museums&MORE Fall 2009

The Store Room: Fall 2009

If you had $10,000 to do whatever you wanted to your store, what renovations would you make and why?”

Elayne Thibodeau
Northern Illinois Medical Center
McHenry, Ill.

Currently we have three walls of windows in our hospital gift shop. It’s nice that people can see in, but very difficult to display everything. I would cut down on the number of windows and add more pieces of furniture, such as armoires, dressers, etc. I would love adjustable shelves to make displaying tall things possible. To sum up, I would like more wall space with all displayers being adjustable or moveable.

Julie Pedersen
Shaddow Domain
Idaho Falls, Idaho

I would put down new carpet and totally repaint the inside and outside of the building. I’ve been in this location almost eight years, and I know the carpet and paint are much, much older than that. My shop is in part of a 100-year-old building with historical significance, so I have to be careful with my remodeling and doing it right is expensive. I would also update the plumbing in my space, if finances allowed.

Pam Sando
LifeCare Medical Center
Roseau, Minn.

This is an easy one for us — more room for bigger items and a more comfortable place for our volunteers to sit. We have a very tiny gift shop/coffee shop in a hospital. We thought it would just be a quiet little place, but it has become a favorite “hangout” for patients and lots of employees.

In fact, we have found our biggest customers are employees, not patients. It is so handy for them to fly through and pick up that little gift we all need. I have learned to cater to their needs and wants. But with limited space, the sizes of the items I purchase are limited as well.

Rita Stoll
Dutch Country Market
St. Joseph, Tenn.

I would install solar panels to help reduce the cost of utilities. If there were any money left, I would install an on-demand water heater.

Michael Higdon
National Building Museum
Washington

I would do projects that would increase sales in an area that has shown potential growth. For example, if you are showing a potential for growth in DVD sales and music but lack sufficient merchandising to properly display the product, then I would invest in new display fixtures.

Or, I would invest the funds in the best way possible to make the store look refreshed, whether it be painting or new carpeting. You might want to invest in a project that helps get the message (of the museum) across to your visitors, such as new signage displays and signs.

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