A Minnesota woman shares an up-close-and-personal look at a nostalgic spot — a place dedicated to the Precious Moments figurines popularized in the 1990s.
Mel Garcia’s TikTok video of the Precious Moments Chapel and Gardens in Carthage, Missouri has gone viral, with thousands sharing and commenting on their own memories of the collectible figurines that inspired the space.
“This is quirky, weird, sweet and nostalgic,” wrote one commenter. “I remember my Precious Moments Bible that I carried to church as a child.”
“If I went here I would cry. I loved them as a kid,” wrote another.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Museum of precious moments.
mel garcia/Instagram
Meet the couple who collected 6,000 cabbages for children: ‘I don’t care what other people think’ (Exclusive)
Garcia, 30, tells PEOPLE that her trip to the facility was “quick and last-minute” and inspired by a conversation with her husband about the toys they grew up with and a trip to a thrift store.
“I went to a thrift store and I saw [Precious Moments] Christmas decorations and I told my husband that I grew up with them,” says Garcia. “When I got in the car, I looked at it and saw that there was a museum.”
For their wedding anniversary, the couple traveled to Minnesota to celebrate and, on their way home, detoured to see it in person.
“We decided to do it at the last minute and I was so excited. I actually grew up with these dolls [and] my mom had a lot of kitchen and ceramic decor,” she says.
Garcia adds that she and her husband arrived when the museum opened and were the only ones there at first. As soon as they walked in, she says, “I immediately started feeling this nostalgic feeling. I’m not sure how to explain it. That’s when I decided to start filming because there was also no one there.”
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(505x0:507x2)/Precious-Moments-Museum-051524-3-4924a9c5970b44ec96cc4d74a4115ead.jpg)
Museum of precious moments.
mel garcia/Instagram
According to the official website, Precious Moments Chapel and Gardens aims to preserve “the art and medium through which Samuel J. Butcher communicated his unique message of love, care and sharing with the world.”
Butcher was the creator of Precious Moments, a Christian gift company best known for its wide-eyed baby figurines — many of which were bought by collectors.
The chapel itself opened in 1989 in Carthage, Missouri, and was Butcher’s attempt to create a Sistine Chapel-like facility featuring painted stories from the Bible (with iconic characters from Precious Moments) adorning the walls and ceiling,
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(505x0:507x2)/Precious-Moments-Museum-051524-1-8335f66e1fb24d65b185a1967aa599e4.jpg)
Museum of precious moments.
mel garcia/Instagram
Garcia says the tour of the space took her and her husband about four hours, and included a stop at a gift shop that, of course, offered some of the collectibles for sale (with proceeds going to the foundation that runs and maintains the museum).
He adds that he recommends that others who grew up with figurines also visit the museum because they can learn something about the beginnings of the company and the man behind the design. And if you can, says Garcia, make it a family affair.
“I would definitely go back this time with my mom — she had a big collection and I know she’d be happy to see it,” she tells PEOPLE. “I never knew a place like this existed.”
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education