“Park with a theme: Precious Moments is more than doe-eyed children. It’s a serene Heartland experience.”
Since our story on the Precious Moments Park and Chapel near Carthage, Mo., ran last summer, the company has consolidated its distribution and call centers on the premises.
Precious Moments Inc. started making preparations in July when Itasca-based Enesco Group Inc., which distributed the figures for 12 years, announced that it was “transferring the business back to Precious Moments two years before its license was set to expire,” according to an article in Crain’s Chicago Business.
The same article cited a drop in the figurine market, from $2.4 billion in 2000 to $1.2 billion in 2003.
“We’re proud of our brand and happy that it’s coming home,” said Shelby Bates, a spokeswoman for Precious Moments park. “We can really focus on our customers, take extra good care of them.”
The park, Bates said, has hired 20 percent more staff and will continue to grow, with creator Sam Butcher returning regularly to add paintings to the chapel.
From Christmas to New Year’s Day, the Precious Moments Park and Chapel charges no admission — its Christmas gift to customers, Bates said.
