The Art of Giving
By Laura Daily

With the holidays fast approaching, the thought of overflowing parking lots and wall-to-wall mall shoppers might have you feeling more Scrooge than Santa. The solution may be as simple as your neighborhood museum.

“Pieces bought at a museum store are authentic, fairly priced and come with a guarantee. Plus, volunteers often provide a personal shopping experience you can’t find anywhere else,” explains Bruce McGee, director of retail shops at the Heard Museum which boasts three retail outlets plus an online store.

Most museums operate shops, which found their start as simple counters or pushcarts selling postcards and the like in the 1890s. These days many of the big boys, like the Smithsonian Institution or Metropolitan Museum of Art, have even moved beyond museum walls, opening satellite stores in chic shopping malls and airports.

Erika Brickell of the Sierra Vista Convention and Visitors Bureau is sold on the concept. “Museum gift shops have always been a prime shopping destination for me. As a transplanted New Yorker, and having found some of my nicest gifts at museum gift shops, I find that the selection is generally so different from the collection of items at retail stores (who often all buy from the same wholesaler). The items purchased at a museum gift shop are unique, oftentimes site-specific and sometimes one-of-a-kind,” she says. “And who wants to fight the traffic and people at malls for gifts when you can have personalized service at a smaller venue, plus find that perfect gift for Uncle Albert?”

Prices remain competitive, if not downright bargain basement, because the stores typically carry lower overhead costs than for-profit retailers and because they have to compete with the lure of giant department stores and discount outlets.

As with any shop, quality varies. Even at the best stores you’ll find dime-store stuff among the higher end merchandise. Still there’s a “feel-good” factor in knowing your dollars go to a non-profit. Typically, museum stores return all of their excess revenue to the institution, which can add up to as much as one-third of a museum’s operating budget.

Museums also roll out the shopping red carpet, so-to-speak, during the holidays by hosting all sorts of open houses, marketplaces and sales. For instance, more than 120 artisans set up shop at the Tucson Museum of Art’s Holiday Craft Market the weekend before Thanksgiving. Similarly, on the second Saturday of December, the Sedona Heritage Museum hosts their annual Christmas in the Park, a free-admission day with concerts, hot cider and cookies, pioneer talks, and huge sale. At the Bisbee Mining and Historical Museum, a holiday tree displays gem ornaments.

Thinking about chucking mall madness? Experts offer the following tips for getting the most out of your museum shopping experience.

Even if they don’t have a catalog, museums will usually allow you to order by telephone. Don’t hesitate to contact a museum shop directly for gift suggestions. Here are some of our favorite picks.

Tucson Museum of Art
140 N. Main Ave., Tucson
520-624-2333; tucsonarts.com
GREAT FINDS: “Little Pots,” hand-thrown ceramic bowls by Tucson artist Galen Miller ($6 or $16 for three); postcards of the Tucson area (5 for $1), a natural coral and silver necklace by Laurie and Lisa design ($960), glass, fabric, wood, sculpture and recycled art.

Mesa Arts Center
1 E. Main St., Mesa
480-644-6515; MesaArtsCenter.com
GREAT FINDS: Hand-crafted silver sterling earrings ($5), glass vase by world-renown artist Anna Skibska ($3200), books, cards, prints, CDs, limited edition prints made in the center’s printmaking studios.

Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art
7374 E. Second St., Scottsdale
480-874-4666; smoca.org
GREAT FINDS: Faux computer key buttons with comedic sayings like “Eject!” ($2.50), miniature reproductions of designer chairs ($18-$30), Alessi stainless steel plate designed by Ali Alice ($325), books, housewares, Oaxacan wood art, CDs, contemporary jewelry.

Heard Museum
2301 N. Central Ave., Phoenix
34505 N. Scottsdale Rd., Scottsdale
16126 N. Civic Center Plaza, Surprise
602-252-8848; heard.org
GREAT FINDS: Heard Museum pencil ($1), earrings ($30), katsina doll ($26,000), jewelry, pottery, baskets, textiles, paintings and sculpture.

Bisbee Mining & Historical Museum
5 Copper Queen Plaza, Bisbee
520-432-7071; bisbeemuseum.org
GREAT FINDS: Bisbee: Queen of the Copper Camps ($22), tumbled stone ($1), iron piggy bank ($18.50), grow your own crystals set ($21), toys, books.

Sedona Heritage Museum
735 Jordan Rd., Sedona
928-282-7038; sedonamuseum.org
GREAT FINDS: Beadwork and silver with turquoise, opal and semi-precious stones ($5 - $35), a wreath made of rusty horseshoes ($35), prickly pear cactus jelly ($3.50 - $6),  Southwestern jewelry, books, puzzles, stuffed animals and movies made in Sedona.

Fort Huachuca Museum
41401 Boyd, Fort Huachuca
520-458-4716
GREAT FINDS: Stick candy (10 cents), t-shirts depicting the Buffalo Soldiers ($15 - $17), sauces and jellies, Native American pottery and art, wind chimes, and books.

Planes of Fame Museum
755 Mustang Way, Valle-Williams
928-635-1000, planesoffame.org
GREAT FINDS: Spotter playing cards which identify WWII military airplanes ($6.95), model airplane kits ($7.95 - $29.95), “Remove Before Flight” tank tops and shorts ($13.95), toys, patches, aviation calendars, artwork.

Sharlot Hall Museum
415 W. Gurley St., Prescott
928-445-3122; sharlot.org
GREAT FINDS: Copper-color beaded frame ($22), white cotton smocked nightdress ($49), Upper Canada gardener lotion ($13.99), painted glass by Joan Baker ($20 - $199), books, greeting cards, potted plants, denim shirts and other western-style clothing.

Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
2021 N. Kinney Rd., Tucson
520-883-2702; desertmuseum.org
GREAT FINDS: Postcards (25 cents); handmade Lydia Quezada olla from the village of Mata Ortiz, Mexico ($5,500); hand-crafted jewelry; pottery; baskets; sand paintings; Chris Bubany tableware.