When I visit a museum, I can’t wait to hit the gift shop. So when the New Crocker opened in October, I was as eager to check out the museum store as I was to see the widely acclaimed museum itself. I wasn’t disappointed. Located on the ground floor of the new building, the 1,300-square-foot store is beautifully designed and imaginatively merchandised. The shop’s stark white walls and simple display tables and cubbies are reminiscent of Sacramento’s Trumpette boutique—no surprise here, since Trumpette founder Jon Stevenson (a Crocker board member) helped design it. Michelle McKenzie, the store’s manager and buyer, has brought in an interesting product mix: books, stationery, kids’ stuff, jewelry, T-shirts, local crafts and a raft of items printed with the Crocker name. “We went out to find things that are fresh on the market,” says McKenzie, who spent 18 years at the Monterey Bay Aquarium as a store manager and buyer. McKenzie promises the store’s inventory will change constantly. “New things come in every day,” she says.
 | Trumpette designed this commemorative T-shirt ($16.95) |
 | Paintbrush pencil: a pencil on one end, a paintbrush on the other ($2.95) |
 | “Cuppa Joe” sculpture by local artist Tony Natsoulas ($85) |
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Double-walled porcelain coffee mug with silicone lid ($18.95) |
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Tote bag made from a recycled Crocker Art Museum exhibit banner ($55) |
 | Wayne Thiebaud jigsaw puzzle ($17.95); a section of the store is devoted to Sacramento’s most famous artist |
