Featured D56 shop: Bronners

Bronner's is legendary. They even have their own D56 building, as depicted in this image. If you click on the picture, you can view the descriptive page on the corporate D56 site.

I was looking for some additional stores from the midwest to add to the Google Map of Recommended Department 56 shops. It was suggested that I include Bronner's.

A quote from a member of the d56 yahoo group: "They say they are the largest Christmas store in the world....It is a family run business, and they are the sweetest people. I've been going there for over 20 years, and every time I go ALL of the salespeople are full of Christmas cheer...no matter what time of year it is! It is one of the happiest places to shop. If you go, go during the weekdays, when it is a bit less crowded. Also, they don't get their "new" Christmas stock until around July. So, between July and Christmas is the best shopping time"

I had been waiting for an article on their history from their marketing department, but being the impatient blogger, I've decided to go ahead and feature their store anyway.

Bronner's Christmas Wonderland is located in Frankenmuth, Michigan, and the famed store is basically a fantasyland, featuring shimmering lights, sparkling ornaments, and whimsical animated figures - a worldwide selection of over 50,000 trims and gifts!

The size of 5.5 football fields, Bronner's provides Christmas lovers with a delightful shopping experience for which they'll return again and again. Approximately 100,000 twinkling lights illuminate Bronner's half-mile long Christmas Lane every evening.

Bronner's Silent Night Memorial Chapel, a 56-foot-tall landmark, is nestled on the southern tip of Bronner's 27 acres of beautifully landscaped grounds. It is a replica of the original chapel in Oberndorf/Salzburg, Austria, which marks the site where "Silent Night" was first sung on Christmas Eve in 1818.

Besides featuring Department 56, the store also sells Hummels, Seraphim, Charming Talk, ornaments, nutcrackers, Precious Moments and much more.

Bronner's was founded in 1945 by Wally Bronner. When Wally painted his first sign over 50 years ago, little did he dream that his small business would one day become the world's largest Christmas store visited by millions of people.