Museum Store Sunday Returns December 1 to Support Local Artists, Businesses and Communities

Holiday shoppers can find unique gifts and products made in their communities at more than 2,100 participating museum stores worldwide, driving economic support for local artists, businesses and cultural institutions.

GREENWOOD VILLAGE, Colo., Sept. 24, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — More than 2,100 museum stores across all 50 states, 25 countries and five continents are participating in Museum Store Sunday on December 1, 2024, offering shoppers a wide range of discounts, special events, gifts with purchase and unique, locally made items for everyone on their holiday lists.

Museum shoppers browsing handmade California Poppy Cobalt Glass Bowls by Bay Area artists Ken and Ingrid Hanson, available at the de Young Museum Store in San Francisco. Photo courtesy of the de Young Museum Store.

Broad assortments of highly curated, location-specific and mission-driven items will be available to shoppers online and in person, including jewelry, clothing, children’s toys and products, home decor, books and gourmet food. Proceeds from museum store purchases support artists, small businesses and cultural institutions in shoppers’ communities.

The number of participating cultural institutions has tripled since the Museum Store Association launched Museum Store Sunday in 2017. The global advocacy campaign’s new slogan, “Shop with Purpose,” reflects the organization’s mission to promote economic sustainability and cultural engagement for museums and the communities they support.

Kate Schureman, board president of the Museum Store Association and chief operating officer and vice president of administration of the Peoria Riverfront Museum in Peoria, Illinois, explains how shopping at cultural institutions during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend strengthens communities and their financial well-being.

“Purchasing locally made gifts at museum stores circulates money within shoppers’ communities,” Schureman said. “In turn, artists, businesses and museums in their neighborhoods have more funds to reinvest into their communities and foster local economic growth.”

A 2022 study by American Express found that $0.68 of every dollar spent at a small business in the U.S. stays in the local community and every dollar spent at small businesses creates an additional $0.48 in local business activity as a result of employees and local businesses purchasing local goods and services.

“Choosing items created by neighbors and friends instead of mass-produced goods from big-box stores also encourages creativity and community pride,” Schureman continued. “Purchasing works by local creators empowers them to explore and express different perspectives, often drawing from local traditions, histories, current events and landmarks. Gifts inspired by shared experiences can feel more unique and personal, making a meaningful impact on recipients and the places they call home.”

Locally made gift ideas include handmade California Poppy Cobalt Glass Bowls by Ken and Ingrid Hanson, a husband and wife glass-blowing team in the Bay Area, available at the de Young Museum Store in San Francisco; handcrafted chocolate bars by Deiter’s Chocolates, a long-standing Denver confectionery, available at the Shop at the Denver Art Museum; and handmade bar soaps, lotions and soy candles made by women survivors of exploitation, trauma and addiction in Milwaukee, available at the Milwaukee Art Museum Store.

While there is only one Museum Store Sunday every year, consumers are encouraged to shop at and support museum stores all year long. Approximately 91% of shoppers said they would return the following year to shop during Museum Store Sunday and 89% of shoppers said Museum Store Sunday encourages them to shop at museum stores throughout the year [Source: Museum Store Sunday 2023 Shoppers Survey].

The annual event has boosted museum stores’ sales efforts, with museum stores seeing a 45% average increase in in-store net sales in 2023 compared to 2022, and a 24% average increase in in-store transactions in 2023 compared to 2022, reflecting the growing consumer shift toward small and local businesses [Source: Museum Store Sunday 2023 Participant Survey].

Shoppers may find participating museum stores near them at www.museumstoresunday.org/find-a-store and those with online stores at www.museumstoresunday.org/find-an-online-store.

For more information, visit www.museumstoresunday.org.

About the Museum Store Association

The Museum Store Association is a 501(c)3 organization with the mission of advancing the nonprofit retail industry, its stores and the success of professionals engaged in it. For more information, visit www.museumstoreassociation.org.

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Jonathan Ochart
PR Director for Museum Store Sunday
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(786) 502-9180

SOURCE Museum Store Association