As one enters the museum, a security checkpoint is required before you are able to even enter the lobby. It requires a bag search as well as those with large bags to check them. The building itself is nothing short of stunning, with incredibly high ceilings and amazing architecture. The gift shop catches your eye as the word “Shop” is lit directly to the left of the entrance.

As you initially walk into the shop, there are only two sections that are titled and only compose one sixth of the museum space: “Basquiat” and “Brooklyn Designs”. Basquiat is an artist that is currently on display temporarily at the museum and the items include poster reproductions, flip flops, and jewelry. Brooklyn Designs is an eclectic mix of different items claiming to be from local designers. The entire museum shop color palette was composed of white, grey, and black; however, only the corner with the Basquiat display was yellow, with a contrasting red title. It was as if the museum was attempting to lure all of the customers to that one small corner of the store as it stood out from the rest.

One of the main claims of the museum is that they are supporting local Brooklyn designers by selling their items in the store. However, most of the items sold in this section seem to be mass-produced and offered no descriptions or details on which designer made those items. Anything from hand poured candles and luxury pillows to skate decks with a map of Brooklyn. A big staple in this section was the classic tote bags that exclaimed Brooklyn or the paper made signs of the Brooklyn Bridge. There was no information on these “designers” to be found in the store.

In the center of the room were household items, mainly from large name brand companies. There was nothing special about the household items, nothing that would tie any of the products to the exhibitions in the museum. These items were only being sold for profit, as is evident from the 24% markup in the museum store compared to the company website as well as Target.

Other items throughout the store included items from the countries of origin that were represented in the exhibitions of the museum: handmade masks from Japan, resin jewelry from India, and handmade textiles from Africa. There were also a wide variety of clothing that represented traditional clothing from those countries; however, they were made in New York City.

At the back of the store, the museum offered a wide array of books, all about Art in the different communities that were present in the exhibitions in the museum. In two shelves, books on the histories of New York and Brooklyn were for sale. In every part of the store, the Brooklyn Museum separates New York from Brooklyn, attempting to make Brooklyn stand alone as the new fad.

The Brooklyn Museum gift shop is a microcosm of the gentrification of Brooklyn. As the cost of housing in Brooklyn continues to be on the rise, nearly equivalent to Manhattan in some areas, the Brooklyn Museum is striving to be a staple for tourists visiting Manhattan. Similarly, the museum renovating the space and incorporating new, more expensive items, pushes residents of “old Brooklyn” out because they are no longer able to afford these items.

The Brooklyn Museum is pushing for a sophisticated crowd with deep pockets to purchase the items in the store. This is also seen through what items are best selling at the store; the catalog with current exhibits and the “Brooklyn items in general”. People who have been living in Brooklyn for most of their lives would not be tempted to buy the tacky touristic items that are sold at the shop, yet they are the best selling items which tells us that the museum is attracting non-locals. This can also be seen by the types of people that are shopping, white upper class as well as tourists. The Brooklyn Museum is actively participating in the gentrification of Brooklyn as it is attracting the gentrifiers that are uprooting “old Brooklyn”.

— Kate Bultman