Hey, shoppers, forget Black Friday. Have you heard of Museum Store Sunday?

November 24, 2020 Category: Featured, Long, Purpose

Sabrina Vourvoulias

Updates

Update: Penn Museum wrote to us to let us know it does have a shop IRL and will unveil its online boutique this week. (November 27, 2020 at 8:32 a.m.)

From exquisite (and exquisitely expensive) menorahs to charming (and charmingly cheap) chopsticks, you can find some very cool items for holiday gift-giving at museum stores.

Plus, you’ll be supporting cultural organizations that have been impacted by both the pandemic shutdown and cuts to the city’s arts and culture budget.

Sunday, Nov. 29 is #MuseumStoreSunday, and participating museum shops will offer promotions and discounts. But as I discovered in the process of compiling this, not all Philadelphia museums you think will have shops actually do (African American Museum of Philadelphia, Penn Museum, Please Touch Museum 😭 ), and some that have them in real life don’t have them online (hello, Franklin Institute 😠 ). So I added several online shops from nonprofits that showcase and support artists locally to this list.

Since I’ve only been able to highlight a few items from each, I encourage you to do some (computer) window shopping.

And, finally, the usual caveat applies: no list is complete. If your favorite museum/exhibition venue isn’t included, go to its website on Nov. 29 and check out its online store. Or, if doesn’t have a store, make a donation anyway. All of our city’s cultural institutions — be they arts, history or science-focused — need our support to stay open now and into the future.

1. Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University shop

The pickings were disappointingly slim here, but if your child is a) a fan of dinosaurs, or b) a fan of butterflies, this is the store for you. P.S. There’s also something for that adult you know who never outgrew dinosaurs.

Under $50

2. The Art Shop at Moore

One of the two of our city’s art schools that has an online store that isn’t a campus-logo-store in disguise. It’s great to see art and craft with the trace of the human hand. Also, bonus for supporting artists at the earliest stages of their careers.

Under $500

Under $100

Japanese Chiyogami yuzen paper box by Dee Collins

3. Barnes Foundation shop

Lots of lovely stuff to choose from, some of it exclusive to the Barnes.

From our Partners

Under $100

McKernan x Barnes pattern scarf

Under $50

Under $20

Barnes Artist Teas

4. Brandywine Workshop and Archives shop

One of my favorite arts organizations in the city, the Brandywine Workshop is a diversity-driven, nonprofit cultural institution that produces and shares art. There are lots of original prints, in a variety of styles, by artists of color to look through on this site.

Under $500

5. Center for Emerging Visual Artists online gallery

The Center for Emerging Visual Artists — an organization I didn’t know about but discovered in the process of creating this list — has been a part of Philly since 1983, positioning visual artists as an important part of the city’s cultural identity. Like all of the entries that include original artwork, the items I choose to highlight here may no longer be available when this publishes, but the online gallery is robust enough that you’ll have lots of works of art to consider purchasing.

Under $2,000

Africa, America (set of 25 prints) by Makeba ”KEEBS” Rainey

Under $500

Set of small pots by Nari Kim

Textured Deco Pendant by Jera Lodge

6. The Clay Studio shop

The Clay Studio’s online store has handmade ceramics by more than 100 artists. When William Morris issued his dictum — Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful — he must have been thinking about ceramics …

Under $100

Under $20

Gray robot ornament by Meg Perine

7. Fabric Workshop and Museum

Everything at the Fabric Workshop and Museum’s store reminds me of my favorite creatives. Serious fun.

8. Japan America Society of Greater Philadelphia gift shop

The Japan America Society of Greater Philadelphia merged with the Friends of the Japanese House and Garden in 1982 to care for and do programming associated with the Shofuso Japanese House and Garden in West Fairmount Park. If you’ve ever enjoyed the cherry blossom festival at the park, you have JASGP to thank. Bonus: this gift shop has the sweetest, lowest cost item on this list.

Under $50

Phila-Nipponica: An Historic Guide to Philadelphia & Japan (English and Japanese Edition)

Under $5

Cherry blossom chopsticks

9. Longwood Gardens shop

You know what winter is for? Dreaming about what to plant when it’s over.

Under $25

10. Museum of the American Revolution shop

History buffs, rejoice! I didn’t forget you when compiling this list.

Under $100 (both), Under $50 (each)

Left: The Last Muster: Images of the Revolutionary War Generation; right: The Last Muster Volume 2 Faces of the American Revolution

Under $20

Remember the Ladies Mug

11. Mütter Museum shop

Ghoulish, gory and marvelous, this is, perhaps, my favorite museum store of all. I didn’t choose to highlight these, but how can you NOT love a shop that stocks plushies in the shape of e.coli and the ebola virus?

Under $50

Women of Science Tote Bag

Under $20

Plague Doctor Face Mask

Dr. Mütter’s Marvels

12. National Constitution Center

It’s all fun and games until you get to the mug…

Under $50

Votes for Women 100-piece puzzle

Under $20

Supreme Court paper dolls

Disappearing Civil Liberties mug

13. National Museum of American Jewish History

Remember that exquisite menorah I told you about way back at the beginning of this post? Coming right up. Plus, less pricey cool stuff, including a face mask that I may just have to have…

Under $1,000

Lavender Tree of Life Menorah by Salusa Glassworks

Under $25

And because you can never too much RBG…

Under $5

RBG Judgmints

14. Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts museum store

You can get original artwork at this store if you select “The Brodsky Center at PAFA” option. The rest of the store includes fine craft jewelry, art calendars and more.