By Jeff French Segall
Colby, the masked man on the right in the photograph, is back, ready to sell Christmas trees on 90th Street and Columbus Avenue. He has brought with him a new helper, Henry. They were spotted on Tuesday, hammering, drilling and assembling their shelter and the tree racks. By this Thursday, the trees will have begun to arrive, all the way from Vermont, Pennsylvania and Quebec. The border crossings are the critical variable as to how many will come from Canada. Colby said that he will have a price list by Thursday at the latest. Though this year’s prices have not yet been published, last year’s costs varied from $50 to $500 depending on the height and species. Smaller wreaths will likely also be available as they have been in the past.
Colby has been selling trees for about twelve years, three of them at this location. He, like Henry, hails from Vermont. This is Henry’s first year at this job. He is a graduate of Springfield College where he majored in philosophy and Art Therapy. He wanted to sell trees in New York City this season as a new experience and take advantage of the opportunity to visit the city. At the end of the season, most of the sellers at all twenty of the company’s New York City locations stay for a week or two to explore our town before returning to the land of snow and ice to which many New Yorkers travel for fun and recreation. It’s a sweet synergy.
We will miss the cute Canadians this year, with their wonderful flying pig holiday lights and their gluten-free tree signs, who used to always set up in front of Duane Reade at the northwest corner of Broadway and 88th Street. We miss the (now closed) Duane Reade too 🙁
I saw christmas-tree sellers a block below, on Broadway & 87th on the NW corner that had a flying pig.
I love those flying pigs too!
Still, it’s nice to see the stands setting up, a sign of normalcy.
Should be upstate NY trees. But good on them for getting the contracts. And, it’s a pleasant story.
Thanks for the update! Any news on the group that sold trees in the 70’s on Broadway?
Just walked by – they’re set up on Broadway 79/80 – Santa is dancing!
Thank you! 🙂
My old building! Miss these guys..
Tree guys are setting up on 109th and Broadway too. I am always delighted when they arrive.
Agree about NYState trees, especially as my brother-in-law has just inherited a tree farm near Watkins Glen! But seriously, many of the seasonal tree sellers here are Canadian? why, when so many Americans are out of work?