SHOPPING THE MUSEUM

Beyond Tradition | Elizabeth Cytko

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Attractive display cases full of goodies.
Photo Courtesy of Elizabeth Cytko

Often the gift shop is not at the top of mind when thinking of must-see items when visiting a museum. Usually the draw is dinosaurs, mummies, out of this world art or any other amazing items contained within the hallowed walls. I have discovered that if you want to know what the museum prioritizes in its collection, check out the gift shop. My special interest in museum gift shops grew over time after numerous frustrating experiences; seeking out the perfect purchasable item resulted  in me coming across generic tourist gimcrack. Museum gift shops ideally are a continuation of the collection, but in take-home form.

Generic Tourist Gimcrack – poorly made items found in every tourist shop with no true focus in advertising the collection or building upon the mandate of the museum.

ROM Boutique sign displaying when they are open.
Photo Courtesy of Elizabeth Cytko

In considering what I thought was a good gift shop, I made my own personal rubric. Scores are out of five stars and cover the basics.

Gift Shop Rating Guide

5/5 Stars

· Includes all the main pieces + unique items you can only find at the store
· Has special exhibition goodies
· Value for money
· Good lighting
· Easy accessibility
· Relaxed place to browse

 

4/5 stars

· Has main pieces and maybe a few others
· Has some special exhibition goodies
· Fairly priced
· Good lighting
· Easy accessibility
· Relaxed place to browse

 

3/5 Stars

· Has some of the main pieces, not a diverse choice
· Might have some special exhibition goodies
· Increase in generic tourist gimcrack
· Questionable pricing
· Normal lighting
· OK accessibility

 

2/5 Stars

· Basic blockbuster items represented
· No special exhibition items
· Increase in generic tourist gimcrack
· Borderline fairly priced
· Bad lighting
· Tight corners, not easily accessible
· Escape is foremost on the mind

 

1/5 Stars

· Might have one or two postcards of the biggest draws
· No special exhibition items
· Overwhelmingly generic tourist gimcrack
· Bad pricing
· Terrible lighting 
· Terrible accessibility
· Gift shop last place anyone wants to be

A young child explores the exciting treasures laid out at her height.
Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Cytko.

With this in mind, I set off to investigate the gift shop that lurks right by my front step – The Royal Ontario Museum! This entrance hit me over the head with the museums largest draw – dinosaurs! Overwhelmingly this shop is dedicated to the cult of the dinosaur. Adults and kids alike can fulfill their paleontologist (or perhaps Jeff Goldblum?) dreams and purchase many dinosaur-themed goods.

A shopper walks down the wide brightly lit aisles contemplating future purchases.
Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Cytko

The shop has a savvy design with wide aisles for easy access and low tables that beckon moth-like kids to their lamp-like goodies. As I turned the corner ahead,  I saw a see-through magical cave full of jewelry. I myself was tempted by a necklace that featured ancient Roman glass as the pendant, but immense willpower (and student debt) allowed me to pull away just in time. Much like the museum itself, the store is neatly sectioned out into themed displays dedicated to their various galleries, which is full of items that are relevant to their collection.

Book display of Modernism on the GangesPhoto courtesy of Elizabeth Cytko

It is very apparent that the ROM has put much thought into the gift shop items and their display.
As mentioned in Kathleen Lew’s article, the exhibit Modernism on the Ganges is controversial  due to the artist Singh allegedly raping Jaishri Abichandani. In the gift shop, artfully displayed beside the book for Modernism are two other books, addressing ethics within museums, giving a strong voice to the difficulties facing institutions today. There is acknowledgement that while the solution may not be perfect, there are clearly efforts being made in acknowledging the conversation occurring.

Hello Kitty Mug and Keychain from the ROM.
Unfortunately most of this series seems to have sold out.
Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Cytko

One of the greatest geniuses of the ROM gift shop is the specially branded ROM merchandise which can only be bought there. There are fancy chocolate bars, shirts, mugs, and my favourite crossover – an entire paleontology line featuring Hello Kitty.

A display in the Spider gift shop.
Photo Courtesy of Elizabeth Cytko

An interesting move by the ROM is that in the main gift shop there were no spider themed items for the temporary exhibition. When I asked, I was told there was a gift shop downstairs dedicated to that one exhibit. I visited Spiders (very good, strongly recommend), and at the very end of it there the mini gift shop lay – a small oasis of consumerism. This too had kid-friendly items, sure to inspire and catch the attention of spider loving children.

Photo Courtesy of Elizabeth Cytko.

Overall I found the experience enjoyable, with lots of exciting things to peruse. There are items for every age group with a very large variety. The entrance facing Bloor is currently under construction, so I look forward to see how this gift shop will continue to grow along with the rest of the museum.

 I rate the ROM a 5/5.