Do museum stores actually make any money?

What are they really for? Can a store act like an exhibition? What does “cap rate” mean? How big should a museum store be? What percentage of visitors go into one, and how many of them buy something? Why should you get an expert to design your store, and what happens when you don’t?

David Franke (museum store architect) joins host Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner, C&G Partners) to discover what’s “Beyond ‘Exit Through the Gift Shop’”.

Along the way: rubber snakes, oysters, onions, and Mona Lisa ashtrays.

Talking Points:

1. An oyster living in a birds nest.
2. New store in a new museum or a renovation to an existing one. Where, oh where to begin?
3. The peeling of the onion.
4. Getting the balance just right.
5. Don’t forget that long range strategy to ensure you don’t fall victim to your own success.

How to Listen:

Apple Podcasts
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/making-the-museum/id1674901311

Spotify
https://open.spotify.com/show/6oP4QJR7yxv7Rs7VqIpI1G

Everywhere
https://makingthemuseum.transistor.fm/

Guest Bio:

With over four decades of experience as an architect, David Franke’s focus is now exclusively on store design and planning for museum and cultural institutions around the world. Museum stores include two at the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia; the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History and the Museum of the American Cowgirl, the US Botanic Garden in DC, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin West in Arizona; the Grounds for Sculpture in New Jersey, three retail projects for the State Preservation Board in Austin, and the Ravinia Festival in Highland Park Illinois.

David has also served on councils and boards for the Mercer Museum and Fonthill Castle, Historical Society of Pennsylvania’s Building and Facilities Committee and the Pennsylvania Ballet. He is a participant in the International Museum Construction Congress, the California Association of Museums, Texas Association of Museums, American Association of Museums and Mid-Atlantic Association of Museums, where has co-presented sessions on the design of museum retail.

About MtM:

Making the Museum is hosted (podcast) and written (newsletter) by Jonathan Alger. This podcast is a project of C&G Partners | Design for Culture. Learn about the firm's creative work at: https://www.cgpartnersllc.com

Show Links:

David's website: https://www.davidfrankeconsulting.com

David by Email: DavidFrankeRA@Gmail.com

David by Phone: +1 (215) 498-4384

David on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-franke-ra-21a4539/

MtM Show Contact:

https://www.makingthemuseum.com/contact
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanalger
alger@cgpartnersllc.com
https://www.cgpartnersllc.com

Newsletter:

Liked the show? Try the newsletter. Making the Museum is also a one-minute email on exhibition planning and design for museum leaders, exhibition teams and visitor experience professionals. Subscribe here: https://www.makingthemuseum.com