Your Holiday Gift Guide to New York City Museum Shops, Plus Promo Codes 2013

New York City is home to the best museum shops, boasting unique gifts that–many times–cannot be found elsewhere. Find our 2014 holiday gift guide here. Plus, take advantage of museum discount or promo codes, exclusive to you, our Thoughtlectuals–in time for holiday deals and savings.

We’ll have more museum discounts in the near future. Get notified of the savings by signing up for Thought Gallery below.

New York City Museum Shops and Stores Discount or Promo Codes

• The New Museum Store, 235 Bowery: Save 10% in store when you mention Thought Gallery. Save 10% online with code TG10. Excludes limited editions, memberships, gift cards and shipping. Expires Dec. 31, 2013.

• The Shop at Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum: Save 10% online when you use code SPECIAL. One-time use only. Expires Dec. 31, 2013

• The Met Store, 1000 Fifth Ave.: Buy one watch* and get a second one for $30. (*Only applies to the Met Watch Collection) Buy one 2014 calendar and get another one for 25% off. Holiday cards are also buy one, get one 50% off. See more special offers here.

• The Tenement Museum Gift Shop, 103 Orchard St.: Save 10% in store when you mention Thought Gallery at the Tenement Museum Gift Shop. Not valid on gift certificates, memberships and museum tickets. Expires Dec. 31, 2013.

For the Art Lover

1. The Met Store *Buy one, get one for $30! Only applies to the Met Watch Collection
Wristwatches feature photographically reproduced masterpieces on the face and bands. Shown here, Favrile Peacock Feather watch and Monet’s Sunflower watch*. $70.

3. The Frick Collection Shop: In an exclusive tin printed with a work of art from The Frick Museum, this set of colored pencils are sure to inspire an artist to create his or her own work of art. 12 pencils. $16.95.

4. The Met Store
700 artists and 2,500 artworks are illustrated chronologically in this 612-page hardcover tome. 10″x12″ hardcover. $50.

Tip: Interested in learning about how art and design work together or want to know how to begin collecting design? Individual continuing education classes at the New York School of Interior Design are $70 each or $500 for the entire 10-series curriculum.

For the Bibliophile

1. The Tenement Museum Gift Shop *Save 10% in store at the Tenement Museum Gift Shop when you mention Thought Gallery! Not valid on gift certificates, memberships and museum tickets. Expires Dec. 31, 2013*
Match Book: Snatch up this special edition of banned books set of five match books featuring once-banned titles of Slaughterhouse-Five, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Black Beauty, Fahrenheit 451 and Song of Solomon. Set of 5. $9.99.

2.The Whitney Museum Shop: A slim, mobile booklight with bright LED illumination, this rechargeable device slides over any book cover or base, making it the perfect companion for portable reading. Use your laptop or computer to charge via USB connection. $19.95.

3. Transit Museum Store: Recovered from the floor of Grand Central Terminal’s Vanderbilt Hall, the Tennessee pink marble has been transformed into sturdy bookends to display on any shelf. Limited edition of 250 sets. $75.

4. The Met Store
Easy to store in your wallet, eyelights are the size of a credit card and will light up and magnify text at the touch of a button. $14.95.

For the Jet Setter

1. The Shop at Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum *Save 10% online when you use code SPECIAL. One-time use only. Expires Dec. 31, 2013*
Handmade in Japan using leather, this slim wallet features three sections to keep important travel documents from moving around, so that you can focus on getting to your destination. $375.

2. The MoMA Store
Four-in-one, this adaptor can be used in more than 150 countries and is color-coded to indicate which you’ll need depending on where you are in the world, you globetrotter, you. Don’t leave home without it! $25.

3. The New Museum Store *Save 10% at the New Museum Store with code TG10 online or mention Thought Gallery in store. Excludes limited editions, memberships, gift cards and shipping. Expires Dec. 31, 2013*
The Travel Wallet is created by artist David Shrigley and contains four double-sided removable phrase cards and a removable 24-page passport book. The artist recommends it for all international use and interstate travel (or around town). $95.

4. Neue Galerie: Whether getting away for the weekend or taking an international trip, the weekender bag is the perfect size for an overnight stay or a carry-on. Lined with sateen, the 100-percent wool velour Neue Galerie exclusive tote features Italian leather handles and has a detachable card holder. The pattern showcases Ottow Wagner 1912. $480.

 For the Writer

1. The New Museum Store *Save 10% at the New Museum Store with code TG10 online or mention Thought Gallery in store. Excludes limited editions, memberships, gift cards and shipping. Expires Dec. 31, 2013*
Set your ideas in gold with this Gold Bar noteblock of more than 300 sheets. 5″x7″ $8.95.

2. The Tenement Museum Gift Shop *Save 10% in store at the Tenement Museum Gift Shop when you mention Thought Gallery! Not valid on gift certificates, memberships and museum tickets. Expires Dec. 31, 2013*
Declare your love for New York when you carry this small “Dear New York, I Love You” tote everywhere you go. $24.99,

3. The Shop at Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum *Save 10% online when you use code SPECIAL. One-time use only. Expires Dec. 31, 2013*
A new twist on the classic school day No. 2 pencil, this retractable roller-ball pen is made of lacquered brass barrels. $37.

4. The Shop at Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum *Save 10% online when you use code SPECIAL. One-time use only. Expires Dec. 31, 2013*
An all-American alternative to the popular Moleskine notebooks, the Field Notes brand speaks more to the inner lumberjack, plumbers, farmers and software engineers. Special edition Field Notes are customized with The Shop at Cooper-Hewitt logo. 3.5″ x 5″ 24 pages, $4.

Spread the Savings

Share these NYC museum discounts and promo codes with your friends and family!

For the Techie

1. The MoMA Store
Get the time, date and temperature with a snap of your fingers (or a simple tap on the cube). This MDF wood and plastic wood-grain walnut veneer alarm clock features three sounds and a dimmer function. $38.

2. The Store at the Museum of Arts and Design
No need to fuss with gloves while trying to access your touchscreen smart phone. These leather gloves by Glove.ly ensure that your entire hand works invisibly with all touchscreen phones and tablets. Sheepskin leather. $92, gloves available only in store.

3. The Whitney Museum Shop: A built-in lens and flash this lomographic camera is part of a starter kit for anyone wishing to experiment and have fun with an inexpensive medium format camera. $75.

4. The Shop at Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum *Save 10% online when you use code SPECIAL. One-time use only. Expires Dec. 31, 2013*
Turn any indoor or outdoor gathering into a party with this small balloon speaker for your MP3 player. Compatible with any earphone jack, this lively portable speaker offers up four hours of playing time when fully charged. $45.

For the Fashionista

1. The Store at the Museum of Arts and Design
Designed by Joan Goodman, this Italian resin lightweight necklace features delicate gold dots that accent the chain’s subtle quilted pattern. $282.

2. The Whitney Museum Shop: Take home Robert Indiana’s famous pop icon symbol of Love. Scaled down from the original 12 x 12 x 6-foot steel artwork, this authentic polished aluminum replica can be used as a paperweight or a unique wedding cake topper. Choose from 6 colors. $85.

3. The Shop at Brooklyn Museum: Created by leading fashion-illustrator Nina Chakrabarti, My Wonderful World of Fashion is an interactive coloring book for fashion aficionados of all ages. The book also includes how to make a sari, turn a napkin into a headscarf and other fun fashion ideas. $19.95.

4. American Folk Art Museum Shop: A delicate chain leash separates a little girl and her black cat. Each figure has a pin, so you can control the distance between the girl and her cat. $22.

For the Chef

1. The Met Store
Showcasing an original illustration by Charles Martin (French, ca. 1884-ca. 1934), this “bottled” wine accessories kit includes stainless steel tools for the wine connoisseur: combo corkscrew and bottle opener, drip stop ring, wine stopper, foil cutter and combo pourer and stopper. $45.

2. The MoMA Store
Color coded and designed with non-slip grips, these chopping boards are designed to avoid cross-contamination, so your fruits and veggies don’t leave their juices on your meats and fish, or vice versa. Boards are dishwasher-safe. $65.

3. Shop at the Museum of the City of New York
Do you order an everything bagel with schmear? A coffee, regular is with milk and two sugars. A sturdy natural canvas, this Eat Like a New Yorker tote is perfect for carrying groceries. $28

4. Museum Shop at the American Museum of Natural History
These hand-painted earthenware whale measuring cups add fun to your cooking or baking. The set includes 1/4 cup, 1/2 cup, 1/3 cup and 1 cup. $21.99.

For the Kids

1. American Folk Art Museum Shop
Kids will learn the geography of Manhattan with this NYC Map baseball that marks off city landmarks such as Central Park, Little Italy, South Street Seaport and more. A gloss wraps around the artwork and protects the baseball. Comes with a gift box and green turf stand. $25.

2. Guggenheim Store
Let your kids discover the Guggenheim Museum with Andy, a young boy who wanders away from his napping father in Central Park. Once inside the beautiful building, Andy begins an adventure on the museum’s endless ramps filled with artworks by Kandinsky, Rouault and Picasso. First published in 1970, this new edition, with original text and illustrations by A.C. Hollingsowrth, is also offered as an e-book. $9.95 hardcover, $6.99 e-book.

3. Store at the New-York Historical Society Museum & Library
10 faceted stone-size oak wood shapes can be used to create your own version of Stonehenge. Packaged in a cotton drawstring bag for easy clean up and carry. $55.

4. The Store at the Museum of Arts and Design
Jump start your little one’s foray into the art world with these eye-catching, stackable and easy to hold crayons. Certified non-toxic. Set of 12. Recommended for children ages 2 and older. $12.95.

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