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On the low-cost end, branded vinyl stickers are a good seller for us.  On the high end, we have a hooded sweatshirt with our logo that is very popular. We buy the stickers through Sticker Mule when they are having a sale (almost monthly), and we go through a local supplier for the sweatshirts but get a great deal that beats Internet prices.

Hi Juliana,

I assume you are not a member of MSA (Museum Store Association) https://museumstoreassociation.org/.

Recommend contacting them and trying to source Store Manager(s) at similar museums as yours. Should be great resource for store related question(s) like the above.

Looking at their website I see they have a conference coming up too and you might want to go to that to get some ideas too.

Hope this is helpful.

Best wishes,

Art

T-shirts have always sold well for us. We also do well with books, especially as our topic is pretty niche and there's little chance people would find most of the titles at their local bookstore. Books tend to be pretty low-margin, unfortunately -- the best you can do is usually a 100% markup, but we carry titles that are as little as 10% markup. 

In the last few years, I have expanded our museum store and I have found that branded stickers and magnets are really good sellers. I have magnets of the museum, but also for Arkansas and people love all of them. I've found that small items in the range from $1-15 are always great sellers, especially if they are local products. 

Hi Juliana,

I love that your museum's store features local talent! The Texas Historical Commission is hosting a webinar on October 9th about museum stores. Your question is one that comes up often. I'll reach out to our presenter, Melody Caban, to let her know this conversation is happening in this space as well. If you're interested in attending our free webinar you can register here: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/5509909394540329053

Best Wishes, 

Rayanna Hoeft

Museum Services Program Specialist - Texas Historical Commission

Thank you, Rayanna, for the heads up!

I'd recommend starting with items that showcase your mission but aren't too logo-forward. Why? One logo update and they can feel outdated.

Try items like enamel pins or vinyl stickers of your building, beloved artworks, or even a famous saying connected to your institution. These are popular across ages and are small enough that they're easy to store, travel with, and get multiple for stocking stuffers. Travel Stamps does a great job with their creations.

Best Regards,

Melody Caban

melodycabanconsulting.com