SUFFOLK, Va. — As folks continue to munch through their Thanksgiving leftovers, many people are spending this weekend out buying the centerpiece for Christmas — the tree!
Knotts Creek Trees & Trimmings is a brand new tree lot in Suffolk this year.
Mike Fly and his two childhood best friends wanted to try something new this holiday season.
"Sitting around, having a drink one night and we're like 'hey, let's do a Christmas tree lot,'" Fly recalls. "We’re like let’s do this. We all love Christmas, and a Christmas tree lot was something that just kind of came together for us."
Fly and his two partners, Doug Horsley and Tyler Stone, ordered 1,000 Frasier firs from North Carolina to their new lot on Route 17 at Bridgeport Suffolk.
Fly said they saw a lot of business on Black Friday and Small Business Saturday. He's expected to see more during next weekend's Christmas market in the same area.
"It’s been steady. It’s been a good time for all of us. Family oriented. Our kids come out here, so we’ve been doing well so far," he said.
As folks head out to buy their trees, the National Christmas Tree Association (NCTA) says the supply of farm grown trees will be tight this year — just like last year. So, they encourage people to shop sooner rather than later.
Despite this, Fly said they feel good about the supply they were able to get.
"We couldn’t get anything 12-to-13-foot range, which are a lot of times good sellers, but we couldn’t find those this year. But everything else as far as the normal average size, the 7 to 8 foots, those were pretty good inventory," he explained. "They've actually been good trees this year. They're full trees, the bases of them are large which in the past, they've been smaller bases, so I guess it's been a good growing year."
The NCTA says 22.3 million real Christmas trees were bought in the U.S. last year, with the median price sitting around $80. They add that could jump about 10% this year.
RELATED: Yes, Christmas trees are recyclable
"We go anywhere from $45 dollars to our biggest 11 foot trees are 195 bucks," said Fly. "We weren’t trying to hit people over the head, we know times are tough, we know the economy is kind of tough right now, so we’re trying to keep our prices in the good range."
Fly also notes they accept cash and cards, which he said isn't always the case when shopping for a tree.
It’s not just about the trees for them, according to Fly, it’s also about the atmosphere, which will feature live music and art and jewelry for sale.
"People can come out and enjoy the whole vibe we have going on," he said.
Of course, there is the ongoing debate between real or artificial Christmas trees. The NCTA says real trees are fully recyclable, so they’re the better choice for the environment.
An artificial tree will save you some money over the years and pre-lit trees allow you to avoid the hassle of untangling your lights every year.