The purpose of this master’s thesis was to investigate how museum stores are governed, with a focus on museum stores situated in museums in Stockholm and on museums stores which are part of a government agency. The purpose was also to investigate the relationship between the museum and the consumption in the museum store in general.  The thesis shows that museum stores which are part of a government agency are governed by their appropriation directions, including the direction that the museum stores must be fully financed. However, the museum stores are also influenced by guidelines that have not been written down, expectations from the museum and from museum patrons. Other factors not within the control of the museum were also of importance, and could limit the choices available for the museum store managers as well as be a source of inspiration. The result also shows that the museum store and the consumption it’s associated with, is seen as either a threat, a necessity or a possibility: The museum store is often viewed as being at odds with the main role of museums in general, while also being considered a necessity, helping the museum to meet the patron’s expectations. In some cases the museum could benefit from the museum store, due to the stores’ possibility of improving upon the museum visit, or making a profit usable in other museum activities. The source material was gathered from the websites of international and national organisations within the museum field. Material was also gathered during interviews with museum store managers in Stockholm. The theory used was cultural economics and consumption studies. The method for this essay was interviews, minor field studies, linguistic analysis. The focus of this essay was how the museum store is governed. The essay does not, for example, research how the museum visitors or museum patrons experienced the shop. This is a two years master’s thesis in Museum and Cultural Heritage Studies

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Introduction: This study investigates aspects of authenticity, branding and taste, in relation to the assortment of goods in shops affiliated with museums and cultural heritage sites. The research questions focus on the categories of products found in the shops, branding strategies and the approach and opinion of the shop regarding authenticity. The introductory hypothesis believed that a strong link between authenticity and taste would be visible in the material. Aim: The primary purpose of this study is to examine the tension between the commercial aspect and the cultural and educational role of museums and cultural heritage sites. Also, previous research has largely focused on cultural-historical museum shops and this study aimed to broaden the field regarding cultural heritage and consumption, by including both museums, and non-museums from several disciplines. Method: The material was procured by field studies and interviews with shop representatives. The sites included are the Vasa Museum, Skansen, the National Museum och Science and Technology, The Royal Palace and Stockholm City Hall. All sites are situated in Stockholm, Sweden. Results: The study concluded that further research should be done based on a more diverse material, in terms of subject and discipline of the sites. Several differences were identified between cultural heritage sites and museums, such as the judicial responsibilities of the museums. The shops belonging to cultural heritage sites aso acted more independently from their institutions, than those of the museums. The introductory hypothesis was mainly disproven, as authenticity was not as significant for the representatives as initially believed. This is a two years master's thesis in Museum and Cultural Heritage Studies.