Featured Project

Bush Brothers & Company - Bush's Visitor Center

Located in Chestnut Hill, TN, the new Bush's Visitor Center is an expansion from the century old A.J. Bush General Store. A.J. Bush, the founder of Bush Brothers & Company, owned and operated the general store before entering the canning business in 1908. The store has served as a landmark to the Chestnut Hill community, and after renovations, offers an educational museum, a retail shop and a new eatery, Bush's Family Cafe.

Design Display's role in this extraordinary project was to provide exhibit design, graphic design, and exhibit fabrication and installation. The two level visitor center offers interactive displays for adults and children, a theater featuring two short films, and an upper level devoted to telling the complete history of the company.Among the most popular exhibits is a giant Bush's Baked Beans can that visitors walk through to receive information on the production and canning process. A favorite among the kids is an interactive processing display that, with a little push from the participant, propels small white balls through a maze of ramps and levers to represent a bean going from field to table.

The most comprehensive area is the upper level containing over a hundred years of history about the Bush family, the company, and the products and processes. This detailed section starts by introducing A.J. Bush and his wife Sally, and it of course ends with the familiar faces of Jay Bush and Duke. The exit ramp from the historical section winds visitors through a series of monitors featuring heartfelt dialogue from Bush employees. Some surprises await the visitors as they exit - one being the guarded display of the coveted "Bush's Secret Family Recipe" book. The ramp empties the guests back into the General Store that is packed with Bush's products, old-fashioned candy, and other memorabilia.

From learning about the canning process to seeing a larger than life can of beans, The Bush's Visitor Center is an enjoyable experience for anyone and everyone. Design Display is proud to have a part in its success.