Celebrating our museum icons with new products

From pickles and preserves inspired by a 1910 grocer’s shop to a range of greetings cards celebrating the local dialect, the team at Black Country Living Museum (BCLM) have introduced a swathe of exciting new products to their shop, celebrating the museum’s unique setting, storytelling and characters. 

After a review of the existing lines in the Museum Shop, the Enterprise team felt that it was time to refresh the offer. The new approach brings in a series of newly developed ranges which have been designed to be more relevant to the heritage site’s offering, more appealing to visitors and, most importantly, to be sold exclusively in the Museum Shop. 

Among the new products there are several ranges that have been inspired by some of the Museum’s translocated buildings. Gregory’s General Store, an Edwardian shop which was translocated to the Museum from its original location in nearby Old Hill, has inspired a range of kitchenware, biscuits and pickles, including a tangy piccalilli and a hearty mustard.

There’s also a range of vinyl record coasters inspired by one of our newly opened buildings, the 1950s-set Stanton’s Music Shop, giving visitors a chance to take the fun mid-century aesthetic home with them.

Arguably among the most famous buildings in the Museum are Hobbs’ and Sons Fish & Chip Shop and St James’s School. Both have been paid tribute to, with a host of new products celebrating each location.

Fans of the Museum’s iconic chippy can now take home a jar of Hobbs’ pickled eggs or onions and can even prepare their own chippy tea at home sporting a Hobbs’ apron, in the iconic green colour of the shopfront.

For visitors who love taking part in a school lesson, there’s a host of gifts inspired by our Edwardian teacher from a “silence is golden” tea towel to a school notepad, perfect for practising your ABCs.

The Museum engaged with freelancers Matthew Henderson and Anya Kirkby to help bring their ideas to life. Speaking about the launch, Matthew said: “It’s been a brilliant process working with the BCLM Team, from first identifying the USPs that visitors most love (such as certain experiences at the Museum and items from the collection), to developing the master artwork and final products. As a team we’ve tried to ensure the highest attention to detail, from charity messaging to storytelling with some Black Country humour thrown in too! It’s a real thrill to see the staff, volunteers and visitors enjoying the new products, that hopefully reflect the Museum experience.”

Anya created all the designs, including those inspired by the Museum’s collection. As part of the design process, the team commissioned illustrations and artwork from heritage artists, including Ben Henderson who created a repeat pattern inspired by traditional canal artwork, as well as vibrant illustrations of Museum icons and characters, which were used across a whole range of products.

The Museum’s iconic Historic Characters, who bring stories to life and are a visitor favourite, have been celebrated in several new ranges, including a range for “Bostin’ Black Country Women”. It is hoped that this range will enable Black Country folk to feel empowered and honour their heritage.

Kirsty Clark, Enterprise Manager (Concept Development) at Black Country Living Museum, said: “We needed the new products to capture our audience and be an authentic representation of who we are and what we do here at the museum. We wanted to accurately represent historic characters from all different walks of life and backgrounds, just as we do on site, reflecting the reality of our community here in the Black Country. If you have a great interaction with our characters, we want you to be able to take home a product that will keep that memory alive beyond your visit.” 

On working collaboratively, Kirsty continued: “It was great to work with Matthew, Anya and Ben on all the designs. Not only have they been incredibly easy to work with, they’re also passionate individuals who were as invested in the project as we were. It has been wonderful to stand back and watch visitors and colleagues interact with the products, see their excitement when browsing the ranges and find products they can relate to.”

The Museum has also given colleagues an opportunity to win a hamper of the new goodies at an upcoming social event. It is hoped that the giveaway will increase colleague awareness and build excitement about the new lines, as well as encourage colleagues to spark conversation about the new products with visitors.

Many of the ranges have now gone on sale in the Museum Shop and have proven popular with visitors already. Some of the most purchased lines so far have been keyrings which show off the vibrant artwork style of the Museum’s historic fairground, stationery inspired by the Edwardian school and magnets in the shape of the iconic portion of fish and chips.