The End of an Era: Christmas Tree Shops Closing

[mrsstats79]

Very sad to hear this news. I love this store for all the little knickknacks you can get.

 

[Communicore1991]

Christmas Tree Shops had EVERYTHING! Wanted something festive for an upcoming holiday like napkins or table pieces? Go to CTS. Moving to a new home and wanted some cheap wine glasses for when friends and family come over? CTS. Looking to buy some snacks or maybe needed some shampoo or an OTC medication? CTS

I think the part we all loved about CTS was also their downfall -- they had so many things, the cost overhead to constantly be ordering inventory and it not moving cost them too much. When everyone buys from Amazon and Walmart now, brick and mortar stores will continue to fail and shut down. This really hurts me to see because sometimes you want to touch or inspect what you're going to buy before you actually do so. That is something Amazon cannot replace.

 

[Robbie Cottam]

Christmas Tree Shop had a lot of items that shall we say were of questionable quality?
They were great if you on the cape for a vacation and need something, but that's about it.

They were low hanging fruit, and out "wonderful" (sarcasm added) economy eat them up.
My guess they won't be the last.

Bed Bath and Be Gone sold them a few years ago, and they defaulted on a BK loan recently....

not the first, but of many dominos to fall in this economy, I'm afraid.

 

[Robbie Cottam]

I really hope there is some way to keep the original one on Cape Cod.

Those stores were always full so there is no way it was due to lack of love.

So many stores stupidly or maybe partly willfully invested their money in the markets to keep up the illusion of profitability with the people who make the choices ALWAYS making sure they get paid before the ship goes down :/ The new corporate raiding, it's stealthy but not invisible. One by one we'll see them pile up

if you mean the one at the Sagamore Bridge, it was on the original closure list.....
Maybe to much over head, and the building needs a ton of maintenance.

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

I had never heard of them before, but wow it makes me sad to see those closing. Sounds like a place I would really like.

 

[LuvOrlando]

if you mean the one at the Sagamore Bridge, it was on the original closure list.....
May to much over head, and the building needs a ton of maintenance.

I was just there in April and it seemed to be in good shape, such a shame. I always loved these stores for all my holiday decorating knick knacks, so much fun to pick out all the little things. It used to be here, Hobby Lobby and Michaels for all the fun stuff and now there is such little selection we'll all be putting out our handmade decor soon. 70s ironed plastic popcorn Santa & pumpkins here we come

 

[Robbie Cottam]

I was just there in April and it seemed to be in good shape, such a shame. I always loved these stores for all my holiday decorating knick knacks, so much fun to pick out all the little things. It used to be here, Hobby Lobby and Michaels for all the fun stuff and now there is such little selection we'll all be putting out our handmade decor soon. 70s ironed plastic popcorn Santa & pumpkins here we come

LOOK CLOSER

 

[LuvOrlando]

Christmas Tree Shop had a lot of items that shall we say were of questionable quality?
They were great if you on the cape for a vacation and need something, but that's about it.

They were low hanging fruit, and out "wonderful" (sarcasm added) economy eat them up.
My guess they won't be the last.

Bed Bath and Be Gone sold them a few years ago, and they defaulted on a BK loan recently....

not the first, but of many dominos to fall in this economy, I'm afraid.

It isn't the economy that did it, this is all mismanagement but I agree many will fall.

Businesses like this stopped focusing on actually growing their businesses and started picking up cheap debt (remember the decade of zero) so they could wheel and deal in the stock market and commercial real estate, the practice was making easy money and execs could report it as earnings to the board(s) as long as no-one looked to close, money coming in is money, right, part of a diversified portfolio, right? Borrow at zero% and invest elsewhere for xyz% and all is rosey, should last forever. Well somehow it never occurred to any of these high rollers that zero wasn't forever (zero was probably part of some sort of neck saving negotiation back in 2008 crisis) and now all these businesses who didn't strategize properly are collapsing on bad decisions and execs don't want to own it to investors and board members so they shrug and say it is the economy in a chorus to keep their jobs. I'll keep saying it, nothing wrong with our economy which is why the boom won't drop, well mostly, some stuff is wonky probably to interference but interest rates always had to go back to normal otherwise people would never save and there would be nothing in the banks to use for loans. I am still not getting $ for savings so it has gone straight to principal and removing debt because removing a 25% drain is better than saving at zero, pretty sure I am not the only person who noticed so that's gonna bite someone soon, but I digress. Stuff is $$$ right now because poorly managed businesses drowning in debt need $$$ to stay afloat and pay their debts so they are upping prices & cutting expenses which guts the business (not good) but these institutions should have been doing it the entire last decade, foolish not to have seen that and their solution of gutting themselves is even dumber than the problem. Now they are trying to offload bad debt into little chewy bits but we all got so badly burned by a volatile market that only those with the biggest risk appetites are biting so it is like a snake eating itself at the tail. It is not the economy that is the problem, there is no stopping what needs to happen any more than a person can stop a tidal wave, all anyone can do is make sure you have a boat that floats. We're all just gonna miss some stuff as it happens but I have confidence we'll wiggle free and new things will grow once the dead and dying stuff actually lets go.

I wish the Cape Cod Christmas tree Shop would stay though, love the little thatched roof, should be some kind of a pop culture historical site... sigh.

 

[lynxstch]

Awww how sad. That was the one store I missed the most when I left MA for MD. You could always find unique and reasonably priced things in there.

 

[Robbie Cottam]

It isn't the economy that did it, this is all mismanagement but I agree many will fall.

Businesses like this stopped focusing on actually growing their businesses and started picking up cheap debt (remember the decade of zero) so they could wheel and deal in the stock market and commercial real estate, the practice was making easy money and execs could report it as earnings to the board(s) as long as no-one looked to close, money coming in is money, right, part of a diversified portfolio, right? Borrow at zero% and invest elsewhere for xyz% and all is rosey, should last forever. Well somehow it never occurred to any of these high rollers that zero wasn't forever (zero was probably part of some sort of neck saving negotiation back in 2008 crisis) and now all these businesses who didn't strategize properly are collapsing on bad decisions and execs don't want to own it to investors and board members so they shrug and say it is the economy in a chorus to keep their jobs. I'll keep saying it, nothing wrong with our economy which is why the boom won't drop, well mostly, some stuff is wonky probably to interference but interest rates always had to go back to normal otherwise people would never save and there would be nothing in the banks to use for loans. I am still not getting $ for savings so it has gone straight to principal and removing debt because removing a 25% drain is better than saving at zero, pretty sure I am not the only person who noticed so that's gonna bite someone soon, but I digress. Stuff is $$$ right now because poorly managed businesses drowning in debt need $$$ to stay afloat and pay their debts so they are upping prices & cutting expenses which guts the business (not good) but these institutions should have been doing it the entire last decade, foolish not to have seen that and their solution of gutting themselves is even dumber than the problem. Now they are trying to offload bad debt into little chewy bits but we all got so badly burned by a volatile market that only those with the biggest risk appetites are biting so it is like a snake eating itself at the tail. It is not the economy that is the problem, there is no stopping what needs to happen any more than a person can stop a tidal wave, all anyone can do is make sure you have a boat that floats. We're all just gonna miss some stuff as it happens but I have confidence we'll wiggle free and new things will grow once the dead and dying stuff actually lets go.

I wish the Cape Cod Christmas tree Shop would stay though, love the little thatched roof, should be some kind of a pop culture historical site... sigh.

We can agree to disagree
They sold junk and charged way more than the product was worth.

 

[Mle8308]

I really hope there is some way to keep the original one on Cape Cod.

Those stores were always full so there is no way it was due to lack of love.

So many stores stupidly or maybe partly willfully invested their money in the markets to keep up the illusion of profitability with the people who make the choices ALWAYS making sure they get paid before the ship goes down :/ The new corporate raiding, it's stealthy but not invisible. One by one we'll see them pile up

The original store was in Yarmouthport, on the corner of 6A and Willow Street and was closed years ago. It is another gift shop now, Just Picked, that was started by one of the sons of the original founders of The Christmas Tree Shops (not sure if he still owns it). My sister worked there in HS, I worked in the West Yarmouth store (now a Dollar Tree) in HS, too. It was my first real job. Sad to see them go. When owned by the Bilezikian’s, it was a great place to work.

 

[maxbuffmelvin]

Most of the stuff was junk like I wouldn't purchase furniture from there. I generally purchased rare food items such as Old Cape Cod Mustard. That was my favorite mustard, and sadly I haven't seen it for years. They had inexpensive spices and herbs similar to Ocean State Job Lot. They had some decent holiday decorations for all seasons, similar to Michaels.

 

[leebee]

They didn’t sell just Christmas merchandise, they sold things for all holidays, and lots of housewares and gift items, food, you name it, at good prices. Basically if you went in for one thing, you came out with a lot more than that!

Don'tcha just love a bargain?

I will miss CTS. Sure, some of the stuff was pure crap, but we got some good deals there, especially on household things (glasses, plates, curtains, etc), food, toiletries, holiday paper goods/wrapping paper, etc. Bummer.

 

[MillauFr]

Can't you just order anything they had in those stores from Amazon?

 

[Robbie Cottam]

Can't you just order anything they had in those stores from Amazon?

No, Amazon’s standards might be higher!

It was a cape cod tourist trap.

 

[AnnaS]

I will definitely miss it. Great for summer items/outdoor/indoor. Great for Holiday needs - paper goods/decorations, etc. They had a little of everything. Best quality? No. But for the most part/priced accordingly.

 

[PollyannaMom]

Can't you just order anything they had in those stores from Amazon?

But only if you know you need it - half the fun was in the browsing, and just finding something surprising.

 

[Communicore1991]

But only if you know you need it - half the fun was in the browsing, and just finding something surprising.

That's what I'm going to miss most when all the brick and mortar stores go away. You can't browse on online merchants the same way you would in a store.

 

[AnnaS]

Everything looks great on-line........I really can't tell the quality of most of things even after reading description/dimensions, etc. I want to look, feel a product and try on clothes. As much as I am not a fan of shopping, It also gives me a reason to get out of the house. Browse/interact with another human being. I don't like returning "things" either.

 

[footballmouse]

I just heard about this yesterday and was so sad. I love going there to browse around and I always came home with stuff. I'll make 1 last trip to the store in a couple of weeks.