Haarlem Christmas tree sellers are almost out of stock: “It’s a madhouse”

‘It’s gone’ at Ton & Ron on Santpoorterplein. Opposite the flower shop, a corner has been set up for Christmas tree sales. The trees that are still there are expected to be gone this weekend. Then it is still two weeks until Christmas, but there will be no new stock.

Nordmen

“Last year we purchased 700,” says employee Loyd. “Then we had to throw away a lot. Now we have 300, all Nordmen from Denmark. Things are going very fast this year.” He has no regrets about purchasing less now: “It’s fine if they’re gone.”

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Kelly from the Marty flower kiosk, on the corner of Marnixstraat and Zaanenlaan, had also purchased more carefully. “We shred everything we have left and spread it over the land. Last year we spent up to Easter processing those trees. Then I prefer to be released a little earlier.”

A very good year

That is going to work. Kelly: “It’s not normal how fast things are going. I’ve already lost at least half of my stock. I’m going to have a very good year, especially with the other range.” Marty’s offering is largely ecologically grown, although this does not apply to the Christmas trees. “It’s a shame, but they are simply too expensive. A small tree easily costs 40 euros.”

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Buying a Christmas tree is a tradition that has hardly changed in recent decades. They can discuss this at Planten Centrum Pieter Makkelie on Burgwal. “I am the third generation to sell Christmas trees in this place,” says Pieter, who runs the business together with Anita. “This week a customer came with a receipt from 45 years ago, found in a drawer. He had already bought a tree here.”

A bit of sustainability

It is precisely in this store that an innovation reveals itself. Piet points to a machine between the trees. “We had this for the first time last year. We can use it to drill a hole exactly in the middle of the trunk. We then place a wooden cross underneath and the tree stands upright in the living room. This year the customers are coming back again with that wooden cross. Still a bit of sustainability.”

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There is also innovation a few streets away. Bicycle shop De Groene Tweewieler has turned the building on Papentorenvest, where bicycles are normally parked, into a Christmas tree shop. The trees are sold not only at the door, but also online. De Groene Tweewieler offers, very appropriately, the option to have the tree delivered by bicycle.

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Back in Haarlem-Noord, where Cronjéstraat ends and Soendaplein begins, a customer from the Muntjewerf flower shop loads his newly purchased Christmas tree into a cargo bike. Michael, co-owner of the business, helps with the lifting. He walks back and forth, from customer to customer, but his smile is always big.

No grease

“It’s a madhouse,” he reports in between. “I’ll be happy if I can quickly get a cup of coffee.” Good business, you might say, but it’s not a big deal for Michael. “To be honest, I mainly do it for our regular customers. The trees come from Denmark. A few weeks ago they were still under a meter of snow. Those trees are quite expensive to buy and I don’t want to make the price too high. margins are therefore thin.”

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Muntjewerf is open seven days a week. That takes its toll during Christmas tree season, Michael admits. “I start at half past five in the morning. When I open the door of our store, it is completely full of trees. There is no way through. The same applies to the warehouse and the cold room behind the store. I drag all the trees from from the shop across the street to the kiosk. At the end of the day the party starts again and all the trees have to go back inside.”

Because Michael has no place to store the trees outside, he is limited to the size of the store in terms of maximum stock. Fortunately, you might almost say. “Maybe I’ll reorder one more pallet,” he says. “But after that it’s done.”