'Museum Store Sunday' Attempts To Help Museums Worldwide Survive During The Pandemic

(CBS4) - We know about Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday, but have you heard of Museum Store Sunday?

The concept is a way to drum up business for museums, and this year it's seen as a way to keep museums financially stable during the pandemic.

"This is our large event that we promote to the public. Globally over 23 countries are participating in this event," said Elizabeth Price, Executive Director of the Museum Store Association.

For the last four years, Price has joined a group that puts on the international awareness event. This event gives customers a chance to shop at their favorite museums from around the world.

"Over in the UK they call it 'Museum Shop Sunday' because they refer to them as shops and not stores," Price said.

Out of the 1,600 museums participating in Museum Store Sunday, 20 are from Colorado, like Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum.

The pandemic has rocked the museum industry, causing many to close or open at a limited capacity. With ticket sales lost, Price hopes this will be a way to recoup some of the lost funds.

"Right now, it's vital during this important shopping season that we support our local institutions any way that we can. The one's that we can go visit in person, please visit. It might be at a lower capacity, but please visit. And the ones that aren't open, please support their stores and keep them open for years to come," Price said.

The Clyfford Still Museum was one of the smaller cultural sites ordered to close on Nov. 20 as part of Denver's position on the COVID-19 dial -- Level Red. The museum responded by selling items at 15 percent off and by holding virtual events.

"There are different online educational events that they are doing. There's one on one with authors and artists," Price said.

The money made from Museum Store Sunday plays a vital role in helping museums not only survive but thrive during the pandemic.

"We don't want to see 40 percent of our businesses not coming back from this. It's so important that, I mean everybody loves Target and Amazon, sure but, the heart of our community is in these small businesses and our local institutions." Price said.

Museum Store Sunday took place on Nov. 29 this year, but many institutions are still participating and continuing to hold sales. For a complete list go to museumstoresunday.org/participating-museums. Shoppers are encouraged to confirm hours and events directly with the museum as COVID-19 regulations may cause sudden store status changes. For more information, visit www.museumstoresunday.org.