by Carrie Resch
Staff Writer
Your image of a museum gift shop tends to be one with merchandise as old as the museum’s artwork, but that stereotype is shattered by the JMOMA, where goods are as modern and colorful as the museum.
Running the museum shop is a full-time job for retail operations manager Felicia Bowen, the driving force behind the gift store who does everything from buying the merchandise to picking out the light fixtures. Her interior design background also enabled her to help design the layout.
Business has been doing very well since the shop opened in May 2003, according to Bowen.
“We’ve had quite a bit of business. A lot of downtown people and out-of-town people,” Bowen said.
The shop gets lunchtime traffic, visitors to the museum and a lot of return visitors that have become loyal customers, popping in at to check out the new merchandise.
The No. 1 item is jewelry. Other merchandise includes glass, ceramics, hand-on children’s projects, children art books, cards, textiles like ties, scarves and purses.
“There are a variety of things and a lot of them were created by artists,” Bowen said. She tries to include goods made by local, national and international artists and sellers.
The museum shop reflects the exhibits in the museum of modern and contemporary art from 1945 to the present.
“We follow the mission of the museum,” Bowen said.“This shop has an incredibly unique collection of fun jewelry and unique things you don’t find everywhere else, like in department stores.”
Bowen goes to the market to check out merchandise or local artists come in to show their work to her.
“Some artists I repurchase from, but I try to find new lines to keep it fresh looking or modern-contemporary looking that will fit in with the feel of the museum,” she said.
Bowen has been with the museum for seven and a half years. She has managed other gift shops, but this is her first museum shop. The Missouri native has lived in Jacksonville for eight years.
The museum has two part-time employees and they sometimes use volunteers. It is open every day.
Prices in the store range from $1 to $850 with many things under $10. The jewelry is typically between $10 and $200.
“Not all items in the store are expensive because there are a range of people who visit the store, including students,” Bowen said. “We want something for everybody.” Members of the museum get a 10 percent discount.
For that reason, the shop carries bookmarks, art cards, and postcards to cater to school groups who sometimes only have a few dollars to buy something on their field trip.
“We want them to have something that fits in with what they were learning about to enhance their museum experience.”