Met Opera Shop

Surprise. I love this place. Sometimes I find myself trying to spend more money on things I probably wouldn’t use just because I like the store. The little mint boxes are a great find.

THE destination for your signature renee fleming perfume! (i wish i was kidding)
they do have some nice stuff, though: cute candles, funky bracelets, GOLD passport holders! what any of those things really has to do with opera, i don’t know. but i appreciate the effort.

The Opera Shop sells opera souvenirs, audio and video recordings, books, and accessories. While the comprehensive audio/​video selection at Tower Records down the street was untouchable for many years, the Met prided itself on carrying a very wide selection of commercial recordings by historical and current singers. Since Peter Gelb took office in 2006, the store has undergone 2 major renovations (and Tower went out of business), and each time, décor became more minimalist as the inventory shrunk. Recording selection is limited to major labels and names; coffee table books are all that remain of the wide selection of singer biographies. The curious tchotkes, costume jewelry, Met bathrobes and children’s toys have been replaced with Eau de Renée Fleming and Swarovski reproductions. Patron favorites like the Met calendars and datebooks have been phased out in favor of hi-​end audio equipment and Sirius satellite radios. They also used to sell autographed photos, for as cheap as $ 20, of current and retired stars (Mirella Freni, Inge Borkh, Licia Albanese etc)…now only framed and matted portraits that start at a few hundred dollars. And forget the occasional sale!
While the Met Player display at the back can provide a few moments of diversion, there is little to recommend this stale place that doesn’t know what it wants to be.