At 10 a.m., on November 24th, Red Shed Christmas Trees reopened their seasonal Montavillage location in the Vinje & Son’s parking lot near SE 78th Avenue and Washington Street. Shoppers will find a wide selection of Douglas, Nordmann, Grand, and Noble Fir trees ranging from 2 to 15 feet tall. Wreaths and garlands are just some of the extended holiday decorations offered at this outdoor sales lot. Owner Lesle Janssen has once again brought in local artists and makers to sell their crafts at a gift boutique located at the southeast corner of the property.
All Red Shed trees come from Greg Smith’s Molalla Tree Farms, where they locally harvested them with minimal pesticides. With 200 acres of naturally grown product, Janssen values the dependable relationship with the Molalla, OR, grower. “I really like Greg. He puts a lot of love into his trees. He has many different fields to choose from. So when there’s a hot summer. There’s a blight. There’s this. There’s that. He still has things to choose from, so we’re always getting good trees,” said Janssen.
Fighting inflation is top of mind for Janssen. Red Shed Trees is cash only this year to keep their prices low and maintain a respectful salary for the seasonal staff. That saves processing fees and reduces the payment bottleneck that complicates checkout. As a consequence of that discussion, Janssen says they will have competitive pricing compared to other options. “I notice that our prices are lower than Home Depot, and we have better trees.” There are online payment options for people shopping in the boutique for gifts or decorations, with the purchase going directly through the maker’s payment system.
Lesle Janssen has made space in her tree lot for free festive activities for several years. Pre-pandemic, they offered craft activities for children, but they transitioned to take-home activity packs in recent years. This season, the owner’s mother, Janie Janssen, assembled 500 bags for kids to pick up and craft at home. They also offer two large outdoor-themed backdrops for people to take family photos. As in previous years, Peter McNamee Photography provided the forest and mountain shots used in the massive prints.
McNamee is a Montavilla resident and is one of the vendors selling their works in the boutique. Also returning to the holiday sales booth are the pottery and soaps from Shane Reaney Studios. While supplies last, people can purchase confections made by McTavish Shortbread. These baked-to-order items are a special treat rarely available in small quantities and often sell out. For those looking for a mood-setting addition to their centerpiece, Hannah Miller sells distinctive beeswax candles through her company Waxing & Raining Handmade Goods.
In addition to making space for craftspeople who don’t have a storefront, Red Shed is supporting Hats For Healing with another local business, Flipside Hats. Flipside makes all the beanies worn by tree lot staff, and Lesle Janssen is promoting their work. This year, the tree lot will sell tree seedlings people can plant on their property and earn Carbon reduction credits. Red Shed employee Alex Wick is also the founder and CEO of Cascadia Carbon. His NFTree program uses NFT technology to enable homeowners to register their carbon-sequestering trees and participate in the voluntary carbon offset market. People can purchase a Redwood, Douglas Fir, or Grand Fir seedling to register with the program, and they track its carbon capture as it grows.
Red Shed Christmas Trees is open now and will remain open until they run out of stock. People can visit the lot daily from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., with an additional hour in the evening on Fridays and Saturdays. They have both standard wreaths and hard-to-find juniper wreaths. Garland is sold by the foot, up to 75 feet long, and customers needing to buy a stand or arrange delivery also have options. Red Shed is a Montavilla tradition, serving 3,000 residents each year, and they are the official supplier of the community Holiday Tree installed in the Public Plaza at SE 79th Avenue and Stark Street.
Update: In a partnership with Montavilla Brew Works at 7805 SE Stark Street, people who purchase a Red Shed Christmas Tree will receive $2 off the price of a beer 4-pack or $3 off a 64oz Growler fill. Promotion ends December 24th and limited to one per customer, other exclusions may apply.
