Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to James O’Conner. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

James, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

The National Archives Store has been in operation since 2003. The mission of the store is to educate the public about the vast holdings of the National Archives through creative product development and merchandising. Everything we sell is tied to the holdings of the National Archives, such as souvenirs, apparel, custom gift items, and reproductions of our historic documents. Every dollar that is made from the store goes back to the National Archives Foundation which helps support our public outreach and civic education efforts.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I’m James O’Connor, Associate Director of Retail for the National Archives Store. I have been with the store since 2018, and I oversee product development, merchandising, staff development, customer engagement, and the daily business management of our customer-facing retail operations. I have been in retail for most of my professional life, and I really enjoy the work I get to do with the National Archives Store. Many people don’t know that every dollar that comes into the store goes back to the Foundation. Our sales help fund educational programs and museum exhibits designed to inspire civic engagement and an ongoing interest in our history. Our online store helps fund the same initiatives, while making our inventory available to a wider audience.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

We strive for the highest quality merchandise, have high store standards, and strive to give the best customer service in the museum community. Our goal is to have something for everyone, and having the entire holdings of the National Archives at our disposal allows us to do just that. We have products ranging from the Founding Documents, Native American History, Civil Rights, Historic Patents, Women’s Suffrage, Sports, and so much more! We have built our reputation based on classic reproductions and creative takes on classics. We have had other museum store buyers come to our store for inspiration and we sell our products wholesale to other museum stores.

“What is a recent example of innovation that has helped your business grow?”

After the pandemic we invested in two self checkout kiosks in addition to our traditional registers. Customers reacted favorably to them. After a full year we decided to do a remodel of the store and also make the investment going fully into the self checkout model. Just in the first few months, this investment has paid off more than we could have ever imagined. It has sped up the checkout process, allowed our employees to be on the sales floor interacting with customers, and created a better customer flow. Our sales, average sale, and conversion rate are at an all time high this year! We are the only museum store in DC that has self checkout kiosks.

Any advice for managing a team?

Treat your team with respect and inclusiveness, they are the heart of your business. Maintaining a high morale while running a successful business is a balancing act. You need to keep your employees engaged and interested in the business while following policy and holding everyone accountable for their specific tasks. We bring our teams into the decision making process whenever it is possible, which allows them to have a buy-in with store updates and policy changes. We also show our team new product ideas to generate a larger conversation- our team has a pulse and the customers needs and wants, so this helps ensure we are on the right track. One of the things that keeps our team’s morale high is hosting a group breakfast, lunch, or snack. This might seem like a small gesture, but it goes a long way.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.nationalarchivesstore.org
• Instagram: @nationalarchivesstore
• Facebook: @nationalarchivesstore.org

Image Credits
National Archives Foundation