Historic Bumbleberry business near Zion National Park returns from the ashes

ST. GEORGE — There is a silver lining to the devastating fire that destroyed a landmark family business in Springdale near Zion National Park in late 2020. 

Easton Cardinal, Bumbleberry Bakery employee, displays one of their famous pies, Springdale, Utah, June 22, 2022 | Photo by Stephanie DeGraw, St. George News

Bumbleberry Gift Shop and Bakery, the theater, Porter’s Smokehouse and Grill — all in front of the Bumbleberry Inn — are almost rebuilt from the Nov. 3, 2020 fire. The gift shop is more extensive, the restaurant has a new outdoor patio and the theater will have a state-of-the-art sound system. 

“After the fire, it was really devastating but you can only cry for so long,” Trisha Clark, gift shop and bakery manager, said. “Then we decided that it was time to move forward. We got so much support from the community and visitors. It was really heartwarming to see how many people had an attachment to our business and their own history with it. So many people sent in donations both large and small, which was really nice to see everybody rooting for us and wanting us to come back.”

The grand opening celebration of 50 years as a family business is set for Aug. 6, with a ribbon-cutting at 10 a.m. The world-famous bumbleberry pie and other treats are now available at the bakery and the gift shop is open. The grand opening will feature prizes, free goodies and live music.

A bright spot was designing a building space that would be more efficient. Before, they were “making do” with a 50-plus-year-old building and now they have created a structure based on the uses they knew they needed. Clark said that the area has high ceilings and plenty of natural light, and the new gift shop is 7,000 square feet and more functional.

The bakery and gift shop are currently open and the grand opening celebration will be Aug. 6, with a ribbon-cutting at 10 a.m., Springdale, Utah, June 22, 2022 | Photo by Stephanie DeGraw, St. George News

Another high point was that her family was able to spend more time together than usual. She said the family went on road trips and vacations with their children, which would have never been possible beforehand. 

The time off also allowed Clark to find new whimsical items for the gift shop. There will still be most of the previous popular gifts as well.

“The stuff we have is a reflection of myself, my husband and our personalities,” Clark said. “We try and follow what’s popular and trending. But also, we like to pick things out that we like to buy, that we think are unique and just kind of sets us apart from other gift shops.” 

The new construction honors the past with bricks from the original building on a particular wall between the bakery and gift shop. A TV monitor is displaying historic photos. 

The business started as Grandma’s Kitchen. And then a gentleman referred to as Mr. Bumbleberry purchased it. He also opened several locations throughout California, Chicago and Las Vegas. 

Clark’s grandfather Howard Smith bought the location in Springdale and her grandmother, Wilda, baked the pies. Then her father, Stan Smith, Springdale’s former mayor, moved his family to work in the business in 1972. The other locations eventually went out of business; the current location is the last one operating.

“We’ve been making the bumbleberry pies for over 50 years here,” Clark said. 

The famous bumbleberry pie inside the Bumbleberry Bakery and Gift Shop, Springdale, Utah, June 22, 2022 | Photo by Stephanie DeGraw, St. George News

Most of her family members have been involved throughout Bumbleberry’s history. Clark’s aunts and uncles worked in the family business. Clark grew up working at the Bumbleberry Inn, cleaning rooms and waiting tables in the restaurant. Her husband also waited tables at the Bumbleberry restaurant when he was a teenager. 

“We’re in our fourth generation of family workers with our kids scooping ice cream at the bakery and pie shop this season. My sisters-in-law are some of our bakers, and they make the pies and fudge. And my two brothers are running the hotel right now. So, it really is a family business all the way around,” Clark said.

Her father, Stan Clark, is excited about the new theater. He explained that the theater had been hidden in the building’s past layout but will now be front and center, between the bakery and gift shop. In addition to the upgrade in the sound system, the theater will hold 200 people. It will be flexible enough to fit many events, workshops, receptions, concerts, dinner theater, karaoke, open mic and comedy.

Another high point Clark said is that most of her staff was able to return to work once it was rebuilt. She thanked her “incredible staff” and said everyone else came back when they reopened except for a few who had moved out of the area.

On the patio of the Bumbleberry Bakery and Gift Shop, Springdale, Utah, June 22, 2022 | Photo by Stephanie DeGraw, St. George News

“That really helped with getting things up and running quicker with people knowing the routine and what needs to be done,” Clark said. “And we were able to find some other really great people to fill in those gaps that we needed and they’ve just, they’ve been incredible. We’re really grateful.”

According to the Bumbleberry Inn website, the story goes that Grandpa Smith said bumbleberries are burple and binkel berries that grow on giggle bushes.

“They are called bumbleberries because they giggle when the berries ripen and the bush begins to quake,” the website says, “and at the precise moment that they ripen, they giggle. If you were to eat a berry while it was giggling, you would spend the rest of your life giggling.”

Bumbleberry pie is known worldwide by tourists who have stopped on their way to Zion National Park. Clark said they welcome people sharing their memories of the business in all of its phases. 

Ed. Note: The story has been updated to show the current date scheduled for the ribbon-cutting.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2022, all rights reserved.

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