New Brooklyn Museum Shop Opens

A completely new, significantly larger Brooklyn Museum Shop, designed by the award-winning architectural firm Visbeen Associates, Inc. is opening Wednesday April 4, 2012, in space previously devoted to temporary exhibitions. At 4,150 square feet, the new shop is 1,600 square feet larger than the shop it replaces. The store is part of a multiphase transformation of much of the Museum's first floor designed by Ennead Architects that has already resulted in an extensive renovation of the Museum's historic Great Hall and the creation of a major new exhibition space.
"The major goals of the new design for the first floor of the Museum have been to create a more coherent visitor experience, larger footprints for the Museum's shop, restaurant, and exhibition galleries, and space to create a remarkable installation of major works from the Museum's Permanent Collections," comments Museum Director Arnold L. Lehman.

"The design for the new Museum Shop has created a significantly enhanced shopping environment for our visitors along with an exciting new approach to merchandising. The shop will offer a fresh selection of unique items related to the world cultures represented in the Museum's rich Permanent Collection. An important feature will be products from both established as well as emerging Brooklyn designers and artisans," states Vice Director of Merchandising Sallie Stutz.
The newly created store will be organized around an arc shape that will be reflected in a curved jewelry counter in the center that forms the focal point of the space and will be echoed in a coffered ceiling containing recessed lighting. Two light fixtures, created by Brooklyn artist David Weeks, will be focal points of the design. The shop will feature 225 linear feet of lightly stained oak casework with metal fittings, with additional free standing fixtures in which merchandise will be displayed.

The new space, along the east side of the front façade of the building, was originally built in 1904 and is one of the oldest sections in the nearly 600,000-square-foot landmark building designed by McKim, Mead, & White. A wider entrance to the shop from the Lobby will provide greater visual access to the Great Hall, assisting circulation, and a rear entrance will connect it to planned temporary exhibition galleries.