museums&MORE Winter 2020

January 2020 Atlanta Market Recap

{Sponsored} Atlanta Market at AmericasMart kicks off the trade show season, and this year buyers experienced a level of energy elevated by a new look and new name for the market. The week was full of anticipation, a little bit of Q1 jitters and the excitement of finding the gems their stores need.

Susan Tudor, a veteran AmericasMart buyer, seeks products for several retail stores at the Cummer Museum, an art museum in Jacksonville, Florida. Last fall, she provided recommendations for museum buyers on how to shop the market (check out what she had to say here: bit.ly/MMSusanTudor). We had a chance to catch up with her after she returned from Atlanta Market to see how it went for her.

Tudor reported that the fourth quarter was very strong for her museum, and this meant that she would be doing quite a bit of reordering. One of her go-tos is Batucada jewelry, where she discovered new handbags that would fit well with her collection. And Origin, one of Tudor’s key vendors, had new designs in brilliant colors and metallics. Flutter Gallery had glowing butterfly clips, which were a natural complement to the historic gardens at the Cummer museum and perfect as an impulse item to have at the register.

“The emphasis on the Pantone color of the year (Classic Blue) was a highlight,” Tudor said. In the Museum Collective, Tudor found the Egyptian products she was looking to source for a newer exhibit. With the focus her stores have on education, ensuring the right products are in the two stores at Cummer Museum is key.

As president of the Museum Store Association, Tudor has a unique view on education for museum store buyers. “AmericasMart supports buying groups, and I was glad to be able to host a breakfast on-site through AmericasMart. It functioned as our seminar,” Tudor said. Other educational opportunities hosted by AmericasMart abounded on-site, including business seminars, trend panels and networking events.

Tudor is always able to find the types of items that fit in well with her stores’ themes and reflect and support the Cummer Museum’s mission. She believes all museum stores can have this level of success at Atlanta Market and specifically the Museum Collective and Temporaries. “There are handmade, juried sections appropriate for all museums. Especially my art museum,” Tudor said.

Those who didn’t attend missed out on the breadth of selection at Atlanta Market and the Temporaries. Plus, “the permanent showrooms have items on display that are so conducive to what we need to do at museum stores,” Tudor said. The consistency with which AmericasMart is able to include new vendors with interesting and unique items is a big reason Tudor returns to Atlanta Market.

While Tudor considers AmericasMart to be her home market, she returns each time for her key vendors, new artisan items and especially the vibe. “AmericasMart is very consistent in the vibe. I always feel a sense of energy at the market,” Tudor said.

Atlanta Market will return July 14-20, 2020, with Temps running from July 15-19, 2020. To learn more and register to attend Atlanta Market in July, visit AtlantaMarket.com.

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