By Susan Tudor, Director of Retail & Visitor Experience, Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens

A Decade of Shopping with Purpose

Ten years ago, Museum Store Sunday began with a simple idea: give museum stores a collective voice and show the world why they matter not only as places to shop but as vital extensions of the nonprofit institutions they support. What began as a museum retail advocacy initiative has grown into a global movement celebrating the unique products, stories, and experiences that connect people to cultural institutions.

On November 29, 2026, museums, cultural institutions, and their stores around the world will come together to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Museum Store Sunday. Over the past decade, the initiative has helped raise awareness of museum retail, connected stores with their communities, and invited visitors to shop with purpose.

Museum stores offer more than products. They extend the museum experience, providing opportunities to discover products inspired by collections and exhibitions, continue learning, and take a piece of the museum home.

The 10th anniversary is an opportunity to celebrate how far Museum Store Sunday has come, remind our communities why museum stores matter, and look ahead to the next decade. Whether your institution has participated for all 10 years or is joining the celebration for the first time, there are countless ways to take part.

To get ready for Museum Store Sunday 2026, here are 10 fun facts about Museum Store Sunday, 10 messages to share with your community, and 10 ways to make your Museum Store Sunday stand out.

The 10th anniversary is a moment to celebrate how far Museum Store Sunday has come, but it is also an opportunity to look ahead. Every institution that participates helps strengthen the collective voice of museum stores and reminds the public that museum retail is an important part of the cultural experience and an important part of the nonprofit institutions we support.

10 Fun Facts About Museum Store Sunday

Ten years is a milestone worth celebrating. The story of Museum Store Sunday is one of creativity, collaboration, growth, and advocacy. These 10 facts highlight some of the people, moments, and milestones that have shaped the initiative.

1. Museum Store Sunday Started with a Strategic Plan
   Museum Store Sunday began with a strategic planning session, not simply as another shopping event but as an effort to advocate for museum stores and the professionals behind them. In July 2016, the MSA board of directors met at Las Vegas Market and identified the need for an advocacy plan to tell the world about the importance of museum stores and their role within nonprofit institutions. At MSA FORWARD in Pittsburgh, the board announced that the first Museum Store Sunday would take place on November 26, 2017, the Sunday of Thanksgiving weekend. The timing was intentional: Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday, and Giving Tuesday already occupied the other key days of the holiday weekend. Sunday was unclaimed and provided an opportunity for MSA to create a dedicated day to spotlight museum stores and the missions they support.
2. The First Museum Store Sunday Exceeded Expectations
   When the first Museum Store Sunday arrived in 2017, there was a remarkable response to an initiative announced just months earlier. Art museums, aquariums, children’s museums, military museums, science centers, historic homes, botanic gardens, and virtually every type of institution represented by MSA joined the effort and institutions from all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia participated in what was truly a national celebration. The response extended beyond participation. Museum Store Sunday received national and international media attention, including USA Today, which captured the concept with the headline, “Museum Store Sunday fills shopping gap no one knew they had.” Participating stores also reported encouraging results compared with the same Sunday the previous year. Some saw visitor increases of up to 37% and sales increases of 60%, whereas others reported triple-digit sales increases and their best Sunday after Thanksgiving ever.
3. Museum Store Sunday Has More Than Tripled in Size
   From its first 670 participating institutions in 2017, Museum Store Sunday has grown to a record 2,360 participating institutions in 2025—more than three and a half times its inaugural participation. The event surpassed 1,000 institutions in 2018 and reached more than 2,000 in 2023, reflecting the growing momentum behind the movement.What began as a new advocacy initiative has become an established annual advocacy event and celebration with thousands of cultural institutions joining together to champion museum stores and the missions they support.
4. Museum Store Sunday Is an International Initiative
   Museum Store Sunday went global from its very first year with participating institutions in 10 countries: the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Belgium, Bermuda, Canada, Finland, Hungary, Ireland, and New Zealand. What began as a U.S.-based initiative quickly demonstrated that the importance of museum stores and the desire to advocate for them crosses borders. Today, Museum Store Sunday is celebrated in 26 countries, bringing cultural institutions together through a shared platform to celebrate their unique products, connect with their communities, and champion the role of nonprofit retail.
5. Museum Store Sunday’s Marketing Stats Are Impressive
   Ten years ago, Museum Store Sunday began as a grassroots advocacy effort with no established audience or marketing infrastructure. By 2025, the campaign had grown into a powerful platform for reaching audiences far beyond the museum-store community. Last year, more than 230 instances of media coverage generated an estimated 19.6 million earned media impressions, whereas an influencer campaign featuring 33 influencers reached a combined 2.55 million followers and generated more than 12,500 engagements.The growth is a remarkable measure of how far the Museum Store Sunday message has traveled during the past 10 years and how a simple idea to give museum stores a collective voice has become a sophisticated, far-reaching advocacy campaign.
6. Museum Store Sunday Has Evolved with the Times
   Over the past decade, Museum Store Sunday has adapted its campaigns to engage shoppers and champion museum retail. In 2019, “25 on the 25th” celebrated 25 museum-store discoveries. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Museum Store Sunday launched a dedicated online shopping page to connect shoppers with online museum stores during a period when many museums were physically closed.In 2025, “More Than a Souvenir” highlighted the deeper purpose behind museum-store purchases: keeping an artist’s craft, a museum’s mission, or a community’s culture alive. Every item has a story and purpose beyond the shelf. The campaign was accompanied by new social media templates, profile banners, email signatures, and in-store posters to help participating institutions share the message.
7. Same Mission, New Message
   Museum Store Sunday has evolved not only in size and reach but also in how it tells its story. When Museum Store Sunday launched, the “Be a Patron” tagline and branding, created with Barbolleta Design Agency, captured the idea of supporting museum stores and the institutions behind them.In 2023, Museum Store Sunday refreshed its messaging and introduced “Shop with Purpose,” a phrase that had long been part of the initiative’s messaging but now became its central call to action. As the cultural and retail landscape changed, “Shop with Purpose” offered a more immediate and inclusive invitation and quickly resonated with participating institutions. The 10th anniversary campaign builds on that evolution while carrying forward the advocacy message at the heart of Museum Store Sunday.
8. Museum Store Sunday Was Built by Volunteers and Believers
   Museum Store Sunday began with a modest budget, a 30-member advocacy committee, an active MSA board, volunteers around the world, and sponsors who believed in the idea. The five founding sponsors—Atlanta Market, NY NOW, Museum Store Products, Popcorn Custom Products, and Life Artfully Told—along with 29 charter sponsors, provided critical early support.That spirit of collaboration continues today through industry partnerships and a six-figure grant from the Roxanne Quimby Foundation, awarded in 2024 and renewed through 2027. The grant has helped expand public relations, marketing, social media, digital advertising, influencer outreach, and celebrity spokesperson efforts, transforming a grassroots initiative into a professionally supported international movement.
9. Memorable Moments
   Over the past decade, Museum Store Sunday has had its share of unexpected and memorable moments. In 2018, the initiative received an ICON Honor Award from Atlanta Market, recognizing the impact of the new museum retail advocacy effort. That same year, the First Lady of Virginia made a Museum Store Sunday visit to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.
   

   Taylor Tomlinson’s social media content 2024

   More recently, Museum Store Sunday has welcomed celebrity advocates to help share its message.In 2024, comedian Taylor Tomlinson shopped at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland ahead of Museum Store Sunday, and in 2025, actor Harvey Guillén joined the campaign in Los Angeles. Along the way, Museum Store Sunday has also earned coverage in major national media outlets, helping introduce museum stores to audiences who may never have thought of them as a holiday shopping destination.

10. More Than One Sunday
    Whereas there is only one Museum Store Sunday each year, the event encourages consumers to discover, support, and shop at museum stores throughout the year. Together, these milestones tell a bigger story: for a decade, museum stores have come together to champion nonprofit retail and demonstrate the important role stores play in supporting their institutions and connecting them with their communities.

10 Messages to Share with Your Community

The story of Museum Store Sunday isn’t only about what has happened over the past decade. It’s also about helping the public understand why museum stores matter. Museum Store Sunday is an opportunity to help visitors see what makes museum retail different and why choosing to shop at a nonprofit museum store can have an impact far beyond the product they take home. The most effective Museum Store Sunday messages don’t simply tell people what to buy. They help them understand why it matters.

1. Your purchase supports a nonprofit mission.
   Shopping at a nonprofit museum store helps support the institution and the work it does in its community.
2. Museum stores extend the museum experience.
   A visit doesn’t have to end when visitors leave the galleries. Products can help them continue exploring, learning, and connecting with the museum at home.
3. Museum stores offer products with a story.
   From collection-inspired merchandise to exhibition-related products, what is sold in a museum store often has a deeper connection to art, history, culture, or place.
4. Shopping supports artists and makers.
   Museum stores provide opportunities to discover and support artists, designers, authors, craftspeople, and other creative makers.
5. Museum stores offer discoveries you won’t find everywhere.
   Part of the appeal is finding something unexpected, distinctive, and meaningful.
6. Museum retail can inspire learning and curiosity.
   A product can spark a question, introduce a visitor to an artist or idea, or encourage further exploration.
7. Your purchase can bring the museum home.
   A book, print, object, toy, or other product can help visitors continue their connection with the museum long after their visit.
8. Museum stores contribute to their communities.
   Through partnerships with local artists, makers, designers, businesses, and organizations, museum stores can help strengthen their communities.
9. Museum Store Sunday is part of a global movement.
   Visitors aren’t simply shopping at one museum store; they are participating in a movement that celebrates museum retail around the world.
10. Shopping at a museum store makes a difference.
    Every purchase is an opportunity to support a cultural institution, discover something meaningful, and participate in the mission behind the store.

“What began as a single day to encourage shopping at museum stores has grown into a movement that raises awareness of the important role museum stores play in supporting cultural institutions. I would like to see Museum Store Sunday become a widely recognized holiday shopping tradition, reaching well beyond the museum community. Ultimately, I’d like Museum Store Sunday to become synonymous with shopping with purpose and supporting the nonprofit cultural organizations that enrich our communities.” — Jennifer Barella, Museum Store Sunday committee member for the last five years.

10 Ways to Make Your Museum Store Sunday Stand Out

Once the message is clear, the next step is to make the celebration meaningful. The 10th anniversary gives every participating institution an opportunity to create an experience that feels distinctive, engaging, and true to its community. Whether your museum has participated for a decade or this is your first year, consider these ideas for making Museum Store Sunday memorable.

1. Make the 10th anniversary branding visible – Use the anniversary logo in your signage, digital communications, social media, email marketing, and in-store messaging.
2. Make it a museum-wide celebration – Partner with membership, education, visitor experience, food and beverage, exhibitions, or other departments to create a celebration that extends beyond the store.
3. Create a “10” feature – Highlight 10 favorite products, 10 staff picks, 10 bestsellers, 10 products with a story, or even a special 10% promotion.
4. Feature the creatives behind your products – Host trunk shows, demonstrations, meet-and-greets, or other opportunities to introduce customers to local artists, makers, designers, authors, or vendors whose work you carry.
5. Offer something exclusive – A limited-edition product, special bundle, anniversary item, or other exclusive offering can give customers another reason to participate.
6. Create an experience, not just a promotion – Consider demonstrations, hands-on activities, storytelling, tastings, workshops, or other experiences that bring the store to life.
7. Connect the store to the museum – Look for opportunities to link products to exhibitions, collections, programs, gardens, or other experiences happening throughout the institution.
8. Partner beyond the museum – Partner with another local business, organization, or nonprofit in your region to expand your reach and introduce new audiences to your museum store.
9. Think beyond your physical store – Use your online store, museum website, email, social media, community partners, and other channels to extend the celebration and reach audiences who may not yet know about your museum store.
10. Make it memorable – Give visitors a reason to remember their Museum Store Sunday experience and a reason to come back.

10 Milestones of Museum Store Sunday Throughout the Decades

• 2017: Museum Store Sunday launches! (Number of participants: 670)
• 2018: American Alliance of Museums (AAM) first partners with Museum Store Sunday. (Number of participants: 1,043)
• 2019: Renowned cartoon
  

  Cartoonist Tom Toro creates image for the 5th Anniversary

  artist Tom Toro creates a special Museum Store Sunday image with the support of founding Museum Store Sunday supporter Popcorn Custom Products. (Number of participants: 1,400)

• 2020: The “Find an Online Store” page is created on the Museum Store Sunday website as the COVID-19 pandemic forces museum closures and causes many museums and museum stores to engage online only. (Number of participants: 1,650)
• 2021: Blackwing collaborates with Museum Store Sunday on a special limited-edition set of pencils to be sold in celebration of Museum Store Sunday. (Number of participants: 1,809)
• 2022: ART IS collaborates with Museum Store Sunday to release a branded eco tote that sells out (Number of participants: 2,065)
• 2023: The national PR campaign is relaunched with The Postcard Agency; sustainability is an added focus. (Number of participants: 2,100)
• 2024: The first Museum Store Sunday celebrity spokesperson is Taylor Tomlinson, and the Museum Store Sunday tagline is updated to “Shop with Purpose.” (Number of participants: 2,225)
• 2025: The Roxanne Quimby Foundation awards a major grant to promote Museum Store Sunday to the general public; the first national digital advertising campaign launches. (Number of participants: 2,360)
• 2026: We look forward to the 10th anniversary celebration and the launch of the inaugural Museum Store Sunday Holiday Gift Guide (number of participants: growing every day)

Susan Tudor is the Director of Retail & Visitor Experience for the Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens in Jacksonville, Florida. She is a past President of the MSA Board of Directors and has chaired multiple national MSA committees including the MSA Advocacy Committee responsible for the inaugural launch of Museum Store Sunday®. Tudor currently serves on various MSA committees including co-chairing of the 2026 Museum Store Sunday Committee. She is also the current Secretary of the MSA South Atlantic Chapter.