ATHENS, Ala. — Trim-A-Tree Farm in Athens opened on Black Friday and will be selling live Christmas trees until it runs out, competing with big chain stores like Lowe's and The Home Depot every year. As of Dec. 1, Trim-A-Tree sold over 500 trees and hopes to sell up to 500 more before the end of the holiday season.
Customer Ethan Stingel said the whole idea is unique because you get to do it all yourself.
"It's a good environment for everybody to come here and have fun," Stingel said. "You get to go pick out your own tree and cut it yourself. So, it's good family bonding time to come out to a place like this, rather than going to a chaotic store and stuff like that, to be outdoors with family."
And he said getting to spend that time together with family makes the whole operation worthy of a yearly tradition. His family found their tree within minutes, based on the size and the price they wanted.
"We're probably going to get one that's between seven to nine feet," Stingel said. "And the guy was very helpful with that. He told us they're all in this section over here." The workers at the farm should know a thing or two about the trees they're selling, too. They have to work on them year-round against the all-but-arctic conditions in Alabama.
Trim-A-Tree Farm owner Sam George said, "On our end, it involves a lot of mowing, trimming of the trees, making sure that they're healthy. And then we have years like this year with droughts, where we have to actually hand-water them with a water truck." He said it's not just local droughts, but a hurricane in North Carolina and nationwide inflation that's also made supply dwindle and the price increase.
But hundreds of people made it out to the farm on Dec. 1, undeterred by the rise in tree prices. One of the busiest days of the season, George said people are paying for the experience with family.
"This has been a really, really good year for us. One of our better years, actually," George said. "I'm sure with all the new people moving into the area and this area growing rapidly, it's brought in a lot of new customers. So as far as a small, local business, we've really, really enjoyed seeing the growth around here. It's really helped us out. And the last two or three days, man, they've been unbelievable for us."
Despite supply trouble from North Carolina or the competition with chain stores, Trim-A-Tree is seeing more business at its gates than ever before.
