Elf on the Shelf empire built in Atlanta
ATLANTA — Inside an Atlanta high-rise office building, an elevator opens up to “the North Pole.”
It’s not only what employees call the local headquarters of Elf on the Shelf, but it’s the place that seems to live and breathe Christmas — and stay busy developing new products for the annual holiday shopping season.
A tall Christmas tree with ornaments and silver ribbons remains in the lobby — another in large office space — all year long. Elves on the Shelf are everywhere — hanging out on fluffy snow, decked out in holiday garb; some tote candy canes, others look like they are about to make Christmas cookies.
There’s the wildly popular scout elf, but that’s the beginning of this enterprise with ambitious goals.
“For the longest time, we focused on one goal — and that goal was our Elf on the Shelf,” said Chanda Bell, a former teacher and one of the creators of Elf on the Shelf. “Our new vision is to own Santa’s North Pole.”
It’s a bold statement, but maybe this little scout elf is already on its way to owning some of our most cherished Christmas traditions?
Perhaps you already know the back story. In 2004, Bell and her mom, Carol Aebersold, wrote “The Elf on the Shelf” over a cup of tea. The story, based on Scandinavian tradition, features a scout elf from the North Pole sent by Santa to monitor a child’s behavior. The scout elf reports nightly to Santa on who’s been naughty and nice.
“The Elf on the Shelf” — rooted in a family tradition going back to the 1970s — has sold 13 million books (and elves) since its 2005 release. They are sold at more than 15,000 stores across the country. See ELF › E6