State history, art museum gift shops open

The gift shops at the New Mexico History Museum and the New Mexico Museum of Art reopened Tuesday.

Many nonessential businesses have reopened since May 16 when the state loosened public health orders, but some businesses have taken a more measured approach to reopening under the COVID-19 safe practices guidelines.

“We wanted to make certain we’re prepared and following the COVID-19 safe practices,” said Jamie Clements, CEO of the Museum of New Mexico Foundation, which operates gifts shops at four state museums. “The shop staff announced, ‘We are ready.’ ”

Clements said he received clearance to reopen the shops from state Department of Cultural Affairs Secretary Debra Garcia y Griego even as state museums remain closed.

Both gift shops at the history and art museums will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.

The Spiegelberg Shop at the New Mexico History Museum will have a limit of 12 customers at a time, while the New Mexico Museum of Art Shop will allow a maximum of three customers. All customers and staff must wear masks, Clements said.

“We reorganized the shops for social distancing,” he said. “We moved a lot of furnishings around to open more space for people.”

The foundation also operates the Colleen Cloney Duncan Museum Shop at the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture and the Museum of International Folk Art Shop, but the two shops on Museum Hill will not reopen at this time.

The foundation typically raises $200,000 a year through gift-shop sales to support the Museum of New Mexico system, but Clements expects revenue to drop by as much as half in the new fiscal year that started July 1.