Bronner's Trivia
HISTORY
- Wally Bronner originated BRONNER’S CHRISTmas WONDERLAND in 1945. His wife Irene Bronner was also active in the family business until her retirement.
- Bronner’s is owned and managed by six Bronner family members.
- Bronner's three original salesrooms were the Main Salesroom (1954), Tannenbaum Shop (1966), and Bavarian Corner (1971).
- The present Bronner building opened June 8, 1977.
- Bronner's 100,000 sq. ft. expansion opened May 22, 1991. Bronner's 37,000 sq. ft. shipping expansion was ready September 2000. An 80,000 sq. ft. expansion opened at Bronner's in May 2002, followed by the south entrance/exit expansion in June 2003.
- In 1992, with Austria's permission, Bronner's erected a replica of the Oberndorf (Salzburg), Austria, Silent Night Memorial Chapel in tribute to the Christmas hymn "Silent Night" and in thankfulness to God.
- Bronner's motto is: "Enjoy CHRISTmas, it's HIS Birthday; Enjoy LIFE, it's HIS Way"
- Beamer the Bronner Star™ was born in 1999.
BUILDING AND GROUNDS INFORMATION
- Bronner's is the world's largest year-round Christmas store, covering 2.2 acres (1.7 football fields). Beautifully landscaped grounds cover 27 acres, with 7.35 acres (5.5 football fields) of building in Bronner's entire complex.
- Three giant outdoor Santas tower 17 feet, and the lofty snowman is 15 feet.
- Bronner's parking lot accommodates 1,470 parking spots.
- Bronner's electrical bill averages $1250 per day.
- Approximately 100,000 lights illuminate Bronner's ½-mile long Christmas Lane every evening from dusk until midnight.
MERCHANDISE AND DISPLAYS
- Bronner's features over 50,000 trims and gifts for all seasons, reasons, and budgets.
- Many of Bronner's items sell for under $10, and two-thirds sell for under $20.
- Over 250 styles of Nativity scenes are available.
- Decorations and gifts from 35 nations are displayed.
- Bronner staff personalize 400,000 ornaments annually.
- Approximately 50% of the glass ornaments sold are Bronner's own designs, handcrafted by global artisans exclusively for Bronner's.
- "Merry Christmas" ornaments in more than 40 languages are among the 8000 styles of ornaments available.
- Each year Bronner's guests purchase more than 2 million ornaments and over 125,000 light sets (approximately 485 miles of light cords).
- More than 300 decorated trees are displayed in Bronner's salesroom.
- Each decorated tree at Bronner's includes a Nativity ornament.
COLLECTIBLES
- Bronner's Hummel collection has over 1000 figurines, one of most every subject produced for purchase under Goebel.
- Bronner's collection of Precious Moments includes the original 21 along with a selection of figurines and ornaments from the collection's first 25 years.
- A total of 570 Nativities from 65 nations are part of Bronner's collection on display in the program center.
VISITOR INFORMATION
- Over two million guests visit annually from throughout the world, including 2,000 motorcoach groups.
- The weekend after Thanksgiving is Bronner's busiest of the year with as many as 50,000 guests.
- Over a million guests have viewed the "World of Bronner's."
AWARDS AND HONORS
- Goebel honored Bronner's as its 1997 National Retailer of the Year.
- Bronner's was the first recipient of the international Golden Santa Claus award in 1986, presented in Nuremberg, Germany.
- Bronner's was the first recipient of the N.O.E.L. (National Ornaments and Electric Lights Christmas Association) Retailer of the Year award in New York in 1981 and received the award again in 2001.
- The Automobile Club of Michigan (AAA) listed Bronner's among the top 10 man-made attractions in the state. AAA-Chicago Motor Club listed Bronner's as a "Travel Treasure." The governor of Michigan designated Bronner's as an "Embassy for Michigan Tourism" in 1976.
- In addition, Bronner's has received over 100 national, state, and regional awards. The Bronner family feels that every award focuses on the Bronner team members who helped make the recognition possible.
OTHER INTERESTING FACTS
- In peak season, Bronner's employs over 700 staff members.
- Movie star John Wayne ordered a Santa suit from Bronner's by telephone on December 15, 1976.
- Bronner's has more than 60 billboards - the most distant is on I-75 near Ocala, Florida, north of Disney World.
- Annually, Bronner's distributes over 1 million Christian tracts - one is inserted in each package and piece of mail leaving Bronner's.
- Nearly 3 million Bronner's Christmas Favorites catalogs are distributed annually. Bronner's ships over 200,000 packages each year around the globe. The call center, catalog and website fulfillment are all in-house handled.
- Over 20,000 children visit Santa seasonally from the day after Thanksgiving through December 24.