For everyone who arrives at the city to find Christmas Hollow in the Woodcarvers shop, don't Despair. Valley Road Woodcarvers is not gone, just relocated (swapped locations with the Christmas shop). It is unfortunately not open yet but the word is right now that they plan to have it open in May. I am looking forward to occasionally carving there once all is ready. I appreciate the shows of support for the parks craftsmen and women evident throughout this site, and i know they do as well. Thank you!
Oh, there might be some reason to despair. Refer to this thread where we've discussed this issue: http://sdcfans.com/forums/index.php?topic=1903.0
At least it's still there...
I've read it before, it's where I've seen a lot of support for the craftsmen. Change will always be present, it's all in how you deal with it.
I have come to terms with them moving the shop.....So having said that, dont you think that it would have been better to get the carving shop open, get the carvers back in there demonstrating and teaching others about an art form. Then continue to work on the Christmas shop during the spring break time. Who buys Christmas ornaments in the spring time anyway.....Has anyone seen any activity over at the new shop yet? Moving stuff around or setting up the shop? Just my two cents worth.
I think it is great. It puts the woodcarvers in a wooded area, near the furniture and lathe. Plus the space can be laid out in a new way.
I don't think it matters what time of year it is, Christmas Hollow always has business.
Plus, the building they are moving the carvers to will always be the toy store. Always.
I visited SDC opening day (today) and the new woodcarvers location is not open yet, it will be a few weeks before they are ready. The Christmas Hollow shop in the old woodcarving building is open, and they have much more room. It looks nice, but it is strange to see something different in the building. I have only known it as the woodcarvers building since my first visit in 1970! Check Trip Reviews, 2012 thread for a link to my Flickr site to see photos of the new woodcarving location and the new location (old woodcarvers shop) for Christmas Hollow.
your right junior wood carver's has "always" been there..
will seem odd making that walk across the bridge past the g;ass blowers and.......... oops they moved it! :o :o :o
I realize I am in the minority, But I have no use or need for the Christmas store..... Not all year round anyway!!/
Quote from: craftsman73 on March 15, 2012, 03:01:46 PM
I have come to terms with them moving the shop.....So having said that, dont you think that it would have been better to get the carving shop open, get the carvers back in there demonstrating and teaching others about an art form. Then continue to work on the Christmas shop during the spring break time. Who buys Christmas ornaments in the spring time anyway.....Has anyone seen any activity over at the new shop yet? Moving stuff around or setting up the shop? Just my two cents worth.
Yes, yes, and yes! The Wood Carvers are more important than the Christmas Shoppe every day!
Yes, I agree. The sooner the shop is opened back up, the better!
;D Glad to see I'm not alone in my thinkin..
I cannot remember buying anything at Christmas Hollow, but I do regularly buy from the woodcarver's shop...not that I buy anything of large $$ amounts, I buy scrap wood for my own carving. I don't buy any of the blanks since I tend to carve my own designs anyway.
How long had the woodcarvers been in that building?
The woodcarvers had been in that building since at least 1970, that was the year I first visited with my family when I was about 7 years old.
Haven't they had all off season to get things moved so that it was ready for business on opening day? I guess I don't know how all this works. It just seems if they were going to make this move it would've already been done and ready for day 1. My family loves both shops and I look forward to seeing their new locations.
The woodcarving shop opened in that spot in 1963. On the end of the building facing Thunderation it says "Pete's Sawmill". That was Peter Engler. I'm not sure why the off season wasn't enough time to get the shop open. I assume it had its place in the prioritized list of all things that had to be done in that timeframe, and it just didn't make it in time.
By the way, the opening of the woodcarving shop was the original introduction of the concept of demonstrating craftsman in Silver Dollar City.
Wow, lots of great trivia information Woodcarver! I love woodworking, and the shop is definitely a must see. :)
Quote from: joshblakebran on March 16, 2012, 08:54:40 PMHaven't they had all off season to get things moved so that it was ready for business on opening day? I guess I don't know how all this works. It just seems if they were going to make this move it would've already been done and ready for day 1. My family loves both shops and I look forward to seeing their new locations.
I wonder if Silver Dollar City's core employees are off during the off season just like teachers are off from school during the Summer? That would be the only explanation I can up with.
The largest part are off over the winter. M&C works over winter to repaint, repair, and refurbish as necessary, plus do any projects like shuffling stores, and rebuilding things that require it. I watched them completely rebuild one of the skillet cook shacks in about 4 days during the woodcarving seminar one year. There is another small group of year round opeartional employees, but for the most part the characters and craftsmen that you see year after year get rehire notices around February.
Thanks for the explanation...That makes sense. I'm still suprised they wouldn't hire temporaries during the off season to make the move, however, maybe it's an expense they just don't want to have. It would be interesting to see what the cost of hiring temps to get the move made by day 1 compares to the amount of sales lost by not having the shop open on day 1.
My thoughts on why the woodcarvers was not open on opening day...let me tell ya, they will only open a shop up if they think they will have the crowd there to support opening it. Many of the shops were closed opening day. Several won't even open until early May. The Leather Shop was closed opening day, so was Granny's Lye Soap, so was the knife shop. Apple Butter was open, but the Case engine was not operating. Brown's Candy Shop was open, but the hewn log demonstration guy was not around. It all comes down to can they make money by opening a shop. Not until it is financially feasible to do so...remember each shop has a staff and inventory, electric bills, and so on.
This is very common for many stores to remain closed until World Fest or so.
i was there twice last year, before the leather shop,knife store and the shops by lake silver were open.
SDC used to not open for the season until World Fest started in April. These Spring Break days really exist to pull in the teens and college students who are on vacation. So, I can see why the stores and shows have limited times/etc. The main draw is going to be the rides.
That makes sense...
Really Junior, Couldn't you at least open Dugan's?
If Dugan's were in my power to open, I'd sell something other than sundresses and pooka necklaces! (Would anyone out there be interested in a slightly used and damaged diving bell that has only been sitting at the bottom of Lake Silver for uh, about 28 years?)
So I have a question and not sure if this would be related to the wood carvers. Last Friday I notice two other changes. The first the shop that made the engraved wood signs was not down by FIH it was that sweepstakes deal with the time share. Second at the ozark market place at the back of the store where you exit there was the wooden name shop that was no longer there now a tee shirt print shop. Anyone have any thoughts on where they may have moved these.
My guess is they did not relocate them (removed them)..I can't see them relocating them to the Woodcarvers, due to space limitations. I wonder if they are only going to be set up in a booth somewhere for certain festivals like Kids Fest. It seems like the changes being made are going for more of a generic theme park feel. Now the engraved signs if I remember right was done by a machine? So I imagine that they moved it off site and will offer them in a store somewhere, the scroll saw names seemed to be busy all the time, so? I guess time will tell. Just my two cents worth.
QuoteIt seems like the changes being made are going for more of a generic theme park feel.
Not all of SDC decisions are made by evil plotting and planning execs.
The sign shop was a lease shop and he chose to close his doors because of his own reasons.
That sign shop would have been a good retirement business.
QuoteThat sign shop would have been a good retirement business.
Well... now it is your chance!
Not close enough to retirement, will stick with woodcarving for now.