There is a retail experience that is not online, with few discounts, no deliveries, no fliers and few ads. And yet I see this sector thriving, expanding its offerings and clients.
The museum or art gallery store/ shop.
Last week we were in Banff, Alberta. Banff is a beautiful town in the National Park deep in the Rocky Mountains in western Canada. It is special for Tony and me as we first met there those many years ago. We always make a point of visiting the Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies – it is part art gallery and part museum. The focus is on mountain and Banff culture for the artifacts and a wider range for the art exhibitions.
Last week we went to the museum on Thursday. Still, the gift shop was closed to the public for restocking and much reorganizing activity was taking place. But we were assured it would be open the next day – Good Friday, when I returned.
Museum shops have a winning combination, that is, apart from the fact that you often cannot exit without going through the store. Their goods are carefully curated and make accessible so much elegance and taste: stationary – cards, note pads, notebooks, fabrics – tea towels, T-shirts, games – for adults and many for kiddies, a select selection of art supplies: Lead pencils (2B) from Germany, French watercolour paper, Japanese paints – all so refined.
And books, art books and books relevant to the museum’s mandate.
I saw in Banff that their book section has expanded. There have always been books on Banff history, First Nations, mountains climbing and geography, recent additions of ecology, the environment, and now, a new venture, some Canadian fiction and non-fiction. Nicely done.
But back to the theme of the winning combo: these shops/stores are associated with a cultural, enriching and recreational time in our lives: visiting a museum or art gallery, often on holiday, maybe in new places, at least not at work. These are the times of mellow enjoyment, often a refuge from our schedule or the busy city outside the museum doors. Of course, we are drawn to all these lovely objects, to keep our memories alive or casting our lives into the idea of new sophisticated, artistic, cultural activities.
(Small caveat: you can order online from the New York Metropolitan Museum. The Met store is almost a department store! OK, and now I see that many of the stores make books and more available to order on line. Go for it!)