VMFA Opens Pop-Up at Short Pump Town Center

Soft opening is August 3 with grand opening event on August 8, 6 p.m.

The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Shop announces the opening of a satellite retail store at Short Pump Town Center on August 3, 2015. ShopVMFA will be open through January 2016 on the upper level between Nordstrom and Crate & Barrel.

“People who visit our store in the museum district frequently request that we open stores in other locations,” VMFA Director of Retail Operations Michael Guajardo said. “The satellite location in Short Pump will include exclusive items, as well as holiday merchandise. The opening of the new shop also coincides with the launch of our expanded, enhanced, and easy to use website, vmfashop.com.”

The online shop will feature 500 items, including an exclusive selection in stores. VMFA memberships will be available for purchase online, as well as in the Short Pump location. General memberships are fully tax-deductible and include the following: exhibition previews and unlimited free admission for all ticketed special exhibitions; free parking; discounts in the shops, Amuse Restaurant, and Best Café, as well as for museum classes, programs, and performances; member-only travel opportunities; and a subscription to VMFA magazine.

ShopVMFA at Short Pump Town Center will be the museum’s second major off-site retail initiative.   The shop will offer many of the same collection-inspired and artisan merchandise that customers encounter at VMFA’s flagship store. In addition to offering VMFA’s best-selling and most popular items, the shop will feature a selection of high-end design items offered only at the Short Pump Town Center location, including jewelry and gifts for every age range.

Opening this new location serves two important VMFA objectives: expanding its customer base and increasing revenues that can be used to support museum operations and programs. From fiscal years 2010 to 2015, the VMFA Shop generated $14,000,000 in gross revenues. The new shop, as well as other shop initiatives, are expected to continue to increase gross revenues in the coming years. These efforts contribute to VMFA’s overall mission of enhancing the enjoyment, discovery, and appreciation of the arts in all of its forms.

Grand Opening Details
When:
August 8, 6 – 9 p.m.
What: Grand opening festivities, including entertainment and artistic icons who will help guide visitors to the store.
Who: Open to the public.
Where: Short Pump Town Center courtyard.
Additional: Members will receive a double discount (20 percent) on merchandise.
* Extra discount does not apply to Marie Chamblin Dirom , L’object, Moser, Gabriel Ofiesh, and Jason McLeod.

About the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
VMFA’s permanent collection encompasses more than 33,000 works of art spanning 5,000 years of world history. Its collections of Art Nouveau and Art Deco, English silver, Fabergé, and the art of South Asia are among the finest in the nation. With acclaimed holdings in American, British Sporting, Impressionist and Post-Impressionist, and Modern and Contemporary art – and additional strengths in African, Ancient, East Asian, and European – VMFA ranks as one of the top comprehensive art museums in the United States. Programs include educational activities and studio classes for all ages, plus lively after-hours events. VMFA’s Statewide Partnership program includes traveling exhibitions, artist and teacher workshops, and lectures across the Commonwealth. VMFA, a certified Virginia Green attraction, is open 365 days a year and general admission is always free. For additional information, telephone 804-340-1400 or visit www.vmfa.museum.

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