In a heartwarming effort to preserve a beloved local landmark, Dana Alyss has turned to crowdfunding to revive the Christmas Barn, a historic year-round shop located in Bethlehem Township, Pennsylvania. This cherished establishment closed its doors in 2007, and is now listed for sale at a hefty price of £1.9 million.
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Alyss, a 38-year-old content creator, grew up in the Lehigh Valley, an area known for its strong ties to Christmas. The towns of Bethlehem and Bethlehem Township are collectively celebrated as “Christmas City, U.S.A.” She recalls a vibrant community spirit surrounding the holiday season, with numerous local businesses catering to festive needs. A significant part of her childhood involved visiting the Christmas Barn with her family, where they delighted in its unique selection of ornaments and festive cheer.
“It was a truly special place,” Alyss said. “Every inch was a celebration of Christmas, filled with carefully crafted items that are hard to find today. Many people would go there just to soak in the joy of the season all year round.”
After pursuing a career in television production in Los Angeles, Alyss returned to her hometown in 2022, only to find the Christmas Barn listed for sale. While much of the surrounding area has fallen prey to outside developers, the barn has remained intact. Inspired by a recent trip to Disneyland during the holidays, Alyss envisioned reinventing the Christmas Barn by adding a café and modernising the space to attract a steady stream of visitors.
In June, she took a leap of faith by launching a GoFundMe campaign, aiming to raise £200,000 for her ambitious project. Leveraging her online following, which has previously enjoyed her social media series “The Dating Hunger Games,” Alyss has raised nearly £50,000 so far. Support for her initiative has poured in from around the globe, including contributions from individuals as far away as Texas, California, Alaska, Spain, and Portugal.
“It’s really touching to see how people are rallying behind this underdog story,” Alyss said. “We’ve seen numerous developers coming into our area, buying up local treasures, and replacing them with apartments and commercial buildings. As a result, our little Christmas City is losing some of its charm.”
Although the property is marked at £1.9 million, Alyss stresses that reaching her goal of £200,000 will facilitate critical steps towards securing the barn’s future. This funding will enable her to enter into negotiations with the seller, allowing for essential inspections and preliminary improvements to begin.
“The barn definitely needs a bit of work to modernise it for today’s visitors,” Alyss explained. “However, it is vital to us that we retain the original character of the barn throughout any renovations.”
As Alyss prepares to breathe new life into the Christmas Barn, she is also compiling a list of potential vendors and scouting for investors who can help her realise this dream. With a narrative reminiscent of a Hallmark Christmas movie, she sees herself as the quintessential small-town girl striving to preserve a local treasure from encroaching development.
“It’s definitely a Hallmark-esque story,” Alyss adds with a smile. “We are just a group of everyday people coming together, making small donations one at a time, all in the hope of saving a piece of history and a little magic.”
Alyss’s dedication to revitalising the Christmas Barn reflects not only her personal connection to the place but also her broader commitment to safeguarding the charm of the local community. As she embarks on this venture, the support she has garnered underscores the deep affection people hold for the Christmas Barn and their desire to see it flourish once again.
For more information on how to support this project or to contribute to the GoFundMe campaign, Alyss encourages members of the public to get involved in saving this cherished landmark. The success of this initiative could not only breathe life back into the barn but also revive the festive spirit that it has represented for decades.