Exclusive replicas at museum shops

One of the pleasures of visiting museums abroad is popping into the museum shop afterwards to pick up souvenirs or gifts inspired by the exhibits.

Visitors to local museums can now do the same at 'The Museum Shop' franchise outlets, which were opened last year at the Domus Romana in Rabat, the National Museum of Archaeology in Valletta and the National Museum of Natural History in Mdina.

The Museum Shop franchise - the result of an agreement signed between Wirtna Shops Ltd and Heritage Malta Services Ltd in February last year - is to open and run shops specialising in giftware inspired by exhibits at Malta's most visited museums and heritage sites.

This year, The Museum Shop will open three other outlets at the Inquisitor's Palace in Vittoriosa, the Palace Armoury and Ghar Dalam. An online shop should also be up and running later on this year.

Pierre Mizzi, a director of Wirtna Shops Ltd, operators of The Museum Shop, told The Sunday Times earlier this month that the concept behind the franchise aimed to ensure that the museum experience was prolonged as visitors took a quality memento away with them after viewing exhibits.

The franchise brings together knowledge and expertise from business sectors including retail, product design and development, marketing and management, in a concerted effort to offer a wide, varied range of products that are innovative, artistic and, essentially, unique.

Besides operating the shops, the company has been entrusted with developing and promoting a branded product range based on our cultural heritage and its most representative artefacts which will be exclusive to The Museum Shop. Heritage Malta is lending its technical expertise to this end.

The company is now working to bring together a network of craftsmen and manufacturers to develop and supply products inspired by artefacts dating to specific historical periods including prehistory, the Roman/Punic era, the Knights' sojourn in Malta and World War II.

It is planned that the shops will also stock an extensive range of 'patriotic' items like replicas of the national flag, coinage sets, and tapestries, items related to natural history like replicas of fossils and extinct species of animals plants and birds, traditional items such as the Maltese clock, locally produced olive oil, preserves, wine and liqueurs, and similar objects aimed at the discerning museum visitor.

The shops currently stock a wide range of books, maps, souvenirs, and local produce. The first batch of replicas to be stocked by The Museum Shop - those of the Goddess of Fertility, the Sleeping Lady, Roman oscillae (complete with chips and uneven edges), the Cippus and the mosaics found at the Domus Romana - have proved to be particularly popular, Mr Mizzi said.

He added that items inspired by our best-known archaeological finds will also include cufflinks, candles, paperweights, stationery and prints.

Mr Mizzi said craftsmen who were interested in producing exclusive items for the franchise were most welcome to put forward a proposal to the franchise-holders.

The Museum Shop outlets are open every day from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.