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3…2…1…Museum Store Sunday Launch!

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May 22, 2017

by Susan Tudor

MSA believes the time is right to amplify the sharing of why museum stores matter. If you were in Pittsburgh for MSA Forward 2017 or read Executive Director, Jason Harbonic’s email announcement, you have heard about MUSEUM STORE SUNDAY (MSS). But are you still wondering what it is all about? I am super excited to share the latest information about this ongoing initiative launching November 26, 2017.

 MSS Background: Every year, consumers are encouraged to participate in shopping campaigns for Black Friday, (11/24/17), Shop Small Saturday (11/25/17), Cyber Monday (11/27/17) and Giving Tuesday (11/28/17). Consumers plan their holiday purchases to coordinate with these days, and participating retailers see a resulting patterned spike in sales. The Museum Store Association has developed a similar shopping campaign, sandwiched in the middle of these events called MUSEUM STORE SUNDAY.  MSA’s launch of the first Museum Store Sunday is scheduled for November 26, 2017 and will span this country and abroad. MSS participation is available to all nonprofit retailers whether MSA members or non-members. MSA members will receive special marketing information, event and publicity assistance. If you’re not an MSA member, join MSA today to take advantage of these members-only opportunities.

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What I Learned – and Remembered – in Pittsburgh ….

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May 15, 2017

By David Duddy

When I imagined writing a blog post about Pittsburgh, I thought of all the great take-aways: from session topics and presentations, from side conversations and cocktail chat, from panel discussions and sharing groups.

At my museum, we are migrating our store web page to Shopify – a session targeting that was incredibly informative. I learned about the necessity for real leadership from the keynote speech with Mike Tougias. I led a discussion group and learned TONS (and made a useful connection —  and a pal!) about training guards as a part of the education program. I realized that we needed to start pre-selling admission tickets online (duh!) to speed things up at the front desk. I learned that I am WAY behind the curve when it comes to the whole world of Amazon – and I better get up to speed! The closing keynote with Louis Roden was a revved-up reminder of the vital need for VITALITY (see what I did there?) in performing the best customer service each day.

And don’t get me started about the potential for 4 new product development projects and the three new vendors I bought from. It is amazing the value that I experience at every conference – and I have been attending almost yearly since 1995.

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How Effective Is Your Store’s Customer Service?

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May 8, 2017

At MSA Forward 2017, we were surrounded by colleagues and connections so willing to offer insight, guidance and open minds. Some of those individuals sat next to us during the educational sessions and some led the discussion from the podium.

To close out MSA’s 62nd annual Retail Conference & Expo, we welcomed Louis Roden, founder and lead facilitator of Inspire Consulting Group, to the stage during the Closing Keynote Session, sponsored by Popcorn Custom Products. His presentation, “Creating Customer Loyalty for Life!” resonated immediately with MSA Forward 2017 attendees, who walked out of the ballroom buzzing with excitement and inspiration, and striking up conversations with fellow attendees to discuss immediate actions they could implement upon their return to their institutions.

In case you were unable to join us in Pittsburgh, had to catch an early flight or would simply like a refresher on the great material Roden shared, here’s a snapshot of his dynamic insight.

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Rewarding (and Awarding) the Spirit of MSA

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May 1, 2017

Last week, hundreds of MSA members—museum store professionals and vendors alike—had the opportunity to come together to learn, buy, sell, network and explore at MSA Forward 2017, the 62nd annual Retail Conference & Expo.

We were able to catch up with old friends, grab lunch with new connections and discover products that are destined to be top-sellers in our stores. (Many of us even went for a River Cruise or took home a gift or two for ourselves from the Silent Auction.)

The MSA community is a vibrant one—an endless well of ideas and source of support. Chief among the words used to describe MSA members are “creative” and “passionate.”

At MSA Forward 2017, we were able to recognize several of the leaders within the community for that very creativity, passion, hard work and dedication that makes the MSA community so special.

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Image Courtesy of VisitPittsburgh

Preparing for Pittsburgh: What to Know Before You Go

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April 17, 2017

By Allison Ebner

MSA Forward 2017 is just 4 days away! It’s high time to start packing your bags, taking stock of what you’ll be looking for on the Expo floor and planning out your schedule for the entire Conference & Expo. (Make sure to leave some time to explore our host city of Pittsburgh, too—it recently was highlighted in The New York Times as a city now thriving on culture.)

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A Museum Store World

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April 10, 2017

By Stuart Hata

Can you imagine a world filled with gorgeous, unique and educational museum stores that are wildly successful, beloved and valued by our institutions and general public alike? A world where customers and fans flock to nonprofit retail enterprises, knowing that their patronage will support and ensure the world’s cultural patrimony for future generations?

Well, that vision is real and it exists in this very day and age – except, only all of us truly know that. How then, can we, as one of the world’s professional bodies of nonprofit retail experts, share and communicate to the planet the value and importance of our work, our institutions, and the unique products and experiences customers will encounter when they shop and support our museum stores?

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Art Supplies? Yes!

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April 3, 2017

By Nancy Sanders

Selling art supplies might be a given for fine art museum shops, but all sorts of museum shops should consider adding this product category to their sales plan assortments. People of all ages can use some extra creativity in their lives, and activities that encourage drawing, painting and photography can fill an important need.

When I first started buying for the Gallery Shops’ children’s department in 2002, our store didn’t have a huge number of SKUs or art supply vendors. Our products could be found in mainstream stores, and we struggled to compete on retail pricing. In addition, I was pretty particular about what quality I expected. Children need good-quality supplies; otherwise, their frustration when markers lose ink too quickly or when pencil points break at the slightest pressure might be discouraging. And what about all of the young adults and adults who came into our galleries and left feeling inspired to create art—what did we offer them in the way of art supplies beyond student-grade media?

These were areas I addressed when I evaluated my options for business growth, and over the years, the category of art supplies has increased from 20 percent to 50 percent of our department’s overall sales. Here are some of my recommendations for how you can achieve similar growth.

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The Success of Power: A Case Study on a Successful Exhibition

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March 27, 2017

By Michael Silverman

What does success look like for your museum? Is it setting and attaining a sales goal, increasing store traffic, selling out inventory, all of the above?

At the Oakland Museum of California, it looks like our fall exhibition, “All Power to the People: The Black Panthers at 50.”

The Black Panther Party was formed in Oakland in 1966 by Bobby Seale, who immediately recruited the charismatic, yet highly confrontational Huey Newton. Most often recognized by their black leather jackets and signature berets, the Panthers fought to put a voice to the struggle against oppression for all people, particularly afflicting people of color in inner city ghettos.

The institutional priorities for the Oakland Museum of California are to strike a balance between financial sustainability and social impact, and on all fronts the exhibition delivered. By the time the exhibition came to a close, the museum experienced record-setting attendance and unprecedented media coverage, and, in the store, single-day sales records were shattered on multiple occasions.

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MSA Vendors Are Superior

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March 20, 2017

By Blue Anderson

MSA vendors are superior. I doubt I’ll get much pushback on that statement from this MSA-loving readership. But, there is nothing like a cold-call from a non-member rep to make you wish all of your vendors were MSA Superior.

An unknown, but seasoned, sales pro stopped by my store on her way to another account, afterward sending me an email saying she had the perfect garment lines for us and asking if I had time to see her in the afternoon. Being a decent buyer, I checked out her wares online, and although one company was pedestrian beachwear, her secondary line caught my eye: mid-priced, waterproof rainwear. “Hmm,” I thought, “I’m building a ’Survival’ store for a spring opening, and that may just fit the ticket.” I emailed her back and said, “Please stop by and I’ll take a look at the Mossy Tech merchandise.”

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Expand Your Merchandise Planning Horizons

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March 13, 2017

By Laura Murphy

For about 25 years, I have been buying merchandise for the Newport Mansions stores. But when Cynthia O’Malley, our Director of Retail, brought me to Ambiente in Frankfurt eight years ago, my buying experience was changed forever. Suddenly, I could buy direct from manufactures, design our own product and negotiate terms. Each time we travel abroad, it is a learning experience. Let me share what we have learned through the years, as seen through our most recent buying trip to Germany.

It is February, and Cynthia and I are off to Ambiente in Frankfurt.

Ambiente is a massive gift show that consists of 10 buildings and products ranging from housewares to gifts to jewelry. Manufacturers and companies wholesaling at this show are from all over Europe, as well as China, the Philippines, Cambodia, Egypt, Peru, Turkey and many more. It is truly an international experience (though everyone does understand the English language, thank goodness!).

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