Find discounts and deals at some local gift shops on Museum Store Sunday

Holiday shoppers who have any money left after Black Friday and Small Business Saturday have one more day of the weekend for buying gifts, and some of San Diego’s museum stores are hoping to claim their business.

As part of an international event organized by the Museum Store Association, gift shops at some of the region’s cultural institutions and museums will offer discounts and special deals as they encourage locals to “shop with purpose.”

“Museum Store Sunday would kind of be the antithesis of Black Friday,” said Chacho Herman, director of earned income at the San Diego Museum of Art. “Black Friday is about conspicuous consumerism — getting the deals. Museum Store Sunday is more about thoughtful gifting or shopping with purpose.”

Herman, who is also on the board of the Museum Store Association, said gifts offered inside the museum store at the San Diego Museum of Art include everything from ornaments shipped from the United Kingdom to a hand-made surf board produced under license from the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts.

“It’s about not only getting great, one-of-a-kind gifts, made by one-of-a-kind makers— we have local jewelers, local glassblowers, local makers — but also every dollar someone spends in the San Diego Museum of Art and Museum of Photographic Arts stores goes back into supporting the educational programs and exhibitions of our museums,” Herman said. “Not only are you getting a great gift, you’re also supporting your local cultural institution.”

Examples of deals available on Sunday include a coupon for free admission with every purchase at the Oceanside Museum of Art (OMA) store and 20% off all apparel in the museum store for the San Diego Automotive Museum.

Some stores, including OMA, are also running Black Friday and Small Biz Saturday sales or keeping their discounts going on through December. The California Center for the Arts, Escondido, is offering 15% off on all merchandise from Nov. 28 and Dec. 7.

Participation varies depending on the museum, so locals should call or check out websites and social media to find out which deals or discounts may be available.

Because this is an international event, shoppers who are traveling may consider checking out museum stores in the area for discounts. For example, the California Museum in Sacramento is offering 20% off purchases of $100 or more and 20% off museum admission. The Marin Museum of Contemporary Art will give 25% off on purchases in its San Rafael shop. In Denver, Wings over the Rockies will give shoppers a 20% discount on all purchases on Museum Store Sunday.

Many of these shop also have online stores, allowing for some sales to be accessed without leaving home. The National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson Hole, Wyo., is offering online discounts with the code MUSEUMSUNDAY. The Mint Museum of Art in Charlotte, N.C., is running a discount of 30% on all orders in person or online.

Outside of the United States, shoppers can get 10% off online purchases at Museum London.

Most of these stores, including here in San Diego, do not require admission for shopping. Many can be found right at the front of their respective museums. For more information, go to museumstoresunday.org. There is also an Instagram account updating shoppers about various deals and participating locations: instagram.com/museumstoresunday.