Museum Store Magazine

Founded in 1955, Museum Store Association (MSA) is a nonprofit, international association organized to advance the success of cultural commerce and of the professionals engaged in it. By encouraging high standards of professional competence and conduct, MSA helps museum store managers better serve their institutions and the public.

One of the best ways MSA helps museum store managers is by hosting an annual Retail Conference & Expo. The event is held every April and travels each year to cities like Denver, CO, in 2007 and Tampa, FL in 2008.

This is a relatively small trade show but it's a very tight-knit community and exhibiting here is the best way to develop relationships with these store managers. The event is only two days from 10:30-4:30 pm. And small- only 9 aisles of booksellers, souvenir vendors, and gifts - very few artists. There are 66 companies listed as selling jewelry. I'm familiar with only 10 of them.

Many of the stores are here to find private-label merchandise and jewelry that can be custom designed to coincide with a museum's upcoming shows or events. The stores are often the for-profit arm of the not-for-profit museum or arts institution. They are often run more corporately than what you might be used to from entrepreneurial gallery and jewelry store owners; which translates to the practice of order and paying on time!

2008 Jewelry Exhibitors: Alchemy Inc. Ancestors of Dover Ltd. Anywhere Markets Art Bags / Brag Bags Brazzil Arts Buffet LTEE California Pacific Designs / BAMBOO Jewelry Carina's Creations Jewelry Carolyn Forsman Conversation Piece Jewelry Charles Albert Inc. China Star (U.S.A.) Ltd. Clareo Designs Inc. Crossroads David Howell and Co. Discoveries Egyptian Imports Dopamine Jewelry Edith Schneider Jewelry Finger Magic Origami Galleria Pangea Inc. GeoArt by Cynthia Gale GeoCentral Glass Eye Studio / Global Village Glass Studio Hand and Hammer Silversmiths Heritage International Ltd. Inart Plata Mexico Jabebo Earrings Jelli Jewels JS Crabtree KJK Jewelry Inc. by Katherine J. Kornblau Lapis Lazuli Jewelry Distributors Inc. dba Boston Exclusives Lovell Designs Luna 2 LLC Michou Mio Studio MistCo Inc. Museum Reproductions Inc. Pacific Silver Inc. Patricia Locke Ltd. Percent Jewelry LLC Perché No Pilgrim Imports Inc. PinPeddlers.com (The Pin Peddlers Inc.) Rhode Island Novelty / Wild Adventures Russian Connection San Lorenzo Int'l Inc. Semaki and Bird Shienny Cheng Gallery dba SNS Fine Jewelers Inc. Sikara & Co. SIS Designs SmArt Sales Stuart Nye Hand Wrought Jewelry Tamohara Collection Textile Gems TM The Metropolitan Museum of Art The Music Gifts Company of England Inc. Tuareg Jewelry.com Turtle Neck Jewelry Unique Batik Urban Fetishes Vessel International Inc. Westair Reproductions Ltd. White Widow ZAD

The 53rd MSA Museum Retail Conference & Expo April 12 - 16, 2008 Tampa Convention Center, East and West Halls, Tampa, FL. Call (303) 504-9223 for more information.

Museum Store Association Inc. 4100 E. Mississippi Ave., Ste. 800, Denver, CO 80246-3055 Tel: (303) 504-9223 Fax: (303) 504-9585