Located in the heart of the Art Deco district in Miami Beach is the gift shop and cafe for the…read moreWolfsonian contemporary design museum. Opened to the public in 1995, the Wolfsonian was created by millionaire Mitchell "Micky" Wolfson, Jr., a Miami Beach native and collector and expert on modern design, architecture, and the decorative arts. He began acquiring much of what makes up the collection in the 1970's and he stored it at the Washington Storage Company facility on Washington Avenue in Miami Beach which is a building from 1926. By 1986, 90% of the building housed his collection so he bought the building and established The Wolfsonian Foundation in order to preserve the collection and make it available for research. In 1992 architect Mark Hampton to expanded and renovated the Washington Storage Company building, converting it into a museum and research center. Hampton and architect architect William Kearns created a modernist lobby, museum café and shop. Upstairs are permanent and temporary galleries along with a library, offices, and storage. The museum is one of seven campuses of F.I.U. University.
The gift shop for the museum is a very unique and elegant space. Displayed on a beautiful 1915 shelving system by Snead & Co, the Design Store sells a carefully curated collection of design inspired travel accessories, stationary, bath items, household goods, watches, jewelry, clocks, toys, and books that include award-winning Wolfsonian publications. I loved the cat yoga magnets, children's toy flamingo, and book, and note cards. The is the perfect place to find a unique gift for someone or something for yourself.
The Cafe is a brand new addition to the museum and it serves ethically sourced coffee, drinks, cake, and pastries The Wolfsonian partnered with the Nandan Estate, an organic farm in the hills south of Nilgiri, at 4000 feet in Tamil Nadu, India. The coffee picks up the flavors of the cardamom, black pepper, chill and orange from the trees also grown on the farm. The café at the Design Museum is their second espresso bar to open. ,A museum entrance ticket entitles you to a ten percent discount at the cafe.
You don't have to pay a museum admission to visit the Wolfsonian Design Store + Cafe. There is a separate entrance on Washington or you can enter from inside the museum. This summer is the perfect time to discover the Design Store + Cafe because the ground floor of the museum is free all summer as the upper floors of the museum are renovated and closed to the public.