PRESS RELEASE
AA Museum Shops Now Operating Four African American Museum Shops BALTIMORE August 20, 2006 – AA Museum Shops has agreed to operate the Gift Shop at the new Frederick Douglass – Isaac Myers Maritime Park. The Douglass-Myers Maritime Park, located at the scenic Fells Point section of Baltimore, is dedicated to African American maritime history. With this new arrangement, AA Museum Shops now operates gift shops at four major African American Museums. AA Museum Shops, a BDJ Ventures company, is a Philadelphia based African American owned firm. Their mission is to create and manage African American museum gift shops that are exciting, and memorable destinations that extend and enhance the visitor’s learning experience. In addition to the Douglass-Myers Maritime Park, AA Museum Shops currently operate gift shops at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute (Alabama), the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and Culture (Maryland), and the National Great Blacks In Wax Museum (Maryland). AA Museum Shops’ Operations Director, Darnell Daisey, asserts that “…these are probably four of the finest African American gift shops in the country. We consistently receive feedback from customers that they have never seen better African American gift shops anywhere – museum related or not.” As part of an overall effort to enhance the learning experience of museum patrons, the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute (BCRI) partnered with AA Museum Shops in April 2006 to transform its gift shop. The primary motivation of the museum was to ensure the availability of the highest quality Afro-centric social expression products in support of the museum’s mission. The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute has a well deserved reputation as one of the most prestigious African American Museums in the country, and wanted a gift shop to match. At the end of a two month transformation process, Carol Well, BCRI Vice-President of Finance, remarked “The experience has confirmed our decision to outsource the gift shop. The transformation has been amazing, truly amazing!” Dr. Lawrence J. Pijeaux Jr., BCRI President and CEO, indicated he was simply “ecstatic” about the gift shop transformation. The Reginald F. Lewis Museum celebrated its grand opening on June 25, 2005 in Baltimore, MD. Located in the city's vibrant Inner Harbor, it is the East Coast's largest African American museum. To create a gift shop in line with their mission, the museum turned to AA Museum Shops. Sandy Bellamy, Esq., former Executive Director of the Reginald F. Lewis Museum, offered the following “…the process of working with AA Museum Shops is efficient for us because it allows us to focus on our primary business, which is the exhibition and educational components of the museum. We’ve had a great experience with AA Museum Shops as far as the customer service goes, as well as the quality of the products… We’ve been very impressed with the comments we’ve received from clients. Overall, I would definitely recommend a museum working with AA Museum Shops.” AA Museum Shops was selected by the Reginald F. Lewis Museum partially due to previous success at The National Great Blacks In Wax Museum, also in Baltimore. That gift shop transformation, which began February 2004, has received rave reviews from patrons and has produced a 50% increase in gift shop revenues. Dr. Joanne Martin, who along with her late husband, Dr. Elmer Martin, founded The National Great Blacks In Wax Museum, stated that the museum “…ended up with a gift shop that is inviting, aesthetically pleasing to our visitors and one that looks full, well-stocked and ready for business. It (AA Museum Shops) has helped to increase our bottom-line and taken away the concern of cash flow. I strongly recommend that any African American museum looking to find an innovative way of having a professionally done, well maintained gift shop operations look into AA Museum Shops." The essence of AA Museum Shops’ “Museum Gift Shop Transformation Model” is to significantly improve the gift shop revenue stream, with no required financial investment or risk to the museum. The success of this model is based on AA Museum Shops’ ability to create a gift shop that better aligns aesthetics, product selection, inventory management, on-line presence, and customer service with the focus of the museum and its patrons’ profiles. The resulting arrangement increases the museum’s cash flow, and allows museums to better focus resources on their core activities and functions. The AA Museum Shops’ gift shops have experienced revenue-per-patron numbers that are 50% greater than the industry average (based on Museum Stores Association 2006 Report), and more than 200% greater than the average African American museum shop. AA Museum Shops Finance Director, Bernard Wright, indicates “…this is just the beginning. Our proven track record has generated interest from a number of museums.” AA Museum Shops is committed to ensuring that a large majority of the products sold in their gifts shops are from quality African American suppliers. “Approximately 65% of our spend goes to African American vendors. Surprisingly this is much higher than the average African American museum shop.” says Procurement Director, Darryl Daisey. While an obvious benefit to African American suppliers, this strategy helps AA Museum Shops stay “ahead of the pack” in regards to ensuring that their product offerings continue to be aligned with the tastes, preferences and values of the museum’s patrons. Given the economic pressure on all museums to increase their revenues, AA Museum Shops’ Marketing Director, Joseph Jeter, feels “it financially makes sense for them to seek this kind of arrangement. This is an opportunity to make more profit from their gift shop operations, without any investment in inventory or staff.” For further information contact Darryl Daisey at darryl.daisey@bdjventures.com.
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