JMM Insights: Esther’s Place Online

In this week’s edition of JMM Insights, Esther’s Place Shop Manager Chris Sniezek provides us a behind-the-scenes look at Esther’s Place: Online!

I invite you to join JMM for two great programs this weekend. First, at 1pm on Sunday, take a deep dive into the history of the Lloyd Street Synagogue’s mikva’ot (a bath used for ritual immersion) as part of our 175th anniversary year-long celebration of the Lloyd Street Synagogue. At 4pm on Sunday, social justice educator, facilitator, and trainer Imani Chapman will be in dialogue with Rabbi Jessy Dressin about the challenges and opportunities of raising an anti-racist child.

I continue to hold weekly office hours as I get to know people interested and invested in the work of the JMM. My virtual door is open, and I want to hear your thoughts, ideas, and aspirations for this museum. You can make your appointment to visit with me here.

In community,

Sol Davis, Ph.D.
Executive Director
Pronouns: he/him/his
Jewish Museum of Maryland


Screen shot of the home page for the Museum's online gift shop, which includes a short "about" section and a grid of merchandise available for purchase.

If I had to think of a theme for this past year, I’d say it would be “learning.” Everyone has spent the past year learning how to navigate a new digital, physically-distanced world and the Museum is no different. Our programs and school groups have learned to adapt to Zoom, staff have learned to keep their masks on while doing everyday activities inside the Museum, and I have learned how to build and operate an online shop on top of a physical space. For this week’s JMM insights I’m going to share a little about Esther’s Place: Online and what I’ve learned about running an online shop.

We had already been considering the need for an online shop when JMM first ended our public open hours back in the middle of March 2020. With visitors unable to peruse the physical shop to find the perfect gifts, Judaica, and holiday materials, we needed to expedite our plans for the shop to have a digital presence. After a frantic few weeks learning the ins-and-outs of creating an online shop using Ecrater, like how to add and describe items, connecting our bank account, and similar, the Jewish Museum of Maryland online shop was officially up and running by the beginning of April. Since then, I’ve been able to add to the inventory online with a steady stream of items to better reflect the variety of merchandise we offer in the physical store.

One of the really useful (and interesting) features of an online store is it gives us the ability to evaluate our most popular items using numerical data rather than relying only on personal observation. This lets us know not just how many of a particular item we should keep on hand, it also helps us learn what – and how – to better advertise our merchandise. It’s also really interesting to see how our shoppers’ preferences differ between shopping physically in the store and shopping online.

Screenshot of the "Holidays" category page of the online museum shop showing a grid of merchandise options like kiddush cups, candle holders, and menorahs.

The two most popular categories visited, perhaps unsurprisingly, have been the  “Holidays” and “Sale Items” sections. In the first you’ll find items like menorahs, Shabbat candlesticks, yartzheit candles, honey pots and seder plates. Our “Sale Items” section is a little bit of a hodge-podge, featuring reduced price merchandise. It’s a great place to check if you missed out on some gift shop swag from our past exhibits!

Two of our most popular “clicked on” items are our custom Shalom Hon! And Jewish Penicillin mugs (which we highly recommend for all your hot beverage needs). And it’s especially pleasing to see that our Voices of Lombard Street exhibit catalog is consistently the highest “clicked on” book we carry.

Four large soup mugs in black, red, and green. On each mug is text reading "Jewish penicillin a recipe to warm the body and soul."

Esther’s Place: Online averages over 200 visitors each month with some major spikes coming right before holidays. However, these visitors are not limited to our neighbors in Baltimore City, Owings Mills, and Pikesville (though they do represent a significant portion of our shoppers)! We are also seeing visitors from places like Cheyenne, WY; Larchmont, PA; New York City; and Seattle, WA. Without the physical limitations of our in-Museum shop space, we can reach people all over the country.

Moving online and looking for new ways to market to such a potentially larger audience led us to create our monthly themed gift bundles. We add new themed bundles to the online shop at the beginning of each month, and they are only available online! We introduced the bundles in November and they’ve been a real hit, making holiday gift shopping even easier and more streamlined – plus all purchases support the work of the Museum.

top image shows a pair of white porcelain mugs with gold handles on heart shaped saucers, along with a heart shaped bowl that is gold on the inside, as well as a heart shaped metal box with decorative etching. 

Bottom left shows two necklaces, a pair of earrings, and a letter press illustration of a heart. Bottom right shows two necklaces and a ring.

Last month we introduced our the “New Year’s Resolution” bundle focused on health and fitness and this month we’ve got a variety of Valentine’s Day themed bundles perfect for celebrating your loved ones, even from afar.

A cook book, a book about the history of jewish coffee houses, a magnet that looks like the yellow, blue and red signature Old Bay spice can and a mug with the same design as the magnet.

One of our most popular themes so far has been cooking – you can still get your own “Cooking Bundle,” but supplies are limited! Don’t worry though, we’ve got a ton of new themed bundles coming soon. You can find all our available bundles under the “General” category. Bundles arereasonably priced for those on a budget and are guaranteed to put a smile on your face!

 These bundles are perfect for yourself or as a gift. Remember – JMM members can use their discount code by adding promo code “Member” at checkout. Want to pick up your purchase rather than wait for it to ship? Add the code Curbside Pickup and shop manager Chris (that’s me) will reach out to you!

Can’t wait to help you with all your shopping needs,

~Chris Sniezek
Esther’s Place Shop Manager
csniezek@jewishmuseummd.org

Categories
Esther's Place JMM Blog

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.