergh The most beautiful and significant Wari objects from the United States, Peru, and Europe, published in association with The Cleveland Museum of Art 200+ illus. | $60.00

| executive director’s message |

Communicating Up the Ladder ADVICE ON GETTING YOUR MESSAGE ACROSS.

alking persuasively to administrators is an important skill for retail managers. Getting the attention of the higher-ups is both a skill and an art. To be effective, first determine your big picture goal. Having a quality retail operation? Gaining professional credibility? Getting a place at the table? Select one goal and focus on that. Too many goals can muddy your message. Think about the daily environment in your museum. There is a hierarchy even within the store. You probably supervise someone. You probably have a supervisor. You know there are many demands on your time. The same is true up the ladder. Here are some common characteristics of directors and department heads: They are very busy, they are frequently interrupted,

they may have arrived at their current position with little or no training, they tend to have a bias for factual information, they like to move things to a quick resolution, and they experience pressure from many different directions. Sound familiar?

Think this through about yourself as well as your audience. You are more likely to meet with success if you can speak in resonant language and approach people with some savviness about their personal characteristics and preferences.

“You can have brilliant ideas, but if you can’t get them across, your ideas won’t get you anywhere.”—Lee Iacocca How you present your ideas is critical to your success. Lee Iacocca was fond of saying: “You can have brilliant ideas, but if you can’t get them across, your ideas won’t get you anywhere.” What kind of communicator are you? What kind of person are you talking to? Are they formal, informal, analytical, creative, easygoing?

Once, I asked a number of museum retailers what advice they would give their peers on how to effectively communicate up the ladder. Here’s what they said: • Become a good observer of others. • Get the facts straight. • Know your numbers and what they mean. • Don’t describe a problem, find a solution. • Recognize there’s a difference between your priorities and the administration’s. • Pick your battles; not all of them are worth fighting. • Realize that it will take time. • Know when to back off. And one more thing: “When conversing with owls, remember that they think it is rather beneath them to talk about little cake things with pink sugar icing.” From my friend, Winnie the Pooh.

Beverly J. Barsook bbarsook@museumstoreassociation.org

ISTOCKPHOTO.COM / © ICONEER

| BY BEVERLY J. BARSOOK

MUSEUM STORE | FALL 2012

ASIAN ART

•

CULTURE

•

CRAFTS

COLOR & COLLAGE ORIGAMI ART KIT C 978-0-8048-4160-3 kit $15.95 35 projects; 64-pp 5½ X 8 booklet; 88 sheets of 22-sided folding paper in 4 sizes (4½ X 9, 4 X 4, 6 X 6 and 8 X 8); 6 2-sided collage backgrounds (17” X 23”) in a 8½ X 10 kit

ORIGAMI STUDIO KIT 978-4-8053-1152-3 kit with DVD $16.95 instructional DVD; 30 lessons; color photos and drawings in a 72-pp booklet; 70 sheets in 2 sizes: 40 at 6” and 30 at 3Ǫ in a 8½ x 9½ box

TH BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO CHINESE THE PAPER CUTTING PA 978-1-60220-136-1 997 7 ﬂapped paperback $12.95

GEOMETRIC ORIGAMI KIT

more mo m o than 200 Chinese paper cutting works 88½ ½ X 11¼ 64 pages

978-4-8053-1150-9 kit with DVD $16.95 includes DVD; 64-pp 6 X 6 booklet; 120 sheets of 3⅓” and 48 sheets of 6” folding paper in a 10 X 7 kit

TH BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO THE CHINESE PAINTING: FARM CH ANIMALS AND PETS AN 9978-1-60220-135-4 97 978 78 paperback $12.95 more mo m o than 250 full-color Chinese paintings 8½ X 11¼ 72 pages 8½

CHINESE JADE 978-1-60220-129-3 hardcover $27.50 more than 200 color photographs 7¼ X 10¼ 160 pages

AMAZING ORIGAMI KIT 978-0-8048-4191-7 kit $18.95 17 projects; 64-pp illustrated booklet; 144 sheets of paper in a 7½ X 7½ box

T ART OF THE JAPANESE THE SSWORD

ALL THE TEA IN CHINA A

9978-4-8053-1240-7 hardcover $44.95

more than 60 color photographs and m iillustrations 55½ ½ X 6½ 6½ 128 128 pages ppaagges gees

ccolor photographs and illustrations tthroughout 9 X 12 256 pages

T UT T L E

9978-1-60220-137-8 hardcover $14.95

Free Freight MSA Special! 20-49 copies …. Free Freight 50+ copies …. Free Freight & 55% Offf Non-returnable accounts only Code Order: MSA12

To place an order or to request a full catalog, email orders@tuttlepublishing.com or call 800.526.2778.

6 .0 COMMUNI C AT I O NS

MADE IN THE USA! CPSIA Compliant

Why is communication so important to nonproﬁt retail?

According to MSA’s Knowledge Standards, communication is defined as the exchange of information for successful outreach to all audiences. This means communicating not only with our customer, but with all the other constituencies that might influence an experience in our museum, as well as a potential purchase in our stores. It sounds like an easy concept to implement, right? We all communicate, and it certainly can be easy with some organized effort, but we do have to put in the effort. Here’s what to think about when considering your communications plan: • Talk to your customers. Have a knowledgeable sales staff (i.e., Degas is pronounced Day gáh, not Dáy gus) that greets your customer and has enough institutional information to be able to answer their questions. Have appropriate signage that relates the merchandise to your mission, and try a loyalty program or birthday club to get to know your customers’ buying preferences. • Create relationships with other departments in your institution. Unless you have achieved destination status with your store, you need to be included in general museum promotion initiatives, which means establishing good communication with your marketing and PR departments. It’s all about social media, now, and having a shop Facebook page is a rare occurrence. Also, it is very important to have a “seat at the table” during those exhibition and planning meetings. This will support a relationship that adds credibility to your product development ideas and help you negotiate a balanced position in answer to the many merchandising requests and suggestions that come your way. • Make “team talk” a number one priority. Your team of cultural commerce professionals is a valuable resource that needs to be in the loop. Hold regular team meetings and individual status meetings that are professional, informative and inclusive, and lead with the principal that no question or idea is wrong. Encourage participation with incentive goals (i.e., create a drawing for the most sales of $75 or greater) and then reward and publicize the winners. Urge your team to serve on other museum teams, thereby deputizing them to share the retail message museum wide. • Network, network and network. Without fail, almost all the major decisions and changes I’ve made in the job have been with the advice and consult of my colleagues…their expertise is priceless! Whether it’s MSA’s ShopTalk, Museum Store, blogs, Skype, Go To Meeting, texting, email or a phone call, reach out and you will be thrilled (and informed) to get as good as you give! Start locally with a colleague lunch group and expand to an MSA chapter or national committee or office, because no one knows our business like we do!

VersatileEasy to manipulate, MAGNETIC pieces stay put! Wide AppealAges 6-Adult Three VersionsOriginal, Travel and Fridge Size! Nobody can resist playing with Fractiles!

Toll Free: (877) 277-3201 www.fractiles.com fractiles@fractiles.com

Mary Hele is the director of retail and events at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts and is a longtime member of MSA. She has served on several committees including the Education Task Force, the Image and Awareness Task Force and the board of directors. For more information, visit www.MuseumStoreAssociation.org. FALL 2012 | MUSEUM STORE

STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT

Museum Store Mission Statement HOW TO CRAFT A VALUABLE FRAMEWORK FOR YOUR STORE’S GOALS, FOCUS AND MEANS.

he museum store mission statement is a concise declaration (no more than a short paragraph), written so that it can be understood by all, that defines the store in terms of the: • Goals of the retail presence • Focus on the store’s customers • Means the store will use to meet its mission Although closely aligned with the museum’s mission statement, the store’s mission statement is a considerably different and separate document. The framework of the store mission statement can, after making adjustments in wording, be applied to e-commerce, wholesaling, product development and licensing. Before exploring the mission statement, it is valuable to distinguish it from a vision statement. In general language, the vision statement is the end at some time in the future. The mission statement is the means to that end.

ISTOCKPHOTO.COM / © NICOLE WARING

MUSEUM STORE | FALL 2012

The vision statement helps determine where you’re headed so you’ll know when you’ve arrived. For example, the vision statement could be a supporting partner of the museum’s strategic plan for continuing education by stating that the store will become the best source of books on a specific subject. The vision statement can be changed as goals are met and new goals are established. It is also not uncommon to have a blended mission and vision statement.

| BY ANDREW ANDONIADIS

risk of developing into a “gift shop” instead of a museum store or museum shop. In conjunction with adherence to Unrelated Business Income Tax (UBIT) requirements, the mission statement can help make certain the product selection reflects the museum and distinguishes the store from other museums and commercial retail operations. In other words, the mission statement can define the breadth of the product selection and establish limits.

The mission statement should be broad enough to encourage inventiveness and growth and put an emphasis on what is valued in the institution. Mission statement goals It is not too dramatic to say the store mission statement asserts the reasons for its existence. A store that operates without a mission statement runs the

Regardless of the specific goals, the mission statement should be broad enough to encourage inventiveness and growth and put an emphasis on what is valued in the institution. It can also be a document by which to evaluate current conditions. What are some goals to be included in a mission statement? Although it makes the hairs on the back of the neck of some curators stand on end, I believe, for two reasons, the first goal should be to contribute to earned income. The primary reason for this first goal is that most museums could use the money. Equally important, however, is that by setting a goal of making a profit, not just generating gross revenue, the store will have to be managed in a business-like manner that is constantly evaluated by its customers through the quantity of their purchases and by museum management based on profitability. Even though the

product selection, customers and mission may be different than those for commercial retail establishments, profitability and the contribution to earned revenue is the principal way success is measured. This focus on profitability in the mission statement does not undermine the store as a visitor amenity; it just places the emphasis on the amenity being delivered in a way that supports the financial needs of the museum. Another important goal that can be included in the mission statement is community outreach. This outreach can be via the use of community volunteers in selling and non-selling positions and the sale of products made in the community. The community can be defined as a city, county, or segments of a state or a region with common characteristics. The products can include, for example, jewelry made by local artists using indigenous materials, other original arts and crafts, jars of jams and jellies made from local fruits and vegetables, or products generally representative of cultures in the community.

Mission statement focus The focus is usually on the store’s customers, including visitors, volunteers, members, staff and destination store customers. General descriptions like “visitors” and “guests” can be used, or the reference can include specific stakeholders like “members” or “school-aged children.” Where the store is not perceived as competitive with local commercial retail or the retail environment is so big the museum store does not really affect it, the focus can also be on destination store shoppers.

Mission statement means The means is typically the core of the mission statement and can include appropriate customized phrases that may include: • Enhance knowledge, appreciation and enjoyment • Continuing education • Descriptions of types of products such as sustainable, American, locally made, indigenous, local artists, etc.

PHOTOGRAPHY, LIFE, and the OPPOSITES

• References to the museum’s mission, collections and exhibits If one of the goals is maximized profitability, it is sometimes difficult to balance a continuing education goal and the pursuit of profits. For example, books are a major contributor to continuing education, but most evaluations of the category’s contribution to profitability based on gross margin or dollars per square or linear foot would find books lagging behind other categories. Putting an emphasis on continuing education in the mission statement will help to support an appropriate amount of space being dedicated to books or other product categories as a mission statement means, even though the categories are typically not as strong a profit generator as others. Andrew Andoniadis is the principal in Andoniadis Retail Services, a consulting firm that has specialized in revenue-generating strategies for museum stores for 20 years. He can be reached at (503) 629-9279, Andrew@MuseumStoreConsult.com or www.MuseumStoreConsult.com.

“I love this book and its philosophy of photography based on the Siegel Theory of Opposites. Len Bernstein’s career is an exceptional one, and within these pages you will find a master photographer and critic at work.” GEORGE HOBART, former Curator of Documentary Photographs, Library of Congress, Washington, DC

“This is a remarkable book; it will delight and deeply inform a general audience, but it also belongs in any comprehensive university curriculum.” ROBERT COLES, James Agee Professor of Social Ethics Emeritus at Harvard University

LEN BERNSTEIN FOREWORD BY

ROBERT COLES

“It is clear that Len Bernstein is a connoisseur of human gesture and expression.” JOHN LOENGARD, LIFE photographer and author of Age of Silver—Encounters with Great Photographers

PHOTOGRAPHY, LIFE, AND THE OPPOSITES is about what makes for beauty not only in photography, but in all the arts. And it is about life, and how art can teach us to live it. The author’s critical approach is based on this historic principle stated by Eli Siegel, founder of Aesthetic Realism: “All beauty is a making one of opposites, and the making one of opposites is what we are going after in ourselves.” Len Bernstein’s stirring photographs and the accompanying text are a means of asking: What does it mean to have a beautiful way of seeing people and things; a way of seeing that will make us proud? CLOTH $60.00 978-0-9846765-3-8 AVAILABLE AT BOOKSTORES, INGRAM, BAKER & TAYLOR, BCH (800) 431-1579 VISIT WWW.LENBERNSTEIN.COM TO LEARN MORE

FALL 2012 | MUSEUM STORE

BUSINESS RELATIONS

Reducing Damaged Products t does not come as a big surprise that museum store managers have a lot to juggle in order to maintain a successful and profitable retail business. And in today’s market, trying to remain profitable while simultaneously being understaffed provides quite a challenge. Museum store managers must take every step to reduce overhead by preventing the waste of staff time with tasks that can be easily resolved. One such task is dealing with damaged goods. It is a guarantee that with the number of products being delivered on a daily,

| BY KURT ROSSLER

Sarah states that she is “strict with quality control, and we check every single product prior to putting it on display.” This extra step decreases the chances of a customer finding the damaged product firsthand. Business relationships are key to alleviating this issue. Manufacturers will be more apt to fix a production issue if they are checking their own products while also being monitored for quality by vendors, prior to the items being shipped to museum stores. For example, a vendor who completes quality control on their plush

Make sure you have a good relationship with your vendors and sales contacts to help create quick, honest product exchange. weekly and monthly basis, there will be a percentage that arrives damaged. This number will increase and decrease during different times of the year. However, it is an issue that can be managed through several steps taken by store managers and staff, vendors and manufacturers. The Virginia Living Museum in Newport News, Va., has a high volume retail arm that sees $425K worth of retail business annually and receives products from more than 300 different vendors. Sarah Wilcox, manager of the museum store, says that she always expects some product damage with such a high volume of products coming into her store—she sums it up perfectly by stating that “it happens and you can’t get too upset about it.” But proper steps taken should alleviate the time, money and stress involved. However, the main issue that comes with damaged products is the amount of staff time it takes to resolve such issues. 12

MUSEUM STORE | FALL 2012

product manufacturers and maintains a good relationship will then establish a reputation for quality work with their museum store partners. This is especially beneficial to a museum store such as The Virginia Living Museum because plush

products make up approximately 18 percent of their retail business. In the case of a damaged product return, many vendors and sales companies will simply issue a refund immediately and may or may not ask for the product to be returned by the store. It generally depends on the size and cost of the return. In general, no party involved is in the business of wasting money or time. So many steps can be, and already are, taken to make sure products are safe and staff time is not wasted.

Tips for Museum Store Managers • Internal Quality Control. Train your staff to hand-check all products while unpacking and putting on display. A quick once-over can help avoid a confrontation with an unhappy customer. • Relationships Are Key. Make sure you have a good relationship with your vendors and sales contacts to

ISTOCKPHOTO.COM / © CRAFTVISION

PROACTIVE QUALITY CONTROL SAVES TIME AND MONEY.

help create quick, honest product exchange. • Ask About Manufacturer Relationships. Make sure the vendor has a good relationship with the manufacturer so they are receiving quality products. • Everything in Writing. Maintain an email record of all correspondences to prevent confusion for both parties. • Offer Discounts for Damaged Goods. If packaging on a product has minimal cosmetic damage, perhaps offer the product at 10% off retail price as a gesture to your customers. Cynthia Matchette, president of SmArt Sales, Milwaukee, Wis., agrees that relationships are key. She serves as a facilitator and is in the business of making people in the industry happy, both store managers and manufacturers. While in agreement that at the end of the day there is always going to be a small percentage of products that get damaged, she subscribes to the notion that relationships are key to resolving and preventing any issues. Cynthia states that “manufacturers make a concerted effort because they do not want to waste money” just the same as store managers. In one interesting scenario, Cynthia worked with a vendor who realized that glass products being shipped on Fridays were being damaged more frequently than any other day of the week. Whether it was a shipping company issue or pure coincidence is yet to be determined. However, just to play it safe, that particular vendor no longer ships glass products on Fridays. Many manufacturers and vendors will work with store managers to resolve issues in the best possible way. In one instance, a vendor working with the MIT Museum Store in Cambridge, Mass., mistakenly shipped the wrong product. However, the vendor realized it was the museum’s busy season, so she suggested that rather than returning the items, the store put them on display to see how they sell. Claudia Majetich, MIT

Museum store manager, was happy to resolve the issue that way and happily confirmed, “the products are doing very well.”

Steps Vendors Should Take • Internal Communication. Advise your accounts receivable department that a customer will be short paying an invoice because of damaged goods. This will avoid a phone call to the store asking why they have not paid in full. • Understand Museum Store Staff Constraints. Be aware of how much staff time it takes a store to resolve damaged product issues, especially since yours most likely is not the only damaged product they received this month. • Quality Packaging. Double check packaging to make sure your product is protected the best way possible. If

your delivery driver is having a bad day, he/she could take it out on your delicate and fragile product. That fragile sticker sometimes provides a challenge for a bored driver. • Scrutinize Everything. Rather than scrutinizing licensed products more closely than general merchandise, make sure to check all products with the same close eye. The bottom line is that damaged goods are an unavoidable occurrence. However, taking the steps listed above, keeping an open dialogue with your suppliers and customers, and maintaining quality control will help reduce the amount of money and time spent on resolutions. Kurt Rossler is a freelance writer based in Denver, Colo. He specializes in retail marketing, technology and consumer trends.

do you zuzu? Baabaazuzu fashion and accessories are one-of-a-kind, crafted in the USA, constructed of upcycled vintage fabrics, and tastefully adorned with antique buttons and jewelry. Wearable art for eco-fashionistas! www.baabaazuzu.com ======================== 231.256.7176 FALL 2012 | MUSEUM STORE

STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT

10 Steps to Success A CHECKLIST TO ENSURE YOU’RE HOLIDAY READY.

| BY NICOLE LEINBACH REYHLE

ISTOCKPHOTO.COM / © NICOLE S. YOUNG

t’s less than 15 weeks away until the busiest time of year for retailers. Are you ready? Whether you are creating impressionable window displays, offering festive gift wrap, or planning for extra staff, the list is long. Let’s not forget stocking your store with this season’s must-have gifts! Trusting that your orders are already placed (we hope), here’s a look at some operational musts to ensure your holiday season is a success. 1. Create and start promoting extended hours to support the holiday season. These hours may already be determined for you, but start marketing these hours so your customers know you are there for them beyond your normal hours. 2. Plan for special marketing initiatives. These will vary based on your store and customer, but are likely to include (but not limited to) email marketing, a holiday open house, special shopping deals,

identify time frames they are specific to. It’s always a good idea to have customers initial receipts after you have explained your policy, as well. 4. Use social media as a marketing tool to post daily deals, special event details and more. If you aren’t already using social media, it’s not too late to get started. If you already are, you are a million steps

Identify how you can leverage your social media audience to not just hear you, but buy from you this holiday season. customer appreciation days, a visit from Santa in your store, a shopping guide for customers, e-commerce only specials and more. 3. Identify your return and exchange policies on all receipts near your cash wrap. If you are planning for altered policies specifically for the holiday season, make sure you also 14

MUSEUM STORE | FALL 2012

ahead already! Identify how you can leverage your social media audience to not just hear you, but buy from you this holiday season. 5. Cross promote with like-minded businesses. Create packages that overlap your products or services with other businesses in a “bundle package,” allowing you to gain new

customers from their mailing list and customer outreach—and vice versa. Additionally, it’s a fun way to introduce new gifts to your local marketplace. 6. Get the media involved in your holiday plans. Radio stations, newspapers, local television stations, magazines and other local media outlets crave great information to share with their readers. Let your store holiday plans be among what they share! Get on the ball now, though—the holidays are only a few weeks away. 7. Plan for additional staff. This might mean additional hours for current employees. Maybe this means holiday-only help. Whatever works for you, it’s time to get it all identified so when the rush of customers keeps you busy, you won’t be stressing about extra help supporting you. Remember to train new hires, as well, on all your store policies!

8. Plan for Plan B. Extra help means extra people to worry about. If someone calls in sick, do you have a back-up plan? Life happens—so you may as well have a plan of attack for when it does. 9. Have your holiday window and store displays ready to go. This means having the products and extra display accessories you need to support a dynamic display ready to simply install. Don’t wait until the last minute to buy your own display extras at the store. Just like your store, they are likely busy and may be sold out. Plus, you want your displays to be impactful and memorable, so don’t wait until the last minute to plan for them. 10. Offer above-the-top gift wrapping. Sure, everyone offers free gift wrapping this time of year. But does everyone offer beautifully wrapped presents that make a statement all on their own? While we can’t all get the same response a Tiffany blue box does, we can certainly try! The real challenge is to simply go above and beyond the expected. Bonus Tip: Stay cheerful. The holidays are supposed to be a happy, beautiful time of year. Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case. If it happens to be stressful at home, in your store or both (hey, it happens to the best of us), try not to let your customers see this stress. By acting (dare we say) “Christmasy,” you help set the mood that then impacts your customers. Finally, try to enjoy the season! From Cyber Monday to Black Friday to Christmas Eve, there is a lot to get ready and be excited for. Nicole Leinbach Reyhle is an experienced retail and wholesale professional who founded Retail Minded—News, Education & Support for Boutique Businesses. She is a frequent contributor to a variety of retail trade publications, including Retail Minded magazine, the only retail lifestyle publication in the marketplace. To learn more, visit www.retailminded.com.

Life’s too short for matching socks.

p.802-765-4177 www.socklady.com/msa wholesale@socklady.com FALL 2012 | MUSEUM STORE

[1] [3]

MUSEUM STORE | FALL 2012

[ 4]

[ 2]

2 L- 2 0 1 3 1 0 2 and

BUYER’S GUIDE BY

APRIL MILLER

ot hues appear to have staying power when it comes to fashion and apparel. Many vendors are expecting consumers’ love of color, which surged earlier this year, to continue into late 2012 and early 2013. “Bright and happy is doing very well for us,” says Katherine Kornblau, president of KJK Jewelry. While Neke Designs’ Shelli Hoggarth has definitely noticed an ‘80s vibe, she’s also spotted some 1950s patterns coming back “that are very bold and colorful, combined with heavy tweed materials.” Bright hues are probably going to stick around a bit, but Lisa Flood of Solmate Socks expects consumers to adapt to “slightly less neon and more toned down autumn and winter versions.” Whether a shopper is looking to rock a neon scarf or a more subdued tie, ultimately what they want from your store’s fashion and apparel mix are “artistic items that help express a sense of style, individuality and creativity,” says Penny Cruz of Marco Polo Designs. Pieces that continue the experience of one’s museum visit or unexpected and unique accessories will catch consumers’ attention. To turn that interest into solid sales, manufacturers offer their advice.

FALL 2012 | MUSEUM STORE

201

2-2013 and

BUYER’S GUIDE

eponymous company makes ties, boxers and other men’s gifts, says that, especially with neckties, they should never be placed in a case. “Hang them up, group them in baskets, have an assortment on a table,” he adds, “but don’t make people have to ask you to see the ties. People want to read labels and feel the fabric.” Apparel and accessories make for an obvious grouping, but punch up displays with relevant products such as books, magnets or home décor items.

DESIGN DYNAMIC DISPLAYS ehrangarh Museum Shop’s Maureen Liebl recommends “curating” displays so grouped products tell a story. Great merchandising can be an effective silent salesperson, so use displays to make suggestive add-on purchases. “Display a shawl together with a bag, wrap a scarf around the handle of a tote, put a piece of jewelry on a t-shirt,” Liebl explains. Make it easy for shoppers to touch the merchandise. Josh Bach, whose

TELL THE STORY endors say American-made products are especially appealing to shoppers. Even better is if an item was produced by a local artisan, and you can feature that individual with an in-store event. “Shoppers could find out more about the process and get to know who and what they are buying,” Hoggarth says. “It is also a great way to let people know that museums are helping to support local talent.”

The Assistant Manager™

Proven. Scalable. Affordable. Point of Sale Merchandise Admission Fast Food Inventory Management

eCommerce Customer Relationship Management Membership Integration

Store Polling and Distribution Accounting Group Reservations

Where retail experience and technology come together. 888.THE.14POS - 888.843.1476 | nonproﬁtpos.com

MUSEUM STORE | FALL 2012

Many vendors offer free signage that can help convey the behind-the-scenes message of an artist or product. Ask your manufacturers what point-of-purchase material is available for your store.

GET SOCIAL illary Burns, marketing and PR coordinator at baabaazuzu, encourages cultural commerce retailers to use social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter to promote annual sales, new merchandise and special events. “Send out tweets like ‘Not sure what to wear Friday night? Stop on by the (museum store name) and treat yourself to (item name) and check out our latest exhibits!’ Make it an experience,” she says, “to visit not only the exhibits of the museum, but the gift store as well.” A simple picture post can gain a lot of traction on Facebook. Show users the new merchandise you just unpacked or how to wear the new shipment of accessories. “Take pictures of the customers modeling

items they bought (with their permission of course),” suggests Hoggarth. “It would give them something to show friends, but also show that your store is having fun with their shoppers!” As Flood notes, some of the company’s most popular Facebook posts are when she posts a picture sent by a fan wearing a pair of the company’s colorful socks. “Seeing them on someone,” Flood explains, “really helps people connect to the merchandise and helps them envision using the product.” Consider adding some of the following to your fashion and apparel mix: [1]

[2]

[3]

No two pieces from baabaazuzu are ever alike. More than 30 different products—mittens, fingerless gloves, scarves, hats, bags and more—are all hand-crafted in Michigan with 100 percent vintage wool, reclaimed and transformed into unique accessories. Wool blankets, sweaters and other garments are given a second life after being felted, cut into a variety of shapes and then pieced together into wearable works of art. The Mona Lisa art-glass jewelry collection from Marco Polo Designs has consistently been a top-seller. This collection incorporates a bit of glass bead-making innovation. One of the primary beads (amber yellow) incorporates 24K gold foil and a surprise of embedded bronze mesh. Another graceful gently rounded square bead introduces a lens of contrasting color over a sparkling backdrop of gold foil and sparkling copper dust. One-of-a-kind, handmade fine jewelry—earrings, pendants, bracelets and more—are available from Mata Ortiz to You. All are handmade with Mata Ortiz pottery shards and .950 silver by one Nahuatl Indian in Taxco, Mexico. Every high-fashion

Do you have PUBLICATIONS that have STOPPED SELLING? Bullpen Book Sales purchases museum publications in the following areas: ART HISTORY PHOTOGRAPHY DECORATIVE ARTS ARCHITECTURE DESIGN

Let’s work together to move out your dead stock and free up storage space. Ed Ripp

BULLPEN BOOK SALES 2638 - 6th Street NW Albuquerque, NM 87107 505.345.7477 ripp505@gmail.com

FALL 2012 | MUSEUM STORE

201

2-2013 and

BUYER’S GUIDE

L [5]

[11]

[6] piece combines the stories of the past with the fine workmanship of today. Each item is different and comes with a certificate of authenticity and story cards for provenance. [4]

Ties from Josh Bach Limited embrace wit and whimsy in a subtle, clever fashion. It’s only upon close inspection that one notices the unexpected designs, be it apples and hats (an homage to Magritte), paper airplanes, blueprints, Adirondack chairs or all the signatures from the Declaration of Independence. All are made of pure silk and manufactured in New York City. Custom designs are available.

[5]

For more than 27 years, Katherine Kornblau has been designing diverse pieces for museum stores, catalogs and boutiques. KJK Jewelry’s chakra energy necklace won the MSA 2012 Buyer’s Choice Award for Fashion. Custom collections have been done for such institutions as The White House Historical Association, The Smithsonian Institution and The Museum of Fine Arts Boston. Kornblau enjoys creating designs for varying exhibits—from deco to acquatic, Asian to modern.

[6]

Solmate Socks are made in the U.S.A. from recycled cotton. Adult socks are the company’s bestsellers (kids and baby sizes also available) and come

[7] [8]

MUSEUM STORE | FALL 2012

in four categories: The Garden Series (bright), The Stellar Series (bright, fewer colors in each sock), The Autumn Series (earthier tones), and the Winter Celebration Series (more muted colors). The company offers a display rack for purchase as well as free store signage. [7]

Shown is an array of several best-selling pieces from Neke Designs. All chain is sterling silver, the rest are made from pure silver using metal smith and forging techniques. All also are available in 14K gold fill. Artisan jewelry designer Shelli Hoggarth works from her Texas-based studio creating unique and “wearable sculptures.” Each handmade item is one-of-a-kind and eco-friendly.

[8]

Saraye “Tatami style” purses are designed, manufactured and distributed by Baskets of Cambodia. The Fair Trade company has been in business since 1996. Its line of women’s accessories include shoulder bags, totes, backpacks, make-up bags and more. The design of the Kiri Wave purse, one of the company’s bestsellers, reflects elements of both the sea and the mountains. Winner of an MSA 2012 Buyer’s Choice Award.

[9]

Featured in The New York Times, Joolz Hayworth fashion jewelry is unique, bold and full of style and humor. Statement-making stretch bracelets, cuffs and rings feature images ranging from kitschy themes like sushi, to couture-influenced patterns. All items are made in the United States using a patent-pending process that results in jewelry that is durable, fun and comfortable to wear.

[9] [10]

[11]

[12]

[10] Ties, tote bags, posters and more— all based on the “Garden & Cosmos” exhibition of 61 paintings from the Royal Jodhpur collections that toured FALL 2012 | MUSEUM STORE

IS YOUR STORE RIDING THE GENEALOGY WAVE?

201

2-2013

BEST SELLER! GREAT ADD-ON SALE!

and

BUYER’S GUIDE NEW!

FOXHALL DESIGN COMPANY | FoxhallDesignCompany.com | Email: acjohnston1@comcast.net

the United States, United Kingdom and Australia in 2008–09—are available from the Mehrangarh Museum Shop. The enchanting images include Princess Padmini flying through the air, devotees of Krishna searching for him in leafy bowers and elephants and peacocks frolicking in monsoon rains. [11] New from Tamohara Collection is jewelry handmade in Mexico of mixed metal (brass and copper) pieces. Each piece is unique and is created by an artist who uses the remainders and fragments from his metal sculpture to adorn the jewelry. The line includes rings, earrings (clip and pierced), pendants and bracelets in a variety of sizes and shapes.

Go Green this Year Recycled Newspaper Pencils Since 1998, TreeSmart has been making recycled newspaper & plastic products: Recycled Newspaper Pencils, Recycled Colored Pencils and many other recycled products.

www.treesmart.com • 1-800-459-8767 Making recycled products since 1998 • Lake Oswego, Oregon

MUSEUM STORE | FALL 2012

[12] Each piece from William Spratling is an original Spratling Silver reproduction design, made with solid sterling silver. Some also include exotic woods and semi-precious/ precious stones. Spratling—an adventurer, architect and designer— started the Mexican silver movement in the 1930s. All designs are produced under the supervision of the Ulrich family, the only producer of his designs. April Miller is a Cleveland-based writer and editor. A longtime contributor to Museum Store, she last wrote the Holiday Gifts & Buyer’s Guide in the summer 2012 issue.

RETAIL BUYER’S GUIDE baabaazuzu www.baabaazuzu.com (231) 256-7176 See our ad on page 13 Baskets of Cambodia www.basketsofcambodia.com (866) 774-8800 See our ad on page 40

Drink It. Wear It. Great for Fall and Holiday – Smart Glass Recycled Jewelry, the original jewelry line handcrafted in the USA from recycled glass bottles!

FREE SHIPPING when you mention this ad

www.smartglassjewelry.com

404-371-0013

Joolz Hayworth www.joolzhayworth.com (323) 892-0656 See our ad on page 9 Josh Bach Limited www.joshbach.com (212) 964-5419 See our ad on page 35 KJK Jewelry, Inc. www.KJKJewelry.com (212) 244-4433 See our ad on page 42 Marco Polo Designs www.marcopolodesigns.com (877) 919-1217 See our ad on page 15 Mata Ortiz to You www.mataortiztoyou.com (520) 744-0639 See our ad on page 41 Mehrangarh Museum Shop www.mehrangarhmuseumshop.com (+91) 9810135498 See our ad on page 41 Neke Designs www.nekedesigns.com (817) 919-0189 See our ad on page 46 Solmate Socks www.socklady.com/msa (802) 765-4177 See our ad on page 15 Spratling Silver galeriaspratling@yahoo.com violanteulrich@yahoo.com See our ad on page 43 Tamohara Collection www.Tamohara.com (877) 896-1136 See our ad on page 40 FALL 2012 | MUSEUM STORE

OPERATIONS

WEARING

2 HATS BY MARGE D. HANSEN

Many multitasking managers ﬁnd themselves crossing over into the kitchen to support their museum’s food service ventures.

an you spell cappuccino? Laura Firestone, museum store manager/buyer at the Akron Art Museum in Akron, Ohio, can…now. Jokingly, she counts it as part of the learning curve of overseeing both the gift store and café operations at her museum. Amy Gilchrist, the former retail manager at The Sixth Floor Museum in Dallas, Texas, posted a request on ShopTalk (MSA’s email discussion forum) for input from others who also manage food services, and six of the two-hatters, including Firestone, came together for coffee and conversation at the MSA Conference in New Orleans. The online special interest group, whose institutions’ food service operations range from vending to full-service, is open to all MSA members and was formed to share ideas and offer support.

MUSEUM STORE | FALL 2012

The Sixth Floor Museum, Dallas, Texas

FALL 2012 | MUSEUM STORE

The Sixth Floor Museum has two stores. The street-level Museum Store + Café, encompassing about 2,100 square feet of ’60s modern wrapped in historic exposed brick, opened in July 2010. The primary product mix in the store features gifts, local gourmet items, educational toys, books and souvenirs. The café area of the space offers “Starbucksstyle counter service,” according to Gilchrist. The menu is light fare: hot and cold coffee and tea, frozen lemonades and smoothies, along with ready-made sandwiches, salads, chips, pastries, cookies and frozen yogurt. “We manage and staff the café ourselves, in order to maintain more operational control. We purchase fresh foods from an independent, local deli and nearby bakeries who deliver. Our margins are not as high as if we produced our own food, but this keeps our space and staffing requirements lower,” Gilchrist explains. Kathy Jarboe, vice president of business operations and guest experience at the National World War I Museum in Kansas City, Mo., is a veteran when it comes to overseeing food services at the museum’s Over There Café, which launched in 2008. “We had a local restaurant operating it. They ran it for about a year and then decided that they weren’t making enough money to continue,” Jarboe says. “We took over the operation in 2009, deciding that although we might not make a lot of money, we would definitely save money on in-house catering.” The 3,500-square-foot eatery is appropriately decorated with flags of the allied countries of WWI. Customers place their orders at the counter, make themselves comfortable and the food is brought out to the table. The menu, which changes every six months, features sandwiches, salads and 26

MUSEUM STORE | FALL 2012

Above: A book signing event at The Sixth Floor Museum Store + Café. Right: World ﬂags hang over the tables at the National World War I Museum’s Over There Café.

pizzas. Clever monikers such as “Reuben von Steuben” for the classic corned beef on rye combination, the “Sgt. York” for a BBQ chicken sandwich, the “Sopwith Spinach Salad,” a highflying, healthy option, and the “Yankee Doodle Noodle” chicken and rice soup bring imagination and a bit of history to the table. “We offer a ‘Gourmet Grilled Cheese’ that changes every day,” Jarboe adds, describing tasty turkey, topped with Swiss or Gouda and dressed with pesto and asparagus. A manager and a chef are responsible for the day-to-day operations of the store and café. Jarboe does most of the buying and hiring of part-time staff, as well as the analysis and menu development. Filling in for the managers when they are away from the museum also is on her list. In addition to the store and café, she supervises front-of-house revenue operations—ticketing, facility rentals, brick sales—plus custodial staff and museum volunteers. “I survive by using technology to keep up with tasks, deadlines and calendars,” she confirms. The McDowell Grand Lobby of the Akron Art Museum houses the store and café. On the smaller side, both reflect the clean, contemporary lines of the latest extension to the museum, which was added five years ago. Café is a working title, since the space is

still evolving, and at present is more or less a snack bar. “At this point, except for a cooler and a closet that are located in the kitchen, we don’t really use the kitchen,” Firestone reports, eyeballing the 12-foot by 24-foot area. “But, we have seating for 50 people. This set-up is recent for the museum. I’ve only been juggling this extra responsibility for about half a year.” Firestone purchases coffee from a local roaster and sells lots of lattes, mochas and cappuccinos. Chips and pretzels come from an area snack food vendor. A local grocery store bakery/catering service provides fresh muffins and cookies. “They also have worked out a boxed lunch program that we can pre-sell to tour groups,” Firestone says. While the museum followed the management company/on-site chef route in the past, it proved to be cost-prohibitive. “Nevertheless,” she explains, “the museum realizes that it needs to be able to offer its visitors some basic food amenities.”

THE CHALLENGE

he shop/eat experience involves juggling priorities and finding ways

Give those with an appetite for history a taste of it.

Chocolate is more than a treat; it’s a way to engage your visitors in our nation’s history. American Heritage Chocolate is an authentic historic recipe using only ingredients available during the 18th century. AmericanHeritageChocolate.com americanheritagesales@effem.com

Sampling Our Chocolate Drink is Easy! We Will Include a Free Hot Drink Machine With Your $200 Order* ®/TM trademarks © MARS, Incorporated 2012

* Limit one per customer

Ask Us How You Can Incorporate This Historic Chocolate in Your Menu Items: 1-800-800-7046

make it difficult to focus on either one of the entities long enough to really get anything done.” She relates it to parenting. “I have a couple of kids, so I’m used to being pulled in different directions, sometimes literally,” she laughs.

MESSAGING

nearthing the perfect marketing medium to reach just the right audience is never easy. Gilchrist has distributed coupons at admissions and bumped-up signage in and around the local Visitor Center. She has reached out to local hotel concierges and the Convention and Visitors Bureau. Meet and Eat events—a sort of trunk show with yummy samples— showcase the Café’s food vendors. At the Akron Art Museum, a purchase in the store earns a complimentary coffee/ tea in the café. “I’m hopeful that we’ll find more opportunities to market the shop/ eat experience as we continue to move forward,” Firestone says, adding that Downtown at Dusk, a summer concert

to efficiently manage both entities by combining as many tasks as possible. “It is ideal to cross-train staff between the stores, but café associates require specialized food service training and must do many dirty jobs, like washing dishes and cleaning equipment. Currently, only two store employees can fully work in both areas,” Gilchrist notes. On the equipment side of the spectrum, locating the best POS system—one that works well for both food and merchandise—is another critical consideration she has identified. Firestone agrees that “shifting priorities

Each book will provide hours of entertainment while giving young readers the opportunity to take a closer look at history. W

10 Books Available W

24 Pages of Fun

W W

Wholesale $3.50 each Made in America

4057 Highwood Court, NW W Washington, DC 20007 PHONE: 202-342-0145 W FAX: 202-342-0773

MUSEUM STORE | FALL 2012

where the café sells hot dogs, pre-made sandwiches and salads, has been a success. A clear advantage of having someone within the museum manage the food service is that “they’ll be more tuned in to the factors that drive attendance, which subsequently drives sales—in either the café or the store location,” according to Firestone. “I think that an insider is better prepared to amp up offerings for museum events and popular exhibitions and will more quickly recognize when to gear down during the museum’s slow spells.”

SHARING INFORMATION

obody makes much money from independent food service operations. “ Without the economies of scale available to chains, margins are slim,” Gilchrist warns. “It must really be considered a guest amenity more than a profit center.” Jarboe estimates that about 20 percent of National World War I visitors make a purchase at the café. Jan M. Sumrall, business manager for Louisiana’s Old State Capitol in Baton

Rouge, La., didn’t have far to go to attend the MSA Conference in New Orleans, but one of the things she was most interested in doing was to have coffee with the “café girls” and learn about their food service concerns. Having managed the store for three years, she’s up for the challenge of making food and beverage sales a success at Louisiana’s Old State Capitol. Sumrall envisions a minimalist menu of coffee, sandwiches and wraps to revive visitors who have wandered the National Historic Landmark that overlooks the Mississippi River and want to extend the experience with a light lunch or coffee. “It was really helpful to meet with others and hear about their challenges. If I have any questions, I know I can call on them for help.” Marge D. Hansen is a freelance writer based in Broomfield, Colo., who regularly contributes to Museum Store. She recently wrote an article in the summer 2012 issue about educating museum store staff in the art of effective selling titled “Knowledge Is Power.”

WORDS OF WISDOM FROM THE MUSEUM RETAILERS/FOODIES It’s all about manpower, organization and expectations.

“Hire someone with experience in the type of food service you will be offering. Our café supervisor previously managed cafés for a national bookstore chain, so had the needed expertise with coffee equipment and food safety regulations.” —Amy Gilchrist “Making money on food requires constant attention to detail, like managing food portions, freshness and preparation. I think that it is very important to be realistic about expectations and start with simple menus and offerings.” —Kathy Jarboe “I like to set up systems. I don’t operate the café; I manage it. I’ve made a couple of fancy coffee drinks. I program the register and I can run it, but the folks that I’ve hired to work in the café are much more proficient than I am at running the show.” —Laura Firestone

REACH CULTURAL TRAVELERS | BUILD ATTENDANCE | INCREASE STORE SALES

hopping is the #1 activity of all travelers, according to data tracked by the U.S. Department of Commerce/Office of Travel & Tourism Industries and the Travel Industry Association. MSA

and The Cultural Traveler can help you market your store to these lucrative shoppers. Be a part of this high-end cultural tourism guidebook with a fullcolor page highlighting your museum store!

To view the current edition and for more information about The Cultural Traveler, visit www.Museum-Store.travel. FALL 2012 | MUSEUM STORE

ISTO IIS SSTO TOOCK CCKPH KKPH P OOTO. T COM COM / © EMRA MRA M RAH TURRU RUD RUDU U

MUSEUM STORE | FALL 2012

STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT

EXPLORING

E-BOOKS HOW MUSEUM STORES ARE JOINING THE PHENOMENON BY CATHERINE NEWTON f you’re in the market for new products for your store, take a look at e-books. You’ll find a fast-growing business segment that has potential both to generate revenues and help fulfill your institution’s mission to preserve and make content available that may not be available anywhere else. The surge of e-books’ popularity in the mass market is undeniable. Last year, for example, U.S. publishers’ net revenue from sales of e-books reached $2.07 billion, more than double 2010 revenues, according to a “BookStats” survey released in July by the Association of American Publishers and the Book Industry Study Group. And for the first time in 2011, sales of adult fiction e-books surpassed hardcover books and paperbacks. “E-books can broaden your store’s offerings, drive customers to your website, and keep sales in the store because customers will not have to go elsewhere for digital content,” says Shawn Everson, chief commercial officer at Ingram Content Group, a wholesale distributor of books and other media headquartered in La Vergne, Tenn. Museums can join the e-book phenomenon in several ways. They can sell e-books that are published and distributed by outside vendors at their online stores. They can produce their own e-books. And, they can use e-book technology to digitize and preserve out-of-print titles archived by the museum and make this content available to the public.

FALL 2012 | MUSEUM STORE

New Book from the Museum Store Association!

Marketing Cultural & Heritage Tourism By Rosemary Rice McCormick, President, Shop America Alliance and Co-Founder, U.S. Cultural & Heritage Tourism Marketing Council s

,EARN HOW TO BUILD YOUR BUSINESS WITH THE FAST GROWING GLOBAL TOURISM MARKET

)NCREASE VISITATION AND RETAIL SALES IN MUSEUM STORES BY TARGETING HIGH SPENDING TRAVELERS

.EW INSIGHT INTO THE IMPORTANT $RIVE -ARKET DELIVERING OF 5 3 TRAVELERS

3TEP BY STEP GUIDE TO DEVELOPING YOUR ORGANIZATION S TOURISM MARKETING PLAN

-ORE THAN PAGES PACKED WITH VALUABLE IDEAS AND CASE STUDIES

$ISCOVER PARTNERSHIP STRATEGIES TO LEVERAGE LOCAL TOURISM PARTNERS AND MINIMIZE YOUR INVESTMENT

)NCLUDES #ULTURAL (ERITAGE 4RAVELER RESEARCH DATA AND TRENDS TO HELP YOU UNDERSTAND AND CAPTURE THE TRAVEL MARKET

! hMUST READv ADDITION TO YOUR BUSINESS LIBRARY FOR EVERYONE INTERESTED IN BUILDING THEIR TOURISM BUSINESS

Published by the Museum Store Association, Shop America Alliance and the U.S. Cultural & Heritage Tourism Marketing Council

MSA MEMBER PRICE: $29.96. Order online now at msa.omnistorefront.com.

NUMBERS BY THE BOOK A Financial Guide for the Cultural Commerce & Specialty Retail Manager Your storeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s finances are arguably the most important part of your job. This new book will help you: â&#x20AC;¢ â&#x20AC;¢ â&#x20AC;¢ â&#x20AC;¢ â&#x20AC;¢ â&#x20AC;¢ â&#x20AC;¢

TTools ools for fo or best best business business practices practices iin n cultural cultural ccommerce. ommerce.

$29.95

Create budgets, project sales and analyze cash flow Establish accounting procedures and maintain records Develop a merchandise buying plan and set prices Manage inventory and open-to-buy Measure store performance Leverage point-of-sale systems Implement internal controls

PLUS, each book includes a CD with several forms to help in your planning and record keeping.

GO TO MSA.OMNISTOREFRONT.COM TO ORDER YOUR COPY TODAY!

MUSEUM STORE | FALL 2012

EXPLORING

E-BOOKS E-BOOK PUBLISHER AND CONTENT CURATOR he desire to keep out-of-print materials in circulation motivated the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York to venture into e-book publishing. The museum got underway last year by digitizing essays and historical materials dating back to the founding of the museum in 1937. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We still get requests for these materials, particularly from students and educators, but we canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t always afford to keep them in print, so e-books were a logical solution,â&#x20AC;? says Karen Meyerhoff, managing director of business development. The museum also produced an exhibition catalog in both print and digital format and reintroduced a 1970 childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s book, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d Like the Goo-Gen-Heim,â&#x20AC;? as an e-book.

The publications are available for purchase at the museumâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s webstore as well as through Amazon and iTunes. In addition, Guggenheimâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s distributor, Distributed Art Publishers Inc. (D.A.P.), operates a kiosk in the museumâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s brick-and-mortar store where shoppers can browse Guggenheimâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s e-books along with other digital and print art books. In addition, staff scanned more than 60 catalogs from the museumâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s archives and posted them online for browsing free of charge. To date, Guggenheimâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s publications and digital media department has handled all these projects in-house with help from the museumâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s IT department, so the only cost has been staff time and training. For example, staff members have attended training classes on using desktop publishing software with e-book capabilities, although Meyerhoff notes that the staff still needs some familiarity in working with HTML and CSS when a publicationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s layout is more sophisticated.

GENERALâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;SÂŽ Charcoal is an extra smooth, rich, intense black drawing formula, handcrafted with our family formula since 1889. Oil free and blendable, GENERALâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;SÂŽ â&#x20AC;&#x153;the originalâ&#x20AC;? charcoal pencils are often referred to as â&#x20AC;&#x153;Red Hotsâ&#x20AC;? by artists across the USA. Made with genuine Incense Cedar wood, available in 5 degrees and Charcoal WhiteÂŽ.

Formatting e-books to accommodate various readers is an important consideration. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The vast majority of e-book buyers in the United States currently read on a Kindle, so we reach these customers by distributing our publications through Amazon,â&#x20AC;? Meyerhoff says. (Guggenheim formats publications for the Kindle using Kindle Previewer and then uploads them to Kindle Direct Publish.) â&#x20AC;&#x153;The iPad, which accommodates the sophisticated designs and illustrations found in art books, is also gaining market share,â&#x20AC;? Meyerhoff continues. The iPad, Nook (Barnes & Noble), Sony Reader, and several other devices use an ePub format, so Guggenheim has desktop publishing software that can export material into that format. Pricing e-publications is another decision. Guggenheim sells its essays for $1.99 and $2.99; Meyerhoff says the price points were influenced by prices for Kindle singles, which has popularized the distribution of single-essay content.

ÂŠBill Tilton, using GENERALâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;SÂŽ Charcoal Pencils

www.generalpencil.com

MADEE IN TH

USA

*HQHUDO 3HQFLO &RPSDQ\ ,QF )DFWRU\ -HUVH\ &LW\ 1- 86$ 6DOHV %D\ 5RDG 5HGZRRG &LW\ &$

FALL 2012 | MUSEUM STORE

RESOURCES TO EXPLORE Before jumping into e-books, take some time to research this rapidly evolving product. Here are a few websites to get started:

• Adobe (www.adobe.com) Has InDesign software with a desktop publishing application that can create pages in an ePub format for tablets and other screens.

Amazon (www.amazon.com) Maintains a list of companies specializing in e-book conversion services; also check out Kindle Direct Publish.

• eBook Architects (www.ebookarchitects.com) Provides conversion services, consulting and customized e-books; specializes in complex projects.

• Vook (www.vook.com) Provides a cloud-based e-book publishing platform.

MUSEUM STORE | FALL 2012

EXPLORING

E-BOOKS “Affordability for the student market was another factor,” she adds. The museum’s exhibition catalog, “Maurizio Cattelan: All,” was priced at $14.99, in line with other new release e-books and a significant discount from the $45 price of the hardcover. “The market is very young, so we are experimenting with price and different sales models,” Meyerhoff says. “It’s too soon to judge how profitable we will be. Right now, our goal is to produce highquality materials and get them in front of as many consumers as possible.” In addition to a multi-pronged distribution network, Guggenheim cross promotes its e-books with related exhibits and programs. The museum’s online store and publications section highlights e-books, and they’re also promoted on social networking sites,

including Facebook and Twitter. Visitors’ guides have a page dedicated to publications, including mention of e-books. The museum even collaborated with Apple to use “I’d Like the Goo-Gen-Heim” to promote Apple’s iPad. (Another idea: Place a card by books in your physical store when an e-book version is available, directing shoppers to your online store.) What’s next? Guggenheim is now designing new exhibition catalogs with both print and digital formats in mind from the outset. In addition, staff is reviewing genres that have been popular sellers in the past with an eye toward developing new titles to offer exclusively as e-books, but with more sophisticated app-like capabilities such as video. “When we get into these more complex projects, we may decide to work with a co-publisher,” Meyerhoff says. LOOKING OUTSIDE ike the Guggenheim, the Missouri History Museum in Saint Louis

wanted to convert some of its publications into e-books. “We think that e-books are the wave of the future, but we don’t have the capabilities to tackle the project in-house” says Lauren Mitchell, senior editor in the museum’s digital media and publications department. The solution: The museum’s printer in Michigan handles the job for them at a cost of about $300 for a typical book. “It works great,” Mitchell says. “We provide the printer with PDF files of the book, and they convert it without losing any of the design or illustrations. The printer uses Mobipocket, which is readable on a Kindle, but there’s an app available that allows the book to be read on an iPad, iPhone and Android device. At some point, we may ask the printer to create ePub files for Nook readers, but that would be an added cost.” The Missouri History Museum sells its e-books (two titles so far with more in the wings) at its online store for $9.99 each, compared with $20−$30

for print editions, and on Amazon using Kindle Direct Publish. Museums also can sell other publishers’ e-books through an affiliate relationship with an e-book provider and earn a percentage of sales. The museum’s online store might need tweaking so it will integrate with the e-book provider, but once that’s accomplished, the process is seamless. Ingram’s Everson says the process would look like this: • The museum store downloads e-book information from Ingram, which has nearly 400,000 titles in e-book format. • The customer goes to the museum’s online store and searches, selects and purchases an e-book. • Ingram provides a download link to the customer using the museum store’s branding. • The customer downloads DRMprotected content from Ingram, again only seeing the museum store’s

brand. (DRM, or digital rights management, is an encrypted security measure often required by publishers to restrict what the user may do with an e-book.) Conversely, Ingram can distribute content developed by a museum to other retailers. The company recently announced plans to do just that for the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, U.K. At the Guggenheim, Meyerhoff observes: “E-books are a fast-moving phenomenon. We’re still exploring and watching how they catch on with the public. But we do know that we want to approach e-books as content, rather than as technology. We ask ourselves: What’s the best way to get content in front of our public in the highest quality possible?” Catherine Newton is a freelance writer based in Denver, Colo. She last wrote about toy safety compliance measures in museum stores for the 2012 summer issue of Museum Store magazine.

FALL 2012 | MUSEUM STORE

IDEA GALLERY

t-shirt displays SPLIT ROCK LIGHTHOUSE MUSEUM STORE, Two Harbors, Minn.

de YOUNG AND LEGION OF HONOR/FINE ARTS MUSEUMS OF SAN FRANCISCO, San Francisco, Calif.

LUTHER BURBANK HOME & GARDENS, Santa Rosa, Calif. 36

MUSEUM STORE | FALL 2012

ECHOES, THE MANASSAS MUSEUM STORE, Manassas, Va.

ASIAN ART MUSEUM OF SAN FRANCISCO, San Francisco, Calif.

MAINE HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Portland, Maine

PORTLAND ART MUSEUM, Portland, Ore.

PHOENIX ART MUSEUM, Phoenix, Ariz. FALL 2012 | MUSEUM STORE

COMMUNICATIONS

IS RIGHT FOR YOUR STORE? BY TRACI RYLANDS

MUSEUM STORE | FALL 2012

aise your hand if you know about the hottest trend in social networking. If you said Pinterest, you win! But what is it? Pinterest’s website enables users to collect and organize a variety of images, from recipes to décor ideas to fashion, through a series of “boards” upon which you can “pin” pictures. You can look at other people’s boards and “repin” their ideas as well. Launched in 2010, Pinterest has jumped from a small beta site to a thriving social networking service. As of January 2012, Pinterest boasts about 11,716,000 unique U.S. visitors (according to MDG Advertising’s “The Marketer’s Guide to Pinterest”). About 60 percent of users are women, mostly from ages 25 to 54. John Jantsch of Duct Tape Marketing says, “Unlike many social sites where the game is to get followers, Pinterest users seem very content to simply find stuff and share it with small groups. Pinterest users are keenly interested in what’s hot and what’s cool—a behavior that translates well into the kind of influencer marketers desire to attract.” Retailers like Gap, Nordstrom and Whole Foods are already using this skyrocketing trend as a marketing tool and to interact with shoppers. According to MediaBistro.com, Pinterest is now so strong that the platform is outperforming both Twitter and Facebook for click-through revenue. How can museum store managers use Pinterest to showcase products and drive traffic to their store’s website?

GETTING ON BOARD

ne of the best ways to get familiar with Pinterest is to try it yourself. Currently, it’s an “invitation only” site, but you can get one easily from another user. Brooke Slone, manager of retail and guest services at the Frazier International History Museum (Louisville, Ky.), started her Pinterest exploration that way after the museum’s marketing director suggested using it to highlight the store. “This was very timely, because I attended the MSA Conference in New Orleans shortly after we discussed Pinterest for the store” Slone says. “It was a hot topic and many of the seminars I attended had great suggestions for utilizing Pinterest to sell products and to involve users in your store.” When Slone returned from New Orleans, she started creating a Pinterest page for the store that went live in April. “It is still a work in progress. I am still learning how to properly utilize our Pinterest page. This also coincided with the launch of our new e-commerce site, so I felt the two went hand and hand.” Slone groups items by board theme so viewers can zero in on what interests them. She created a special board just for Father’s Day featuring images of potential gifts. The “Feminine Features” board highlights mostly jewelry.

According to Josh Davis of LLsocial.com, “For retailers, the path to purchase from a social network is no more direct than on Pinterest. ‘See it, like it, buy it’ happens frequently. You have clear social proof of the desire for the item, you see a picture of it, and you are only one or two clicks away from being on an e-commerce site.” Tracking exactly who is looking at your store’s Pinterest images and how often they’re sharing them is in the early stages. Google Analytics does offer some tools to help you do this. PinAlerts.com, a free web service, regularly checks to see if there are new pins on Pinterest from your domain and alerts users via email alerts.

FROM PINTEREST TO PURCHASE

lone likes how Pinterest enables someone interested in one of the store’s images to click on the picture and go directly to the website where they can purchase it. “Pinterest alerts you when someone repins or likes one of your images,” she says. “Someone had done this with our Disappearing Wives of Henry the VIII mug. I almost immediately saw a sale come through for it, and it was the same person. I’m like, that’s great!”

FALL 2012 | MUSEUM STORE

IS RIGHT FOR YOUR STORE? Slone advises museum store managers to pay attention to what is showing up under “popular” pins. “The more striking the images, the more likely you are to be ‘repinned.’ Make sure you put prices on gifts you pin from your store. This will put them in the gift category under the appropriate price range when guests search for gifts.”

THE EYES HAVE IT

ne of Pinterest’s greatest appeals is its visual nature. Unlike Facebook or Twitter, which are more word-reliant, Pinterest focuses on images. Using it to feature museum store products is a natural fit for Jennifer Yin, manager of marketing and digital engagement for the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco. “We are a visual museum. And we have a lot of visually pleasing things in the

store,” she notes. “Pinterest is all about aesthetic and the visual. So it felt like a perfect opportunity.” Assistant Manager of Retail Operations Raymond McKenzie (also of the Asian Art Museum) agrees. “A picture is worth a thousand words. We can say with a few images what hours of writing would convey.” As a result, McKenzie and Yin take the time to focus on specific images of products that are visually appealing and photographed in an eye-catching way. “We look for merchandise that has interesting texture, color or story. We also look for things representative of the experience of being in the store. We want them to see our thought process in why we chose this,” McKenzie explains. While increasing visitor traffic is important, McKenzie and Yin are especially eager to use Pinterest to introduce more people to the store and get them excited about what the store sells. McKenzie says, “We’re still building our following. Pinterest is part of our long-

WAYS TO USE PINTEREST TO PROMOTE YOUR STORE | BY STEPHANIE PETERS Shop Your Online Store. Pin eye-catching photos of unique items from the store’s online site. They will automatically link back to that item on your website.

Create a Theme. Create boards that group products by color, holiday or artist. Have a special exhibition at your institution? Create a board around it. Repin items from other users’ boards that match your theme.

Tamohara.com

Create a Community Board. If your community already has a “buy local” or other independent retailers group, provide suggested photos and links to each other to pin on your boards.

Have a Contest. Ask customers to create their own boards around their favorite store items. This not only encourages customer engagement, but it’s a great way to get your products to “go viral.”

Show Your Products in Action. You can also pin videos to your boards. Take advantage of this very visual way to showcase your products by using

Tamohara Collection Ruth@Tamohara.com 877-896-1136 40

MUSEUM STORE | FALL 2012

video you already have or creating something new.

term plan, not just short-term results. My goal next year, when we’ve had this out, is for someone to say ‘I saw it on Pinterest and had to see it in person.’ ”

MAKING SHOPPERS “PINTERESTED” IN YOUR STORE

eyond increasing sales, retailers are using Pinterest in different ways to draw people to their websites and take a second look at their products. Some even use contests to create a buzz. In December, Land’s End Canvas’s “Pin It To Win It” campaign asked users to create a board (in the women’s or men’s apparel categories) and pin 10 to 20 images from the Land’s End site or repin them from its Pinterest page. Entrants emailed the URL of their board to Land’s End for a chance to win one of 10 $250 gift cards. At the Houston Museum of Natural Science, Divisional Merchandise Manager Jennifer King is just starting to make inroads with Pinterest. “We are in the midst of developing our online store and our web developer suggested that we have a museum store Pinterest account where the images would link back to the online store items,” King explains. “I went ahead and set up the account so we will be ready to start pinning when our store goes live later this year.” Until then, King involves shoppers by maintaining a board on the museum’s Pinterest page that invites them to showcase their museum store purchases. “Our online media team has a museumwide Pinterest account where one of the boards is dedicated to patrons’ Instagram photos. When a patron posts an Instagram photo of something they’ve bought in the store, I repin it to our store Pinterest account under a board I’ve titled ‘Show Us What You Got.’ ” King is excited about the sharing aspect of Pinterest. “It’s about more than sales. When people think about the store, they come to expect a certain type of product. We feature in-house design, items by indie artists, jewelry that is unique, gifts you won’t see at the big box stores. If they like it, they share it.”

NOT JUST FOR WOMEN: PINTEREST ACROSS THE POND While the United Kingdom (U.K.) has far fewer Pinterest viewers than the United States (only about 200,000), they differ quite a bit from the average American user. • In the U.S., Pinterest users are predominantly women. But in the U.K., the majority are men (56 percent). • About 42 percent of U.K. Pinterest users are age 25–34. Most U.S. Pinterest users are in the 35–44 age range. • About 29 percent of U.K. Pinterest users are in the highest income bracket versus three percent of U.S. users. • U.S. audiences are interested largely in crafts, gifts, hobbies and interior design. However, U.K. audiences seem more focused on venture capital, blogging resources/services, web statistics and public relations. SOURCE: GOOGLE DOUBLECLICK AD PLANNER TRAFFIC, DECEMBER 2011

It’s not just beautiful one-of-a-kind jewelry; it’s a 700 year old story.

SHARE IT 520-744-0639 MataOrtizToYou.com

13845 N. Buckhorn Cholla Drive, Marana, AZ 85658 Use code MOTY23 for FREE SHIPPPING

FALL 2012 | MUSEUM STORE

IS Winner of MSA Buyer’s Choice Award 2012! THANK YOU FOR VOTING US #1

RIGHT FOR YOUR STORE?

SMALL EFFORTS CAN EQUAL BIG RESULTS

hile getting started with Pinterest may seem a bit challenging at first for museum store managers, the platform is easy to use and the effort can be well worth the time put into it. MSA’s Pinterest page can be a helpful resource. Slone says, “I have come to realize any free advertising is good advertising. Why not take advantage of something that is clearly becoming a popular way for people to seek out unique products? And that is our appeal. We sell items you just can’t find anywhere else.” Traci Rylands lives in Atlanta, Ga., and last wrote an article, “Advice From the Experts,” that explored the top challenges faced by today’s museum store managers in the summer 2012 issue of Museum Store magazine.

For 28 years KJK Jewelry, Inc. has been helping over 300 cultural institutions by designing beautiful and affordable jewelry to complement their collections. Featuring 1200 styles from a variety of world cultures, religions, historical periods, earth and planetary sciences. Made in the USA.

Call Katherine at 212-244-4433 or email Sales@KJKJewelry.com for a FREE present and special MSA discount offers!!

What is the shortest distance between you and hundreds of museum store buyers? You Are Here.

ADVERTISE.

IN THE 26

made

REACH BUYERS.

USA

16 30 38

HOME AND GARDEN

what’s hot for 2012

P RO D U C TS TO F R E S H E N U P TH E H OM E — I N S I D E A N D O UT

excess inventory control

marketing to travel groups

2011

Holiday Gifts Buyer’s Guide

choosing a consultant

Museum Store Association

and

reading revolution

off-site sales

msa annual report Museum Store Association

Contact Mary Petillo to reserve space in the next issue.

(503) 726-4984 / maryp@skies.com 42

MUSEUM STORE | FALL 2012

Muse um Store articles now online!

| 36

outsourcing

| 24

join us in rosemont

| new vendor showcase |

s a member of MSA, you have access to some of the best product vendors. When you purchase from them, you are supporting your community. The following are some of MSA’s newest affiliates, all of whom are vendors waiting to help you stock merchandise that will coincide with your museum’s mission.

BAABAAZUZU Lake Leelanau, Mich. | (231) 256-7176 | www.baabaazuzu.com Baabaazuzu creates eco-friendly and one-of-a-kind artisan clothing and accessories. For nearly 20 years, baabaazuzu has upcycled wool sweaters and repurposed them into hand-crafted originals—mittens, hats, hand bags and more. All baabaazuzu products are rich in history as they are constructed from vintage woolens and embellished with antique buttons and jewelry. With the rise of ethical fashionistas and the appreciation of handmade and U.S.A.-made, baabaazuzu boasts popularity in gift stores. No two baabaazuzu products are alike, just like the people who wear them—making baabaazuzu the perfect present. Discover where ethics and fashion meet.

Each piece is an original William Spratling Reproduction design, made with solid Sterling silver. Our jewelry enhances contemporary and historical museum collections. SPRATLING SILVER IS AN INVESTMENT.

william_spratling@mail.com galeriaspratling@yahoo.com

wspratling.com

FALL 2012 | MUSEUM STORE

CUSTOM PRODUCTS

PN GAMES & TOYS

PRODUCT NEWS

Custom Design Pop-Up Greeting Cards Cutting edge or historic treasure, I can design a 3-D greeting card for your museum. Custom pricing upon request. LIVE YOUR DREAM DESIGNS Phone: (323) 226-0274 Fax: (323) 226-0274 www.liveyourdreamdesigns.com Retail: Call | Wholesale: Call Print and Online Catalog

Retail: $15.95 Wholesale: $7.95 Print and Online Catalog

Carnegie Dinosaur Collectibles— Brachiosaurus This long-necked, plant-eating dinosaur lived during the Jurassic Period in western North America. Authenticated by the paleontologists of the Carnegie Museum of Natural History.

PIPEROID Create your robot with only scissors in less than 30 minutes! PIPEROID paper robot kits are the perfect gift item for both adults and kids. New styles released every six months!

Retail: N/A Wholesale: $9.25 Print and Online Catalog

Journey, Hand-Forged Mobile Q3 Art makes fashionable, fun and affordable hand-dyed anodized aluminum jewelry, mobiles and clocks. To access website below, enter artist #20169, then enter the password: tra3q.

We the People Wrist Watch! How a true Patriot tells time. Stylish, printed plastic band. Analog display features quartz movement. Battery included. Packaged in plastic case. DesignMasters’ American Traditions Collection.

Q3 ART INC. Phone: (877) 929-4258 Fax: (773) 929-4258 info@q3art.com www.wholesalecrafts.com/visitor

DESIGN MASTER ASSOCIATES INC. Phone: (800) 322-7583 Fax: (757) 566-8400 sales@designmasters.com www.designmasters.com

MUSEUM STORE | FALL 2012

HOOYAH Navy SEALs Card Game HOOYAH is a cooperative card game in which one to four players assume the roles of Navy SEALs trying to complete a real-life-inspired special ops mission. Ten Navy SEALs. Five missions. Countless challenges.

INDEPENDENT ARTIST

Print and Online Catalog

JEWELRY

HOME & GARDEN

Retail: $498 Wholesale: $245

SUNSET HILL STONEWARE, LLC Phone: (800) 509-4662 Fax: (920) 886-1116 info@shstoneware.com www.shstoneware.com Retail: $19.99+ | Wholesale: $10.50 Print and Online Catalog

U.S. GAMES SYSTEMS INC. Phone: (800) 544-2637 Fax: (203) 353-8431 sales@usgamesinc.com www.usgamesinc.com Retail: $24.95 Wholesale: $12.50 Print and Online Catalog

SAFARI LTD. Phone: (800) 554-5414 Fax: (800) 766-7841 sales@safariltd.com www.safariltd.com Retail: $29.99 | Wholesale: $15 Print and Online Catalog

MAGNOTE Phone: (415) 935-1147 Fax: (510) 225-1778 sales@magnote.com www.magnote.com

‘Made in America’ Stoneware Personalize your logo into high-deﬁnition clay artwork. Signature Stoneware™ pieces hand-crafted in America’s only state-of-theart pottery facility. 100% lead free. Microwave and dishwasher safe.

Arts & Crafts Inspired Vases Vivid Flambeau glazes finish these striking forms that invoke the essence of Arts & Crafts style. Hand-thrown, they are available in three sizes. Custom work available. NY Gift Show booth #9200.

DAVID CHANGAR CERAMIC DESIGNS Phone: (718) 842-6362 Fax: (718) 842-6965 David@DavidChangar.com www.DavidChangar.com Retail: $22–$150 | Wholesale: $11–$69 Print and Online Catalog

VENDOR FOCUS

| ad index |

2013 MSA Conference & Expo .................... 48 American Heritage Chocolate..................... 27 Artwear LLC.................................................. 7 baabaazuzu .................................................. 13 Baskets of Cambodia .................................. 40 The Boeing Store ......................................... 34 Bullpen Book Sales ..................................... 19 Carr Enterprises .......................................... 28 Clear Solutions, Inc. ................................... 19 The Cultural Traveler .................................... 29 Delia Press .................................................. 11 EDC Publishing ............................................ 43

AMERICAN HERITAGE CHOCOLATE Lisa Hartman Bel Air, Md. (800) 800-7046 www.AmericanHeritageChocolate.com

KRISTA BERMEO STUDIO Krista Bermeo Indianapolis, Ind. (317) 956-0685 www.KristaBermeoStudio.com

What products and services do you offer the cultural commerce industry? American Heritage Chocolate is an authentic historic recipe that uses only ingredients available during the 18th century. Our chocolate block can be chopped, shaved, chunked or melted to use in your favorite recipes. Unlike today’s hot cocoa, our grated chocolate drink blended with authentic spices contains real cocoa butter for the same experience the colonists enjoyed; a rich, full-bodied texture to sip slowly and savor. And our chocolate sticks, sold in a carton or a keepsake muslin bag, provide chocolate indulgence of historic proportions. Visitors look to take a piece of history home; our products make this possible by capturing the distinctive flavors colonists enjoyed in unique era-accurate packages that make terrific souvenirs and keepsakes. Create excitement in your gift shop and increase profitability with American Heritage Chocolate.

The best way to introduce my work is to share my clients’ experiences:

Found Image Press ..................................... 46 Foxhall Design Company ............................ 22 Fractiles ........................................................ 9 Galison/Mudpuppy ....................................... 23 General Pencil Company, Inc. .................... 33 Glass Eye Studio .......................................... 15 Historical Folk Toys LLC ............................. 22 IGES............................................................... 2 Joolz Hayworth ............................................. 9 Josh Bach Limited....................................... 35 KJK Jewelry Inc. .......................................... 42 Marco Polo Designs .................................... 15 “Marketing Cultural & Heritage Tourism”................................... 32 Mata Ortiz to You ......................................... 41 Mehrangarh Museum Shop ........................ 41 Messe Frankfurt .......................................... 47 Museum Store magazine ............................. 42 Neke Designs .............................................. 46 North Country Wind Bells ........................... 23 “Numbers by the Book” .............................. 32 Product News ............................................... 44 Smart Glass Recycled Jewelry ................... 23 Solmate Socks ............................................. 15 Spratling Silver ............................................ 43 Tamohara Collection ................................... 40 TAM Retail (A Div. of Lode Data Systems) .. 18 Thames & Hudson ........................................ 5 TreeSmart .................................................... 22 Tuttle Publishing .......................................... 8

For detailed contact information about any Museum Store advertiser, please visit www.MuseumStoreAssociation.org and log in to the Member Directory.

What information about your company do you want to share with museum store members? In colonial times, recipes were simply ingredient lists; the actual process was not recorded. To create a historically accurate chocolate, MARS consulted with renowned historians, chefs and food historians to develop the most authentic colonial chocolate recipe. Crafted in Pennsylvania, we use allnatural ingredients, with no additives or preservatives. True to colonial custom, flavors and spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, chili pepper, orange and vanilla are added, creating an exotic taste experience unlike any other.

“Krista’s jewelry is classic yet contemporary and is the perfect gift for all ages. Her colors are remarkable and the depth and play of color is beautiful. It’s a great complement product reflecting our glass exhibits.” —Beth Sahaidachny, Assistant Buyer Indianapolis Museum of Art “We brought Krista’s work in when we installed a world-renowned permanent glass exhibit in 2006. Her work is the perfect tie-in, complementing the vibrant colors and modern aesthetic of the exhibit. She’s cognizant of store budgets, presenting creative work that is both high-quality, affordable and consistently a best-seller. Whether it’s mixing colors to match specific palettes or designing pieces to coordinate with upcoming exhibits, Krista meets my special requests with enthusiasm.” —Carol Toth, Museum Store Buyer The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis “From the moment I saw Krista’s work in Chicago, I was captivated by her clean, modern sensibility. Her work bridges all ages: We have the ultra conservative to the minimalist modernist leave wearing her earrings. Daily, I hear ‘So much style and it’s so lightweight’ and ‘I love it’ and ‘I’ll take it.’” —Esther Guncheon, Buyer Lubeznik Center for the Arts FALL 2012 | MUSEUM STORE

| new releases |

s a cultural commerce buyer, you have the unique opportunity of extending and enhancing your visitors’ experiences with educational and unusual merchandise. Here’s a sampling of the new products submitted to MSA for review in the past 90 days. (All review copies will be donated to qualified charitable organizations.)

BOOKS & RELATED “Meet Me at the Art Museum: A Whimsical Look Behind the Scenes” Abrams | New York, N.Y. (800) 345-1359 | www.abramsbooks.com Wholesale: Call for prices | Retail: $18.95 “What exactly is an art museum? What am I going to see there?” Readers will ﬁnd out, as Stub, a museum ticket, and Daisy, a name tag, set out to explore an art museum after hours. Children will be eager for their next (or ﬁrst) museum visit after traveling with quirky, unique characters in this clever primer. Stub learns all aspects of visiting an art museum during his stay, including who does what and what goes on behind the scenes, when he is granted a tour from Daisy, the docent’s helper. With illustrations that combine famous artwork with original pieces and collage as well as easy-to-follow maps that chart the characters’ journey, curious browsers—like Stub—will never want to leave.

SOUVENIR/PROMOTIONAL UnderWare™ Coasters Sunset Hill Stoneware | Neenah, Wis. (800) 509-4662 | www.shstoneware.com Wholesale: Call for prices Retail: Call for prices New from Sunset Hill Stoneware, the UnderWare™ Coasters can be customized with your organization’s logo. The UnderWare™ product line is made in America using a formulated blend of ceramic materials to ensure their absorbency. Measuring 4 1/8” wide and 3/8” thick, the stone coasters instantly soak up drips, dribbles and condensation from hot and cold drinks. UnderWare™ coasters are available in three coaster colors: rock tan, desert sand or snow white—and logo designs are printed in one or multiple colors using permanent, fade-resistant inks. Coaster bottoms are ﬁnished with a soft moisture-proof neoprene pad to protect counter top and furniture surfaces. May be ordered in quantities as low as 24 pieces.

MUSEUM STORE | FALL 2012

You demand high standards. The most important consumer goods trade show in the world fulﬁls your expectations – with an internationally unique showcase, presented by over 4,500 exhibitors. Come and enjoy an impressive array of ideas, pioneering trends and promising encounters. And discover great prospects for future business success. For more information and tickets at an advance sale price, please visit: www.ambiente.messefrankfurt.com info@usa.messefrankfurt.com Tel. 770.984.8016

February 15 – 19, 2013 Frankfurt, Germany

L.A.

ONLY IN

THE 58TH ANNUAL MSA RETAIL CONFERENCE & EXPO Los Angeles | April 13–15, 2013

The 2013 MSA Conference & Expo will provide a completely new experience for attendees. Come along as we move outside the usual meeting format to learn about the latest trends, immerse ourselves in the culture of Los Angeles and interact on a whole new level. It’s like nothing you’ve experienced before!