Museum Store aims to serve during closure
Learn how the Whatcom Museum Store is adapting during our closure in this guest post by Purchasing Specialist Stephanie Douglas.
Reimagining the Museum Store
For the last month, like most of us, I’ve had to completely rethink how to do my job. Four days a week I come into the Museum Store, working alone, and dig into projects. I set up window displays for passersby to enjoy and work with our marketing team to figure out how to create a compelling virtual space.
Of all the changes in my workday, I miss the satisfaction and joy of interacting with community members the most. I’ve had a lot of time to think about my goals and the role of the Museum Store in particular.
Yes, I’m frustrated by the constraints and isolation we’re all experiencing right now, but I’m more aware than ever of who and what are most important to me, as well as to our community. I’m grateful to be part of an organization that is so vital and important to the people of Whatcom County.
Mission-driven service
Since we are a nonprofit, mission-drive store, we aren’t in service to a bottom line. We exist for YOU, our visitors and community members. My main goal is not to sell as many products as I can. It’s to build community, to support local art and history, and to connect visitors and families to each other and the world around them. I choose every item with our mission statement in mind.
I stock family games that you can play on the living room floor. Journals that remind you to sit down and reflect on your day. Field guides that help you appreciate the plants and creatures around you. Local art made in your community, maybe even by your friend or neighbor.
Despite the current physical limitations, we’re still in a position to take an active role in supporting each other. I have spent these last few months curating a store full of items I believe to be the best of the best.
When you buy something from the Museum Store, the money you spend goes directly towards our educational programs and exhibitions. My intention is that you will experience as much joy from your purchase as I did choosing it, if not more. Plus, you invest in the future of the Whatcom Museum, ensuring that the incredible staff we have here can bring to life all of the amazing projects they have been working hard to share with you when our doors re-open.
How to order
Check out our Museum Store page, which features an expanded gallery of product images. We are taking phone orders for mail delivery Tuesday – Friday, 10am-5pm. Call 360.778.8975 to support the Museum.
Our Mission
The Whatcom Museum provides innovative and interactive educational programs and exhibitions about art, nature, and Northwest history. We seek to stimulate curiosity about our changing cultural, natural, and historical landscapes, for the youngest to the oldest minds, and to inspire preservation of and creative contributions to our region and beyond.