Christmas Tree Lots See Record Sales, Selling Out Across Twin Cities

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- It's clear people want to embrace the holiday spirit more than ever this year.

Tree lots throughout the Twin Cities are seeing record sales, and some are even selling out -- something they've never done before.

On Sunday afternoon, scoutmaster Joshua Koepp and Boy Scout Troop 9401 broke down and cleaned up their tree lot after selling their last tree that morning.

"We sold our trees faster than they've ever sold them before," Koepp said.

He says they've seen steady sales since Thanksgiving. They usually sell trees until the Tuesday before Christmas. They have never sold out two weeks before the holiday.

"Usually we leave trees on the lot after the sale for anyone to take if they want them, but that was definitely not the case this year," he said.

Other Christmas tree lots that have sold out for the season include both Mother Earth Garden Centers in northeast and south Minneapolis; Our Lady of Grace Men's' Club Christmas Tree Lot in Edina; and Nativity's Men's' Club Christmas Tree Lot in St. Paul.

However, there is still a place to find trees around the cities. The 66-year-old Krueger's Christmas Tree Farm in Lake Elmo has been seeing strong sales since before Thanksgiving. Andrea and John Krueger run the farm.

"It's really good sales, really steady sales, and of course the weather this year has been almost near perfect," John Krueger said.

Besides a mild December drawing people to the farm, they're also seeing more customers converting from fake to real trees this year.

"Just in asking people, many people who typically travel and might not get a real tree are coming out because they want the real experience, the smell, and they're home," Andrea Krueger said.

Laura and Kadi Vail have been making it a tradition every year to go to Krueger's.

"It's fun to get to still maintain that tradition, even this year," Vail said.

The Vails believe people are drawn to support small, local businesses this year, and are just looking for excuses to get outside.

"People are stuck in home more and they're wanting a little bit of life and joy inside their home," Vail said.

Krueger's Christmas Tree Farm says they will not sell out this season. They plan to cut trees from next year's crop to make sure that everyone who wants a tree will get one.