Selling exclusive products for a good cause

A shop is a shop is a shop? With its two outlets in Mainz, mail-order service and internet store, this isn't quite true of the Gutenberg Museum Shop. It's a shop like many others – but also much more.

Like most shops the Gutenberg Shop was started to make money. Unlike many purely commercial enterprises, however, the money generated was always used for a charitable purpose – namely for the sponsorship and financial support of the Gutenberg Museum.

Dedicated to a good cause

Right from the very start the Gutenberg Shop has operated within an unusual setup. As opposed to the museum the shop isn't managed by the local authorities but has been run for the past ten years by a charitable organisation called the Förderverein Gutenberg e.V. or the Gutenberg Sponsorship Association, of whom printers, publishers and private individuals with an interest in the art of printing are members.

Personnel

Products are sold not by trained sales personnel but by volunteers who share a common love and an often profound knowledge of books and printing. This great dedication to the cause is expressed in many ways, one being the friendly and competent advice offered to customers by all of the members of our team.