The iconic house from the 1983 Christmas classic, A Christmas Story, is up for sale. However, it’s not just a house; it’s also a museum and gift shop run by the owner, Brian Jones. Jones won’t sell the house to just anyone with enough money but instead wants to pass down the torch (or pass the leg lamp, rather) to someone willing to continue the tradition of running the business. In an interview with Variety, Jones explains why he’s being so selective of prospective buyers:
In addition to pitching ideas to potential buyers, Jones also detailed the history of the business, which he began nearly two decades ago:
“I’d wanted to a put this up for sale for quite a number of years. It’s always been part of the plan after getting it up and running… I’ve tried to tee this up for anybody who wants to take it to the next level. There’s more to do here: a candy store where you can see some grizzly bears, a Santa mountain. I’d love to add a Chinese restaurant and a BB-gun range. We can make it completely immersive for people.”
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However, even if Jones were willing to sell the house to just anyone, they still would be very limited on what they could do with it. The home has since been designated as a cultural landmark by the city of Cleveland.
“Lamp lights, lamp cups, mugs, shot glasses — anything leg lamp is the most popular item in the gift shop… I officially started the business in 2003. I sold 500 in the first year while still in the Navy, just moonlighting doing it. After I got out, I had them made overseas in China. I got 2,100, which is three shipping containers, for the second year. At the same time, the house comes up for sale on Ebay — a new business, but this is an obvious natural extension.”
“You can’t even change the paint scheme. You can’t add anything to the porches. You can’t do anything without the city’s OK… Being such a valuable asset to the city, they’re not going to allow anybody else to do that.”
Brian Jones Apologizes for Lashing Out at Yano Anaya
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Last month, actor Yano Anaya, who played Grover in A Christmas Story decades earlier, went to the house to ask for donations to buy it. Brian Jones, the owner of the home, accused him of scamming and yelled obscenities as he ordered him to leave. In the recent interview, Jones admits that he lost his cool in the confrontation:
The owner is so selective over buyers that he refuses to even name a price and says that prospects whom he deems worthy will have to sign a confidentiality agreement to continue negotiations.
“I was concerned about the fans… I didn’t want to see them get defrauded out of money. Knowing what the place is going to go for, there was no way that those funds were actually going to be used to purchase the house. I just couldn’t stand to see that happening to fans out there. But I lost my temper. I could have handled it better. It was a stressful time for me.”
A Christmas Story got a sequel recently, called A Christmas Story Christmas. It was directed by Clay Kaytis, who wrote the script along with Nick Schenk. It stars Peter Billingsley, Erinn Hayes, and Zack Ward. It was released on November 17th, 2022, on HBO Max.
