TRYON – Businesses in the Polk County area are reporting steady sales of Christmas trees as the holiday approaches.

Kim Clements at Tryon Mountain Hardware said while her Christmas tree sales have not been as good as they have been in the past, store sales have overall been good this season despite what Clements explained as a traditional election year decrease.

“It’s unusual for an election year to bring good sales to this business but we’ve had a good year,” Clements explained. “It’s usually during the first week of December when Christmas tree sales peak and we see the most people around Thanksgiving. The county as a whole has been good because there’s a lot of competition going on.”

Clements added she noticed more people are beginning to go out of town to buy trees. Out of the 20,000 people in Polk County, only 800 to 1,000 trees have been sold this season collectively in the county among eight businesses, she said.

Joey Benson of Benson’s Produce in Lynn said he has seen a good season for sales, adding that most of the customers came through the last week of November following Thanksgiving to buy his North Carolina Fraser Firs and Norwegian trees.

“Though most customers are regulars I’ve seen from year to year, I have seen some new faces, too,” Benson said. “The wreathes and centerpieces are doing well also and we make those here. Last year, I under-bought and we sold out quickly so I bought more this year.”

Benson added a “selling point” of buying a tree at his business is standing them up in water dishes so customers know they are kept fresh on the property.

Fran Garside at Down to Earth Home and Garden in Tryon said the business does not usually get trees until the Saturday before Thanksgiving. She said the business has seen a good year and season.

“We bought 128 trees to start out with and we’re now down to 28,” Garside explained. “We might still sell as many as seven trees on Christmas Eve for those last minute shoppers, but that is part of a tradition.”

Garside said the trees have become drier this year because of the lack of rain. The business had to water trees since the day they received them.

Martin Spehar at Avery Creek Nursery said he sold out of trees after the business bought 100 for the season. Most of these trees were sold after Thanksgiving.

“We’ve had pretty good sales this week and it’s been a pretty good season,” Spehar said.

Rebecca Garner at Tim Edward’s Landscaping in Mill Spring said the business brought in two loads of trees since November and has nearly sold out. She added the business stands their trees in water to keep them fresh because people would ask how long ago the trees had been cut.

“The first load sold out in a week and a half and we brought in two loads because they will stay fresher,” Garner said. “The drought has not affected our business and we were pretty steady in both November and this month because I think it’s been a warmer winter until now. The big ones got gone first and we have last minute shoppers coming in looking for gift baskets, willow trees, toys and gift sets.”

BY THE NUMBERS

Last year, according to the National Christmas Tree Association website, the average retail cost was $50.82 for a real tree and $69.38 for an artificial tree. Also in 2015, 25.9 million real trees and 12.5 million artificial trees were sold.