Kaleb Sullivan, Buyer and E-commerce Manager, Retail

His sharp eye for new products keeps the Art Institute’s stores on the cutting edge of museum retail, and he brings a fresh perspective, easy confidence, and lighthearted touch to everything he does. He leads with positivity and has a way of making everyone around him feel instantly welcome.

Kaleb and I happen to share an office as well as a love of life’s essentials: coffee, fashion, and pop culture. I feel lucky to get to spend time with him each day and am excited for readers to get to know him and his witty, outgoing, effortlessly cool ways.

Bryn Hoffman: So Kaleb, how would you explain your role to the average person?

Kaleb Sullivan: The fun and quick way is to say that I shop for a living. That’s what I say at parties and dinners.

Bryn: That sounds like my dream.

Kaleb: It is my dream as well. More specifically, I select and manage inventory for the items we sell in the Art Institute’s stores. We think of our stores as the final touchpoint of a visitor’s experience, and we want their last moments here to be just as memorable as their time in the galleries.

Bryn: How do you go about accomplishing that?

Kaleb: We start by thinking about a work from the collection, or an exhibition, or just the museum as a whole, and we consider what the customer will remember and feel after experiencing it. What object might convey that same story or that feeling? How can we make sure there’s something inspiring here for everyone? And what does the data suggest people will actually buy? Then we factor in past sales, pricing, all of that, as well as timing. How long will it take to develop or source a product, and will that match up with the run of an exhibition? There are lots and lots of layers. 

Bryn: You’re saying retail is like an onion.

Kaleb: Yeah. Shout-out to Shrek. We’re also constantly reviewing and editing our inventory as we introduce new products—making sure that our offerings as a whole feel cohesive and that each individual product is here for a reason.

Bryn: It sounds like you get to be creative, which is the fun part, but you have to be analytical as well.

Kaleb: Absolutely. The more technical side involves trend forecasting, market analysis, vendor and product sourcing, agreements and contracts, supply chain management, pricing strategy, and just endless amounts of reporting and data analysis. I spend a big part of each day making a lot of small, precise decisions based on data. That might sound totally unexciting, but I genuinely love digging through the numbers and seeing what they can tell me.

Bryn: What drew you to your role? What did you do before this?

Kaleb: Being a born-and-raised Chicagoan—and I am obligated to say that I was born and raised in the city, not in the suburbs—

Bryn: A true city kid. What a flex.

Kaleb: I think so.

Having visited the museum all of my life, I couldn’t believe it when the opportunity to work here came up about seven years ago. Not to get too sentimental, but I really do love this museum and this city, and that motivates me every day. 

I spent the early part of my career working in retail here in Chicago, first as a buyer for a favorite store of mine and then as head of retail ops and brand development for a locally made denim brand. I’ve loved retail for as long as I can remember, even as a kid. I love stepping into stores and noticing how a space is designed, what music is playing, what kinds of people shop there, etc. All of that, I think, conspired to bring me here.

Bryn: You also have great taste, which is evident to anyone who meets you. 

Kaleb: Well I’m extremely flattered. I hope our guests think so too. 

Bryn: In addition to our on-site retail spaces, you manage the Museum Shop website. How has e-commerce changed the ways people engage with the Art Institute’s stores?

Kaleb: Most notably, it’s expanded our audience and made things easier to access. Guests can shop with us from anywhere, and they can do so before they visit, after they visit, or without visiting at all. A very common scenario is that someone will stop in and want to buy an exhibition catalog or something, but they won’t have any space left in their suitcase, or they’ll be going to dinner afterward. Boom—they can buy it online. And who doesn’t love coming home to a package on their doorstep?

Bryn: I love getting packages in the mail.

Kaleb: It’s like Christmas every day. 

Bryn: Coming from a museumgoing family myself, I think my parents would’ve appreciated not having to lug everything around and having the ability to say, “Let’s think about it, and if you really want it later …” That trick with the kids.

Kaleb: Absolutely.

Bryn: You and I have very different roles—me in event planning, and you in retail—but I’ve noticed a lot of overlap in how we approach our jobs. We both bookmark a lot of websites and take a lot of screenshots to stay on top of trends and track creative inspiration, for one thing.

Kaleb: You maybe even more than me. How many screenshots do you have? 

Bryn: I have… Oh, wow. I have 3,500.

Kaleb: That’s it?

Bryn: That’s it?!

Kaleb: I have 17,340 screenshots.

Bryn: You might need to explain that. 

Kaleb: So like you I keep an eye out for ideas everywhere I go, online and in person. I’m always looking, and I will always stop for something interesting. If a store looks cool, I’m going in. I’ll ask a friend where they got that cool thing, and I’m never afraid to ask a stranger either. If you open up my phone, you’ll see pictures of bracelets, tote bags, sweaters, couches even, and we don’t sell furniture! 

Bryn: Where else do you find inspiration?

Kaleb: Everywhere. Every day I find it in what people are wearing, in billboards, in the art that SAIC students carry to class. Our office is right by the Modern Wing, and I find myself headed there all the time. It feels crazy that I can get up from my desk and go see Lichtensteins, Warhols, or a whole wall of Cindy Sherman works. It all inspires me. 

Bryn: Something our readers might not know is that the Museum Shop develops a lot of its own products. I’ve seen firsthand how hard you and your team work on them.

Kaleb: Absolutely. This is a good time to mention the rest of our incredible team that works to bring these products to life—it’s not just me! It’s a real collaboration between myself, another buyer, and our product development team. One item I’m still so excited about is the lion plush, with accessories to match. It’s become a guest favorite as well as mine.

Bryn: I love the lion—I’ve gifted him numerous times.

Kaleb: You can get your lion a plush wreath for the holidays, of course, and now we also have a hoodie. There’s even a matching kids’ hoodie so your kid can match their lion.

Bryn: I’ll have to check that out for my kids! What’s something you’ve brought into the store that’s surprised you?

Kaleb: I like to keep an eye on the books we stock. A lot of them are works of art themselves, and sometimes an art book will sell modestly in the store but go on to sell for many times the original price at rare book fairs and other online marketplaces, particularly when the book doesn’t get reprinted. In the same way that a photographer does a limited number of prints, for instance, these books can become really valuable quickly. You just never know sometimes.

Bryn: If someone had a $100 gift card for the Museum Shop, what would you suggest they get?

Kaleb: Oh, man. Readers out there, I’m going to give you an exact breakdown of how I think this should be done:

First you’re going to get our new collection catalogue, Highlights of the Art Institute of Chicago, which is our new take on what used to be called The Essential Guide. It covers 200 key works from across the museum’s collection in different voices and from different points of view, including artists and Art Institute staff.

Then you’re going to get the new lion plush charm. Labubu who?

Bryn: Dare I say Lionbubu?

Kaleb: Lionbubu! You’re going to get the Edward Hopper Nighthawks enamel pin and the Art Institute by the Elevated Lines magnet.

Bryn: Great choices.

Kaleb: And you’re going to get the Highlights of the Art Institute of Chicago postcard book, which features Nighthawks on the cover. See, it’s all tying back together. With sales tax, that should put you at … $98.07.

Bryn: Those are some expert tips.

Kaleb: All hits, no misses.

Bryn: Great. So beyond the job, is there anything new with you personally that you want to share? What’s going on? 

Kaleb: My partner and I foster with local rescues here in Chicago, and we have someone new at home right now. Her name is Junebug. She’s what we call a “mystery floof.” This is an insider term. 

Bryn: Of course. Now this is a little silly, but if you had a tagline à la The Real Housewives, what would it be?

Kaleb: Oh, okay. I’m going to lean fully into this. So I’m coming across the screen like a Real Housewife and it says, “I’m Kaleb.” And I do a quick turn and whip my head around, give you a look from the back, and I say, “Your next obsession? Yeah, I picked that.” 

Bryn: Beautiful. I can see it now.

Kaleb: Or “Yes, you did see it here first.” Or, a little spicier: “Darling, if I picked it, it’s priceless.”

Bryn: That’s so good.

Kaleb: So Andy Cohen, if you’re listening …

Bryn: Bravo. Bravo.

Kaleb: Yeah. Holler. I’m ready.

Bryn: He’s ready.

Finally, you mentioned your love of the city and the museum earlier, but is there anything else that makes you excited to do your job every day?

Kaleb: I’m going to be unapologetically sappy here, but it’s seeing people enjoy the work we do. When I notice someone carrying one of our tote bags or something out in the world, and I know there are an infinite number of options out there, and they chose ours … I’m always sure to compliment them on it, but I don’t reveal myself. I just hit them with a “That’s an awesome tote, by the way,” and keep it moving.

—Kaleb Sullivan, buyer and e-commerce manager, Retail, and Bryn Hoffman, associate director, External Events

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