Everything old is new again at the North Bay Museum.
Discovery North Bay Museum has been rebranded. So the name Discovery North Bay Museum is out, and the North Bay Museum is in.
“We found that our current branding was confusing people and they were not sure what to expect at the museum. The original branding was Discovery North Bay, and a lot of people thought it was a visitor centre for tourist information and so we wanted to rectify that,” said museum curator and director, Naomi Hehn.
“We also wanted a name that was really clear and simple and would communicate what we are, which is the North Bay Museum.”
The idea for change has been percolating for a few years.
A community survey offered a number of suggestions. Half of the respondents thought a name change was required.
“And almost all of them thought we should change our logo, which we had already decided to do. Between the responses we got from the survey and from talking to people in our volunteer group, and a wider audience, it seemed that was the best way to proceed.”
People were asked for their feedback on the role they thought the museum should play in the community.
“The number one answer was to communicate, and exhibit local history. So we wanted to make it clear that that was our primary role. We do take in travelling shows, we do kids programming, we do rentals, we do all sorts of things, but we wanted to make our primary focus the most visible.”
Graphic designer, Raymond Brand created the new logo.
“It was designed to suit whatever need we had, from fundraisers to retro-video games, the haunted hikes, all of it. So we needed something that would pull all that together, and let everybody know that these are efforts of the museum,” said Brand.
“That’s why we use the one strong symbol. It has nice soft edges so it’s inviting, and it feels like you can walk into it. I’ve been nicknaming it the arch. It was inspired by the gateway arch you see in Lee Park, even the bay itself is that similar shape, the underpass to get to this area, the classic sort of railway tunnel and the building itself has that same arch built into it over and over. So the inspiration was drawn from all over North Bay, sort of this unifying thing I noticed. I made that the logo, the vessel we can use to show off the museum.”
The launch of the new brand and logo, coincided with the unveiling of the museum’s newest exhibit, depicting some of the various storefronts on Main Street North Bay.
Many museum patrons and downtown business owners attended the launch. A brief history of J.W. Richardson Hardware, De Marco’s Confectionery and the Empire Hotel, was presented by people with personal ties to the business owners.
“It’s all about the heritage of North Bay, specifically focusing on businesses and community institutions, so we’ve actually recreated several storefronts. They give people a chance to look at what North Bay may have looked like between the 1920’s and the 1940’s, and just to learn about our downtown history as well,” said the museum curator.
Ralph Diegel and his wife Pat, owners of Deegan’s shoe store contributed some memorabilia from its store to dress up the their storefront as part of the exhibit.
“I think it’s wonderful. I’m glad to see our old x-ray machine getting some publicity. Those were the good old day’s,” laughed Diegel.
Back in the day, people would stand in the machine with their shoes on, and they could see how much room they had between their toes and the end of the shoe to get the proper fitting shoe.
“It was a sales gimmick let’s face it,” grinned Diegel.
“Eventually the medical association came out and said too many x-rays were not good for your feet, so that’s why it’s here.”
Wife Pat is pleased with the way their store is depicted.
“I think it’s beautiful. It’s really very, very nice and the large picture of the store at the back is great, and it’s showing Mr. Deegan in the back of it, and the horse is way in the very back which is somewhat of a landmark for North Bay. I think it’s wonderful. They’ve done a great job.”
Wandering through the exhibit brought back many memories for the general public, including business owners and their family members.
