While Branson, MO
is known as the the “Live Music Show Capital of the World”, we
are also home to many unique stores, boutiques and shops. None are
more fun to visit than Kringles Christmas Stores and VillageTreasures. Kringles is located inside the Grand Village on the famed Highway 76 Strip, Kringles showcases the magic of Christmas all year long.
Christmas in Branson
Kringles
Christmas Stores and Village Treasures tops many lists as a premiere
Christmas themed shopping destination in the Midwest. With 9,000
square feet of Christmas décor
and collectibles, visitors can easily spend hours looking at
room after room of all things Christmas.
Their themed Christmas trees are
decorated for those with a variety of interests. Whether you or your
loved one enjoys playing a musical instrument, works in the health
care field, likes to hunt & fish, has a favorite pet etc. etc.
etc. – there's a tree for you. The variety is absolutely
incredible!
One recent customer (Linda Nooner)
said, “This store is such a delightful place to shop! Everytime I'm
in Branson I always find something special there! The people working
there are so nice and Santa was indeed jolly! It was a special treat
to meet Ann Dezendorf (Possible Dreams) and for her to sign my new
santa.”
Kringles features a wide variety of
brands including Clothtique Possible Dreams Santas, Christopher
Radko, Mark Roberts Fairies, Disney, Jim Shore and many others.
Visitors also find many works by local artists as well, and can even
have many of their purchases personalized.
Owner, Mel Bilbo says, “There are so
many stories to be told. ...stories behind just about everything in
the store.” After
walking around the store for only a few minutes it is easy to see
that Mr. Bilbo is right. Kringles offers everything from today's top
Christmas designs to tradition pieces that are so familiar to us all,
and everything
has a tale to be told!
Fontanini
The
Fontanini collection of Italian nativities has a story that dates
back to the late 1800s. This generations old company was started by
Emanuele
Fontanini, who exported figurines to European capitals in 1893.
 | |
| Emanuele Fontanini |
This is where they began to specialize in creating the artistic variations of the Biblical nativity that we find at Kringles today.
Over
the next many years Emanuele's sons Mario and Aldo began to export
their nativity scenes around the globe, including here to the United
States. In 1963, Ugo, Piero and Mariano, Mario's sons led the
company to yet another plateau as they began to utilize the craft of
injection molding.
Since
the 1970s, Fontanini figures have been available throughout the world
via a single licensed distributor Roman Inc.. There are many
imitations, so be sure to seek out only authentically licensed pieces
such as those showcased at Kringles Christmas Stores and Village
Treasures.
Today,
another Emanuele Fontanini sits atop the Fontanini family dynasty. This
fourth generation Emanuele travels around the world making sure that
his family's heritage of producing and distributing heirloom quality
figurines remains safely in tact.
For many years Emanuele has visited Kringles Christmas Stores and Village Treasures in Branson, MO each November. While in Branson, he signs the Christmas pieces that bare his families name and chats with those who gather for the occasion.
Emanuele
enjoys hearing the stories of how Fontanini pieces are passed down
from one generation to the next. He seems to especially delight in
hearing stories of how someone (often a child), dropped a
generational piece to the rest of the families horror, only to find
that the piece was unharmed.
Therein
lies one of the biggest surprises of all. These nativity figures are
made of a nearly indestructible and child-friendly polymer resin.
Although they are crafted with great attention to detail, these
lifelike sculptures with meticulous painting are made to last
generations.
Mel's
Hard Luck Diner
After
his appearance at Kringles, Emanuele walks across the way to enjoy an
authentic American meal at Mel's Hard Luck Diner. Mel's is home to
Branson's original “Singing Servers” and no visit to Branson is
complete without a stop at this 1950s themed diner.
When
speaking of Mel's, one customer (Jason Owings) said, “Simply
amazing! The food the atmosphere and the overall theme or spot-on!
The burger and fries and shake or exactly what one would expect and
everything was over the top. The servers were more than fantastic and
personable...the singing was off the chain. We are going back there
every time we go to Branson.”
So,
the next time you visit Branson, be sure to make enough time to
visit Kringles Christmas Stores and Village Treasures and enjoy a
meal at Mel's Hard Luck Diner. Both are located at the the main
entrance of the Grand Village and access is quite easy.
If budget is a concern when planning your time in Branson, be sure to click here to learn how to save money and receive many other benefits.
If budget is a concern when planning your time in Branson, be sure to click here to learn how to save money and receive many other benefits.
Emanuele
Fontanini's 2018 visit is on November 24th. We will announce details of his 2019 visit when we have more information.
To
learn more, here are a few online resources:
Kringles
Website - https://kringlesbranson.com
Phone
(417)337-5426
Kringles
Facebook Page – Click Here
Mel's
Facebook Page - Click Here
Phone
(417)332-0150
No comments:
Post a Comment