Gem Store

We worked with Smithsonian Institution Business Enterprises (SIBE) on several stores.

The revenue arm of the non-profit Smithsonian Institution, SIBE runs museum gift stores, restaurants, and even the simulators at the Air and Space Museum. These stores, usually at the end of an exhibit, help keep our Smithsonian Museums free.

We did the current Gems and Minerals and the Mammals Hall stores in this museum. We worked closely with SIBE store designers, both our clients and our store consultants, providing program and specifics on fixtures and specialty products.

We designed displays and cash register stations for universal access. These projects were always rush-rush: trying to open for one busy season or another, controlling costs of ephemeral installations, and often bid from 95% contract documents.