The Virtual Museum Shop
Staff -- Gifts & Decorative Accessories, 8/1/2001
MuseumShop.com, which operates a consumer retail site for museum and cultural wares, launched a b-to-b incarnation in late June. Called MuseumTrade.com, the new site serves as a private wholesale network for vendors and retailers of cultural and museum products.
Museum and specialty gift vendors can use the new site to publicize and sell their wares online, and they can also benefit from MuseumTrade.com's administrative, technological, hosting, and marketing efforts. Each vendor is given an individual "e-Booth" in which to showcase its goods.
The site made a soft launch in January of 2001, and by the time of its June 26 official launch had roughly 120 vendors on board. Some 100 buyers had already discovered the site at press time as well.
According to a spokesperson for MuseumTrade.com, potential vendors must give three references, which will be checked to make sure that they're viable businesses dealing in museum and/or cultural products. Interested vendors can peruse the site, www.museumtrade.com, or contact Theresa Cook at (781) 641-5809.
