Toulouse: “A museum shop allows the public to continue to experience the visit”
In a museum, the shop is a highly anticipated offering from the public. It is also used to boost revenue for new exhibitions.
Mariette Escofier is not only a regular at museums but a collector. “After discovering an exhibition, I always go to the museum shop to buy an object that reminds me of what I saw. A way to continue living this cultural experience”.
The Toulouse museums all have their shop. A space that has become essential. “Appeared in private museums in the United States, the concept arrived in France in national museums (Louvre in Paris), before settling in the regions”, notes Nicolas Galiana, in charge of museum shops for the City of Toulouse. “. According to this manager, this place has two objectives: to meet the expectations of the public and to help generate revenue to develop new exhibitions and cultural activities. “The higher the number of visitors, the more the shop’s turnover increases. Overall, depending on the year, it represents between 35 and 40% of the museum’s revenue”.
At the beginning, this space seen small, offers a simple postcard or a leaflet on the expo. “Today, it is a real continuity of the visit”, assures Nathalie Escoin, reception manager, animation of the shops of the Cité de l’Espace and the Envol des Pionniers. Thus for the 75th anniversary of the Little Prince, the Envol des Pionniers boutique offers books on Saint-Exupéry and objects derived from his work”.
Quality items 80% locally made
Spaces that must diversify to meet public demand. A few examples: the Labit Museum shop devoted to the arts of Asia and ancient Egypt, offers reproductions of Japanese prints. That of the Jacobins cloister, umbrellas matched with stained glass. The Saint-Raymond Archaeological Museum, a range of objects on antiquity. “The memory of the exhibition becomes an object of promotion. Hence the need to offer quality items, favoring local suppliers, especially since the covid”. Such as the Saint-Michel prison shop and its Castelet bricks, made by the local company, Mon Pais.
Sometimes, the public is not obliged to pass by the museum to discover the shop. This is the case of that of the Museum managed by the management of the Museum. A place where you can access directly from the park. “We have good visibility from the reception, says Stéphanie Moerland, the manager. The purpose of this shop is to create a place of pleasure and sharing for the visitor. The themes of the Museum attract a very family audience. We have therefore made the choice of fun items (toys) including for 0-3 year olds, and cultural items (books) always in connection with the exhibitions”. 15% of visitors buy in store, according to the Museum. To go even further on the theme of exhibitions, the Museum publishes the Vox catalog five times a year.
Les Abattoirs bookshop-boutique: a space dedicated primarily to books
Another atypical place: the bookstore-shop of the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Arts of the Abattoirs managed since 2004 by Didier Delrieu, former head of the bookstore of the Museum of Modern Arts in Paris. “The exhibitions at the Abattoirs attract a large audience, such as the Lady and the Unicorn, Orlan currently or the exhibition on Niki Saint-Phalle in the fall”, details this bookseller who took time to offer some objects. : postcards, key rings, stationery. “Faced with the request of the public who need to buy a trace of his passage, I gave in. But perhaps by professional deformation, I favor photography and art works. There is also a children’s area which works very well.”
Since 2018, seven museums have been grouped together under the direction of museums and monuments overseen by the City: Saint-Raymond, Paul Dupuy, Georges Labit, des Augustins museums, Galerie du Château d’Eau, Couvent des Jacobins and the Castelet de la prison Saint Michel. In 2021, the Cité de l’Espace shop generated €1 million in revenue. The Envol boutique: €90,000.
This year, the museums of Toulouse will be equipped with an online store following the example of the Saint-Raymond Museum. A new shop is already planned at the Paul Dupuy Museum, in September, after the works. A work is also thought for the Chapel Saint-Joseph de la Grave. A store activated in particular on the emblematic dome, much photographed.