Amuseum shop ormuseum store is agift shop in amuseum. Typical offerings include reproductions of works in the museum,picture postcards, books related to the museum's collections, and various kinds ofsouvenirs.Art museums often include clothing and decorative objects inspired by or copying artwork.[1] Museum shops are often placed near the entrance or the exit.[2]Temporary special exhibitions often have their own gift shops. Museum shops are often important sources of revenue for museums as public funding diminishes,[3] and museum professionals often consider them as important elements of visitor education.[2][4]
The New YorkMetropolitan Museum of Art is said to have established the world's first museum shop in 1908.[5] In theUnited States, museum shops developed after theSecond World War.[6] At first, they were often small and not professionally managed.[2] They became important revenue generators in the 1980s.[6]
Museum shops have become an important element of visitors' perceptions of museums.[7] Indeed, some studies show that visitors spend more time at the shop, the café, and so on, than with the exhibits.[3]
Some writers on museums take an anti-commercialization position and criticize shops as undermining the cultural value of the museum.[2]
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