Those who sell holiday greenery say Fairfield County residents still enjoy sprucing up their homes and are spending to do so. But commuting tree buyers from the Big Apple are apparently wary of the dreary weather, squandering the brief sales window and flirting dangerously with the prospect of a tree grown in Brooklyn.
In the first week of December J. Scott Edwards, owner of Maple Row Tree Farm in Easton, said the start of the season has been a positive one, despite the economy and the weather.
“Clear skies and unseasonably warm weather followed a washed out opening Friday to make the weekend an overall success,” said Edwards. “Sales were consistent as a poor economy encouraged people to partake in the real value found in a Christmas tree-cutting outing.”
Edwards said he looks forward to a continued strong sales season.
“At the farm right now, we”™re down a little bit due to the weather more than anything,” said Louis Bacchiocchi, farm manager at the Connecticut Audubon Smith Richardson Tree Farm. “We do the majority of our tree sales in the first two weekends in December. We”™re a little off, but hopefully we”™ll continue to sell.”
Bacchiocchi said he hasn”™t seen any difference in the size and types of trees that people are buying though they have cut down on buying accessories such as wreaths or garlands.
“Most people are still getting their tree,” said Bacchiocchi “For the most part people are doing this as a family event; it”™s one of those traditional family get-togethers. People are still coming out and are still happy to be here.”
Bacchiocchi said realistically the biggest factor for tree growers and sellers is not the financial forecast, but that of the weather.
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“When it rains, the local people still come in but we lose a lot more people coming up from New York,” said Bacchiocchi. “It”™s the weather as opposed to economics and it”™s been a couple rainy weekends; we”™re about 100 trees behind last year. I think people like to put aside what”™s going on with the economy and enjoy the holiday.”
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Tom Langlais, owner of Spruce Hill Farm in Thomaston, said he has had strong sales in the second December weekend, including Christmas tree related items. With one weekend to go he said his sales are up 20 percent over the first Saturday and Sunday.
“It”™s wonderful to see trees that we”™ve raised from seed to be used for the enjoyment of Connecticut residents,” said Terry Jones, a fifth generation farmer and owner of Jones Family Farms in Shelton. “My father, Philip, started the trees as a 4-H project in 1938 and ever since, the love and care for these beautiful trees has been a joy for our family.”
Jones said his family spends 10 to 12 years taking care of each tree on their 400-acre farm, hand pruning each tree every year.
“It”™s a labor of true love,” said Jones.
In Bethel, owner Barbara DeLong and her staff ”“ daughter and floral designer Mya DeLong and assistant designer Christine Smith ”“ soldiered with smiles through the Christmas season recently at Flower Corner Studio on Greenwood Avenue.
Christmas stacks up about evenly with Valentine”™s Day and Mother”™s Day as far as top yearly revenue producers for Flower Corner Studio. Of the three holidays, Valentine”™s is the most harried, according to Mya. The store also specializes in complete garden setups.
Flower Corner Studio is a giant Christmas basket of colors and scents, but such bounty was not always part of the DeLong family history. Barbara and Mya”™s ancestor is George Washington DeLong, a doomed 19th-century Arctic explorer whose tundral gravestone is in the Bronx and for whom three U.S. Navy ships have been named.
Bill Fallon contributed to this story.
