WAY TO GROW!
Christmas-tree biz is booming across city
The tree that grows in Brooklyn doesn’t typically come with tinsel.
But holiday Christmas tree vendors in the borough and Queens report an uptick of traffic, both in-person and online, from holiday revelers eager to get their hands on a real evergreen — with early buyers arriving Thanksgiving weekend. The seasonal businesses even warned of a possible holiday tree shortage, perhaps the final indignity in the year of the pandemic.
Stephen and DJ Leddick of Greenpoint Trees, operators of lots in Brooklyn and Queens, report a 25% increase in foot traffic and tree orders well in advance of Christmas Day.
“We have a lot of young families, and people that say they’ve never bought a tree before now buying for this Christmas, because they are staying home,” shared Stephen. “We are busy. We opened the week before Thanksgiving, so we opened a week earlier than our norm.”
His wife DJ echoed the holiday assessment: “We are busier than we normally are. That’s why my son’s up here, he comes up after his remote classes. And he helps, because it is getting that busy.”
Their Greenpoint lot, marking its 30th anniversary, has adapted along with their Middle Village location to follow COVID regulations by maximizing curb-space and keeping customers at a safe social distance from one another.
“For this year we have decided to go higher [with their inventory display],” said DJ Leddick. “We have gone higher to not encroach on other businesses, And we have our trees on the side and across the street.”
DJ hopes that because of the mandated quarantines throughout the year, people will want the experience of coming out to see and smell a Christmas tree for their homes.
“This is something you can do as a family,” said DJ while assisting her neighbors in finding the perfect tree at the Queens location. “You can make it a family affair and see what we have, and pick out what kind of tree the kids want. It’s a good activity.”
Anthony Gallo, 38, of Anthony Gallo Nursery and Gallo Christmas Tree Delivery, is happily welcoming a busier-than-usual crowd of tree buyers.
Gallo, whose family opened its business in 1911 and operated in Flatbush for the past 50 years, noted an early start to online orders.
“We deliver throughout New York and I’ve already seen an uptick in delivery orders,” said Gallo, whose delivery service began nine years ago. The new modified system follows coronavirus guidelines to put customers at ease as New York City’s COVID-19 death toll approaches 25,000 and the number of positive cases continues to rise.
“We offer standard delivery, but we have also set up contact-less delivery where we set up the tree outside and then let you know it’s been assembled,” said Gallo. “If our customers are in an apartment building, we will go up to their floor and set it up outside their door — then let them know when it’s been set up.”
Gallo, whose trees are harvested from local farms, picked up his first load near the end of last month and anticipates his supply will disappear more quickly than usual.
“There is a shortage of trees this year, we got a shortage of trees,” he warned. “So if anyone is looking to get a real tree this year try to get it sooner rather than later.
“Trees take ten years to grow.” he continued. “And one farmer explained that ten years ago the economy was not that good so they couldn’t plant as many trees. So we are feeling those effects and especially with this uptick there will be shortages.”
The Leddicks are also anticipating a shortage in fresh trees, but hope they can somehow pull through for their loyal Brooklyn and Queens patrons.
“I’m praying we find trees somewhere,” said Stephen Leddick. “We are trying to buy some more trees from Nova Scotia, because I get my trees from Canada to sell. But I’m thinking that I might be out by the 15th.”