Black Friday Kicks Off Springfield Christmas Shopping

At opposite sides of Springfield, two retailers opened for the Christmas shopping season. One of them—Anthony B’s Christmas Trees at 48 Morris Avenue—has been a modest seasonal fixture at the corner of Morris and Warner Avenues for 11 years. The other, Christmas Tree Shops, 350 Route 22 West, celebrated opening day and welcomed throngs of shoppers.

A forest of firs, available 8 a.m. to 11 p.m., 7 days a week

Anthony B’s is all trees. Anthony and his crew have more than 1,000 Christmas trees in stock. With prices starting at $25, they have Frasier firs from North Carolina, balsam firs from Canada, and are expecting a Saturday shipment of Douglas firs from Pennsylvania. Trees range in height from five to 11 feet, all arrayed in aromatic display on wooden racks. Also on sale are tree bases, wreaths of many sizes, and grave covers. Anthony says that the best-looking trees go first, “so don’t wait till the last minute.”

Black Friday gets its name because it’s typically the first day of the year when many retailers’ balance sheets go from red to black. Christmas Tree Shops, a chain store owned by Bed Bath and Beyond, offers seasonal specialties at discount prices—Christmas gifts, tree trimmings, lights, and accessories. When Christmas season ends, the merchandise will be themed for Valentine’s Day, the next seasonal shopping event that retailers love. The event may change, but Christmas Tree Shops is the name all year long.

Oddly, Christmas Tree Shops sells just about everything but trees. Well, they have two—count ’em, two—artificial trees in stock. When they’re gone, they don’t plan to restock, according to the Jessie, the harried but smiling manager. The store was so crowded that it was difficult to move through the aisles. At times, one had to cruise the parking lot to find a space. And there were shopping cart jams at the entrance, where store security guards counseled eager shoppers to be patient.

Personal service, free delivery

Since Anthony B’s Christmas Trees has been in business for years, they know how to cater to shoppers. Pick the tree you want, and it comes complete with advice on how to set it up. Anthony’s crew of Tommy, Kenny and Kenny will drill the base of the tree so it fits on the spike in the tree bases they sell. Then they push your tree through a giant machine that gently wraps it in a net so the branches won’t get damaged on the drive home. If you wish, they’ll deliver your tree to your door for free.