Byers Choice

We, along with both our mothers and now our daughters, have been fans of Byers Choice carolers for many, many years.  So it was on our bucket list to go to their facility and today was the day to visit in the little town of Chalfont, Pennsylvania.

It's a small facility tucked into an industrial park but it was like a village all it's own.

We were greeted at the door and were directed to the theater so we could watch a short movie telling about the history of the Byers Carolers.

It was the late 1960s and Joyce Byers, an amateur artist with a degree in fashion design, was disappointed in the Christmas decorations she saw in the stores: aluminum tinsel trees with garish blue lights.  She was looking for holiday decorations with warmth that showed respect for the timeless traditions and her own memories of Christmas.

The first Carolers graced the Byers' dining room table that Christmas and they received numerous compliments from their relatives.  Joyce knew what to make the following year as gifts.  A neighbor suggested taking some to a local store, where they sold quickly.  Soon a couple of dozen stores around the country asked Joyce to supply them with Carolers.

Joyce pressed her husband, Bob, and their two sons, into service to help produce the figures each autumn.  It wasn't long before the Carolers overwhelmed the dining room table, where the family gathered to work together.  "Every year the house would be a total wreck, and I'd say that we're never doing this again!" remembers Joyce.

The economy took a downturn and hurt Bob's construction business so he looked around and saw some potential in the Carolers.  He decided to devote more of his energies to the fledgling business, and in 1978 the couple hired their first employee and turned the garage into a workshop.

After graduating from college and having played an important role in the growth of the business, their two sons joined the company.  "We always say that mom's hobby has gotten a little out of control," jokes Jeff.

Together, the family now oversees dozens of artisans who handcraft those same creations that started on the dining room table many years ago.  And although the Carolers are sold by thousands of fine gift stores around the world, the company still holds tightly to the principles that were in place at the start of the company: producing a quality product, at an affordable price, and dedicated to serving its customers in the spirit of Christmas.  Sadly, Bob passed away about two years ago but Joyce and her sons remain active in the business.

Joyce Byers

The original carolers made at Joyce's dining room table.  You can see how they have evolved since those early years.

We then walked through the little "town" which is the hallways of the complex.

The first stop on the self-guided tour was the viewing deck where we could watch the artists at work.  Shhhh, we weren't supposed to take pictures (we knew they didn't mean it) :-)

The making of Jacob Marley, Christmas Carol

The making of Bob Cratchit, Christmas Carol

We laughed when we saw a bunch of "heads" waiting to be used.

And then we wandered through all the displays.

We'd never seen Halloween carolers before.

So many colonial and patriotic carolers.

Of course, lots of Christmas carolers.

There are even snowmen!

Nothing says Christmas more than Dickens characters.

The accessories are incredible and the way they are used really enhances the scenes.

This was a spooky scene and fit right in with what we've been doing the last few weeks.  

The newest additions are the Kindles, which are a smaller version.  They were sold for awhile but for some reason, they stopped making them.  They are bringing them back but when we asked them when we could expect to see them, they said they didn't know because like the rest of the world, they're having supply chain issues.

What a fun time wandering through the museum and factory and seeing all of the new carolers we've not seen before.  And maybe, just maybe, buying one or two.