Author Archives: kenziesquireboone

History of Bloom Brothers

Bloom Brothers started business in 1906 and was one of the very first wholesale souvenir companies in the United States supplying souvenir stores with postcards, Indian items, and leather pokes, to sell to the tens of thousands of tourists coming to Yellowstone National Park. Eventually Bloom Brothers was selling to thousands of retail souvenir stores in the USA and was one of six founding exhibitors of the first souvenir trade show in the USA in 1966, The Smoky Mountains Gift show. After being operated and owned by four generations of the original founders Bloom Brothers was sold to a roll up company, Stravina, which was funded by a venture capital group. The new owner had a tough time making a profit and in 2006 filed bankruptcy. In Nov. of 2007 management of Bloom Brothers turned out the lights and told their employees their jobs were over.

Squire Boone Village learned of Bloom Brothers plight and made an offer for the struggling company who now had a reputation for not being able to ship orders. During 2007 most stores who had been loyal customers of Bloom Brothers had moved on to other suppliers who could fill their orders.

Squire Boone Village’s offer was accepted and now SBV rebuilt the original Bloom Brothers Company established long ago in 1906.

Bloom Brothers is known for custom imprinted leather bags, pokes, purses, and other items made of leather. Also Native American replica items, dream catchers, engraved foil prints, and novelty items such as pop rifles.

SBV is proud and thankful to have been able to revive and preserve an icon of the souvenir industry in America.

About Us

Squire Boone Village is the premier wholesale manufacturer and supplier of unique and proprietary souvenir products that serve to create a bond and a memory with your guests. For Squire Boone Village, a souvenir is more than a trinket. An impactful souvenir is interactive, memorable and a keepsake that will be reflected on for years to come. Squire Boone Village manufactures and supplies over 10,000 products to attractions and retailers across 6 divisions.

Our Divisions

Custom Printed Souvenirs

Specialty Candy & Custom Packaged Candy

Earth Science & Earth Life

Jewelry

Hand Carved Wood

Bloom Brothers

Squire Boone Village is the manufacturer of many of our best-selling products, including Rock Crystal Candy, Formula Sour Liquid Candy, Crystal Sour, Blasting Powder, Tea Sugar, 

and 100% Soybean Wax Candles, Taper Candles, Wax Melts and Tea Lights. In addition to handmade products, all of our custom labeled products and souvenirs are printed in-house by our fully staffed graphics team who print and make fully custom SOOBUB® Magnets and Key Rings, SOOStix®, Get Your CrayOn Puzzles™,  Postcards, Playing Cards, Temporary Tattoos, Restickers®, Full Color Candy Boxes, Shotglasses and Candle Shots. 

 

 

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History of Squire Boone Village

  • Squire Boone Caverns and Village is a real place in southern Indiana where Squire Boone, younger brother of Daniel Boone, lived and worked. In 1815, Squire Boone was laid to rest in a cave at the village that once saved his life by providing him refuge from a band of hostiles.
  • 1971: An entrepreneur by the name of Fred Conway bought the land that once was owned by Squire Boone and turned it into an historic and natural wonder attraction. The attraction today hosts thousands of school children each year teaching them Indiana history and earth science. Scores of Scout Troops attend classes, workshops, and field exercise to earn merit badges in geology and nature.
  • 1983: In order to fund operations and future expansion at the attraction, Squire Boone Caverns and Village, Rick Conway, son of founder Fred Conway, exhibits at the Louisville Gift Show with the intention of wholesaling crafts made at the village to other area retailers. Soap, candles, baking mixes, collector rocks, and rock crystal candy started the wholesale division of Squire Boone Village and continue to be in the Squire Boone line today.
  • 1985: Rock Crystal Candy manufacturing began in a small scale in one of the original hand hewn pioneer log cabins at the village. Rock Crystal Candy gave SBV its start in the world-wide confectionery industry.
  • 1987: Rick Conway makes his first trek out of the country to south Brazil to meet with mine owners and lapidary workshop owners in the amethyst and agate field districts. Squire Boone Village, DBA Earth Exploration Co., over the last twenty-five years has developed close ties with mines and lapidary workshops in India, China, Morocco, South Africa, Madagascar, Philippines, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, and Peru as well as in the USA.
  • 1989: Squire Boone Village wholesale division has doubled in sales each year since 1983 and now has to move to rented space in an industrial park nearby in New Albany, Indiana
  • 1993: 11 Acres and 40,000 sq ft of manufacturing space is purchased at a foreclosure auction in New Albany, IN, giving Squire Boone Village the badly needed room to expand.
  • 1999: Founder Fred Conway passes away of natural causes at the young age of 70; he is still missed.
  • 2001-2003: Recession for Squire Boone Village began in June of 2001. For the first time Squire Boone Village experienced a decline in sales. To compound the situation Squire Boone Village lost a major national account. The terrorist attack on the world trade center and following anthrax threat halted tourism, SBV’s core market segment. After three successive years of loss Squire Boone Village’s bank froze their line of credit putting Squire Boone Village on the brink of insolvency.
  • 2004: The turnaround year. Family members and equity partners loaned money to Squire Boone Village to meet payroll. Cutbacks in overhead were made as deeply as possible. New product introductions, increased marketing, and upgraded sales force all worked together enabling Squire Boone Village to show a profit for the first time in three years.
  • 2007: Squire Boone Village acquires Bloom Brothers from an investor who bought Bloom Brothers along with five other companies that comprised bankrupt, Stravina. Stravina, a roll-up company, had purchased Bloom Brothers 5 years earlier from family members of the original founders.
  • 2010: SBV wins Buyer’s Choice Award for best permanent merchandising candy display for its “Jive Turkey” Feather Lollipop Display.
  • Squire Boone Village’s new and improved website goes live on August 6, 2010. Including an Online Catalog, this website helps push SBV into the 21st century.
  • 2011: Squire Boone Village exhibits for the first time at a foreign trade show in Cologne, Germany at the International Sweets Manufacturers Expo, the largest candy trade show in the world.
  • Hitchers win Buyer’s Choice Award at NCA Sweets and Snacks Expo.
  • 2012: Squire Boone Village introduced new line of 100% Soybean Wax Candles with either 100% wood wicks or 100% cotton wicks. Starting out with only four different styles, it soon grew to include nine different types in over 30 different fragrances.
  • 2013: Squire Boone Village wins two Museums and More Gifty Awards. Home Scents 100% Soybean Wax Candle – Judges Award Gift & Souvenir Division and Sock Monkey Hitcher with Twister Pop – Buyers Choice Award Gift & Souvenir Division
  • 2014: Squire Boone Village releases new line of candy, Tube Candies and Candy Store Mini Jars!
  • 2015: Squire Boone Village releases new line of Gem Necklaces!
  • Squire Boone Village attended the 2015 Nov IGES Super Souvenir Show.
  • 2016: Squire Boone Village releases new line of Mood Jewelry and Gemstone Wine Bottle Stoppers!