{"id":495088,"date":"2026-10-13T22:06:16","date_gmt":"2026-10-13T22:06:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/495088\/"},"modified":"2026-10-13T22:06:16","modified_gmt":"2026-10-13T22:06:16","slug":"how-niche-museums-survive-in-the-sacramento-area","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/495088\/","title":{"rendered":"How niche museums survive in the Sacramento area"},"content":{"rendered":"

Earlier this year, the Roseville Telephone Museum permanently closed its doors<\/a>. For decades, its displays of antique telephones and communications equipment was one of the largest and most varied in the nation.<\/p>\n

The museum was a project of the Roseville Telephone Company. After the Roseville Telephone Museum opened in 1994, it remained in operation for 22 years. The telephone company, meanwhile, went through a number of transformations, such as a 2000 name change to SureWest Communications and a 2012 acquisition by Consolidated Communications.<\/p>\n

Fidium Fiber owned the museum at the time of its closure, and did not respond to requests for comment from The Sacramento Bee. According to a Telephone Museum statement, former staff \u201care working thoughtfully to ensure the museum\u2019s historically significant artifacts find good homes with local museums and nonprofit organizations.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"An An oak “cathedral top” 1908 wall set was one of the many telephones in the Roseville Telephone Museum. The museum closed in June, according to a statement from a museum spokesperson. MICHAEL A. JONES Sacramento Bee file <\/p>\n

Museums of all sizes are having a tough time. When the Sacramento Area Museums organization conducted a survey of their members earlier this year, a whopping 90% reported a high or extremely high need for volunteers.<\/a> In 2025, the American Alliance of Museums surveyed 511 museum directors across the nation. More than half reported that visitor numbers were down, compared to pre-pandemic attendance, and that 34% of the institutions surveyed had lost important grants from the federal government<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Local treasures on display<\/p>\n

Many of the tiny museums that dot the Sacramento area are products of a combination of luck and people passionate about the museum collections.<\/p>\n

Don Salvatori was a Long Beach pharmacist \u201cwho really had the desire to put together a museum where California pharmacists could donate their artifacts and put them on display,\u201d said Debby Johnson. Upon Salvatori\u2019s death in 1996, instead of flowers, his family asked for donations towards a museum, Johnson said.<\/p>\n

Johnson is a retired pharmacist herself, and she was also once the president of the California Pharmacists Association. Despite living in Orange County, she\u2019s also the curator of the Don & June Salvatori California Pharmacy Museum, located within the California Pharmacists Association at 4030 Lennane Drive.<\/p>\n

The small museum is divided into three historical sections showing different eras of California pharmacy history. The museum is appointment-only, and visitors must call or email Johnson to view its artifacts. Johnson then dispatches local retired pharmacist George MacMurphey to conduct a tour.<\/p>\n

The California Pharmacy Museum has some advantages others don\u2019t, Johnson said. For one, they don\u2019t have to pay rent, since they are located inside the California Pharmacists Association building, and there\u2019s no full-time staff. However, one future problem may be that fewer pharmacists are joining the association, an issue plaguing many other professional organizations, according to Johnson.<\/p>\n

Art at home<\/p>\n

One small but mighty local museum can be found within a private residence.<\/p>\n

Corinna Fish is the owner and curator of the Sacramento Embroidery Arts Museum. Nearly 300 pieces of embroidery by various artists hang from the walls of a dedicated room in her home. Much like larger institutions, Fish hosts artist residencies and has temporary displays along with a permanent collection.<\/p>\n

However, to visit SEAM, prospective guests must message Fish on her Instagram and set up an appointment<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Fish, who works for UC Davis Health, accumulated her collection over the last decade she said. She has no hard rules as for what type of embroidery art makes it onto her walls, except that she\u2019s currently limiting most acquisitions to local Sacramento artists. \u201cI mostly purchased items because I thought they were beautiful,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\"Corinna Corinna Fish stands with her embroidery collection at her Sacramento home in September. ZIYU JULIAN ZHU The Sacramento Bee <\/p>\n

Her friends urged her to host a gallery exhibition or find a local museum willing to show the collection. Instead, Fish decided last year to turn a room in her home into an exhibition space and allow people to visit for free.<\/p>\n

Having a home museum, she thought, would also help motivate her to catalogue (and dust) the works in her collection. Guests can spend time perusing the pieces, browse her library of embroidery and craft books, or lounge on a beanbag with her cat Libby.<\/p>\n

Having a museum in her home also means \u201cthere\u2019s no expense, really, except for my mortgage,\u201d she said. Fish has worked for what she called \u201cunusual micro-museums\u201d in the past, as well as the Crocker. \u201cIt is just an incredible amount of work with the fundraising and the staffing,\u201d but she considers the work of such institutions \u201csuper noble.\u201d<\/p>\n

For people like Fish who are passionate about art and artifacts, the work of collecting and displaying treasures for the joy of others is natural. \u201cI think for people that are born collectors, the heart wants what it wants,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\"Visitors Visitors checks out some of Corinna\u2019s private collection in her private home museum in Sacramento in September. ZIYU JULIAN ZHU The Sacramento Bee Small and fascinating museums in and around Sacramento<\/p>\n

Some small museums are only open by appointment, so it\u2019s always a good idea to call ahead to make sure you can visit.<\/p>\n

Sojourner Truth African Heritage Museum<\/a><\/p>\n

2251 Florin Road No. 126, Sacramento<\/p>\n

Open Wednesday by appointment, Thursday through Saturday from noon to 5 p.m.<\/p>\n

General admission: $8<\/p>\n

Seniors and veterans: $6<\/p>\n

Children 7 and under: Free<\/p>\n

916-320-9573<\/p>\n

California State Indian Museum<\/a><\/p>\n

2618 K St., Sacramento<\/p>\n

Open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily<\/p>\n

Adult admission: $5<\/p>\n

Youth admission: $3<\/p>\n

Children 5 and under: Free<\/p>\n

(916) 324-0971<\/p>\n

Museum of Medical History<\/a><\/p>\n

5380 Elvas Avenue, Sacramento<\/p>\n

Open Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.<\/p>\n

Free admission<\/p>\n

(916) 452-2671<\/p>\n

Sacramento Embroidery Art Museum<\/a><\/p>\n

By appointment only<\/p>\n

Address and appointments available through direct messages on Instagram<\/p>\n

\"Corinna Corinna Fish, center, displays her embroidery collection to visitors at her Sacramento home on Sept. 29. ZIYU JULIAN ZHU The Sacramento Bee <\/p>\n

California Pharmacy Museum<\/a><\/p>\n

4030 Lennane Drive, Sacramento<\/p>\n

By appointment only, via museum@cpha.com or contacting Debby Johnson at 714-376-0424<\/p>\n

Free admission<\/p>\n

UC Davis Design Museum<\/a><\/p>\n

Cruess Hall, Room 124, UC Davis<\/p>\n

Monday through Friday, noon to 4 p.m.<\/p>\n

Free admission, open to the public<\/p>\n

(530) 752-6150<\/p>\n

The Big House Museum<\/a><\/p>\n

312 3rd St. at Folsom Prison<\/p>\n

Open Saturday, Sunday and Monday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.<\/p>\n

General admission $2<\/p>\n

Free admission under 12 years old<\/p>\n

(916) 985-2561<\/p>\n

U.S. Bicycling Hall of Fame<\/a><\/p>\n

303 3rd St., Davis<\/p>\n

Wednesday, 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.<\/p>\n

Saturday, 10 a.m. 2 p.m.<\/p>\n

General admission $5<\/p>\n

$3 for seniors over 55<\/p>\n

$3 for students<\/p>\n

(530) 341-3263<\/p>\n

Locke Boarding House Museum<\/a>, Chinese Schoolhouse Museum<\/a>, Dai Loy Museum<\/a>, Jan Ying Museum<\/a><\/p>\n

13916\u201313951 Main Street, Locke<\/p>\n

Open Friday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., weekends 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (The Boarding House Museum closes at 4 p.m. on weekends.)<\/p>\n

This story was originally published October 13, 2026 at 11:00 AM.<\/p>\n

Related Stories from Sacramento Bee<\/p>\n


\n \"Profile
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

Anne Ewbank<\/a><\/p>\n

The Sacramento Bee<\/p>\n

Anne Ewbank is a service journalist and food reporter for The Sacramento Bee. Previously, she worked as a writer and editor for the New York-based travel website Atlas Obscura, where she covered food and culture. A California native, she is a graduate of Occidental College and Yale University.\n <\/p>\n