_Open Shelf · Free checklist · the shops most makers forget to pitch_ # Museum & gift shop supplier checklist *Tick these off before you pitch a museum store.* Museum stores buy differently from boutiques. They buy for a mission, an exhibition or a season, often on a set review schedule. Open Shelf lists **54 museum shops in 19 states** that accept product submissions. Many makers never think to pitch them. This list is built from what those shops actually ask for. ## Fit - [ ] Name the connection: an exhibition, the collection, the city or region - [ ] A one-line “why it fits” (Hillwood asks for 50 words or less; the Barnes won’t consider a submission without one) - [ ] Check the shop’s focus. The Museum of the City of New York wants products that clearly relate to NYC or current exhibitions - [ ] Price that works as a gift or souvenir, with an MSRP that sits next to what’s on their shelf ## Paperwork they may ask for - [ ] Vendor questionnaire, often **one per product** (NMAAHC, Charles H. Wright) - [ ] A one-page vendor bio - [ ] Line sheet with wholesale and MSRP - [ ] Production capacity: how many units you can make for a reorder - [ ] A proper invoice and a W-9 (Museum of Graffiti asks for both) - [ ] Proposed terms: discount, payment terms, minimums (the Bullock Museum asks) ## Product - [ ] Retail-ready packaging that survives a busy shop floor - [ ] Barcode/UPC if you have one - [ ] A hang tag or card that tells the story a visitor would want to know - [ ] Lead time for holiday and exhibition orders ## Timing & samples - [ ] Find the review cycle: quarterly, four times a year (Museum of the City of New York), once a year (The Store at MAD) - [ ] Pitch for upcoming seasons and exhibitions, not this weekend - [ ] Samples only if asked. Some want return postage; some never return samples - [ ] Use their form if they have one. 20 of the 54 museum shops in our list do ## Gift shops too - [ ] Most of this works for gift shops. They care more about turnover and price, less about mission - [ ] Ask what sells at their register in the $10–$40 range > Browse every listing in the [museum shops list](https://joinopenshelf.com/museum-shops-accepting-product-submissions/) or the [gift shops list](https://joinopenshelf.com/gift-shops-accepting-new-brands/). Each one links to the shop’s own submission page. --- **From Open Shelf — independent US shops that accept new brands** [joinopenshelf.com](https://joinopenshelf.com) · Museum shops accepting product submissions (54 shops): [joinopenshelf.com/museum-shops-accepting-product-submissions/](https://joinopenshelf.com/museum-shops-accepting-product-submissions/) Want shops to find you? [Founding Featured spots, $39 or $79](https://joinopenshelf.com/brands/featured/). Pitching New York? [The NYC Pitch Pack](https://joinopenshelf.com/pitch-packs/nyc/). _Examples are from museum shops’ own published submission instructions in the Open Shelf directory (checked Oct 2026)._