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Robert Petry, owner of Liberty Hill Christmas Tree Farm at 235 Glenn Road, says his business is off a little this year. He thinks the economy and warm weather may have impacted his sales, but he is appreciative of his return customers.
Despite more than 1 million people losing their jobs in 2008, Christmas tree farms scattered around the country are still thriving, according to the National Christmas Tree Association.
“From what we have heard from numerous reports, Christmas tree farms are doing very well this year,” said Rick Dungy, NCTA public relations manager. “That doesn’t mean all of them are doing good, but it certainly looks like most of them are. Also, we believe the economy doesn’t have any correlation with Christmas tree sales. We have statistical data dating back to 1990 that proves this. It’s just a tradition that people aren’t willing to give up.”
Echoing the national trend, several local Christmas tree vendors’ sales remained stable while others experienced mixed results.
“With the economy the way it is, we worried that not nearly as many people would buy trees this year,” said Mike Parmer, an employee at Parmer Brothers Grocery at 1698 Vernon Road. ”But we have done really good so far. Of the 400 trees that we ordered and began selling two days before Thanksgiving, we only have 20 left. It has been very similar to last year with no drop-off.”
Prices of Parmer Brothers’ Frazier furs start at $65 with plenty of room for bargaining, Parmer said.
“Our 10-foot-tall trees are the most expensive, obviously,” Parmer said. “But we bargain with customers all the time. Hopefully we can sell these last few trees by the end of this weekend.”
Not every tree farm in LaGrange, though, did as well as last year.
Liberty Hill Christmas Tree Farm at 235 Glenn Road saw a slight drop-off in sales, owner Robert Petry said.
“We have sold somewhere between 300 and 500 trees so far,” Petry said. “So it’s definitely been a little slower than last year probably because of both the weather and the economy. But I appreciate all of our returning customers’ loyalty.”
Petry has been selling trees at his farm since 1983 and is currently working on the "honor system."
“It’s slowed down to the point where we just leave the farm vacant and let customers cut down a tree and mail in or leave checks for payment,” Petry said. “We trust all of our customers.”
Another tree retailer, Adaleigh’s Garden at 9 New Airport Road, sold more trees than last year, owner Ken Conner said.
“We started selling two days before Thanksgiving and have already sold nearly 600 trees,” Conner said. We sold about 580 trees last year. Things are winding down now, but it’s been a really good season for us.”
Conner’s trees range from $30 to $85 with heights of 6 feet to 14 feet.
“We had a good price on them, so they went pretty fast,” Conner said. “Everyone is going to have Christmas one way or another. It just might not be as elaborate as it used to be.”
Don’t forget ‘Bring One for the Chipper’
Once Christmas is over, the question of how to dispose of the Christmas tree pops up.
Keep Troup Beautiful has a solution with its annual “Bring One for the Chipper” program, in which trees are chipped into mulch instead of going into the landfill.
Trees may be taken to these locations from Friday through Jan. 3:
• LaGrange, Home Depot parking lot, Lafayette Parkway;
• West Point, Givorns parking lot at the old recycling center location, and
• Hogansville, tree container at the maintenance department at 119 Lincoln St.
In addition, outdated electronic equipment may be recycled from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Jan. 3 at the Home Depot parking lot in LaGrange. Old televisions will not be accepted.
Residents donating a tree or electronic item Jan. 3 will received a free tree seedling as long as supplies last, and there will be drawings for free prizes throughout the day.
Kenneth Thompson can be reached at kethompson@lagrangenews.com or (706) 884-7311 Ext. 228.
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