Christmas Tree Shops
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| File:ChristmasTreeShopsLogo08.jpg | |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Genre | Bargains, closeouts |
| Founded | 1970 |
| Founder | Doreen and Chuck Bilezikian |
| Headquarters | , |
Number of locations | 83 (May 2014)[1] |
Area served | New England, Mid Atlantic, Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Florida, Texas |
| Parent | Bed Bath & Beyond |
| Website | christmastreeshops |
Christmas Tree Shops are a retail chain that started in Yarmouth Port, Massachusetts on Cape Cod in 1970 as a complex of three small stores; the Front Shop, the Back Shop, and the Barn Shop. The multiple store location, which was located on Route 6A, explains why the name is Christmas Tree Shops instead of Christmas Tree Shop. The chain's founders were Doreen and Chuck Bilezikian.
Since the 1980s, the chain has slowly been expanding beyond Cape Cod. As of May 2014, the company has 83 stores in eighteen states (including all six New England states). Expansion for the chain has included stores in the Midwestern states of Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio. Its newest stores opened in Augusta, Georgia; Dallas, Texas;[2] and Greensboro, North Carolina. These stores have been opened under new ownership.
The original stores are seen as a local phenomenon, since it has become a must see destination for many visitors when traveling to Cape Cod. Christmas Tree Shops was acquired by Bed Bath and Beyond in 2003, though the Bilezikians remain involved in the chain's executive operations. The original stores on Route 6A were closed in January of 2007. Some of the earlier Cape Cod locations, such as the store in West Dennis, Massachusetts, are far smaller in size than more recently built stores.
Distribution center
The company maintains distribution centers in Middleborough, Massachusetts, and Florence, N.J., the latter of which opened in 2008. Prior to being moved to Middleboro, distribution was done from the former Cape Cod Coliseum, in South Yarmouth. The Middleboro location also serves as the chain's new headquarters.
Store concepts
Christmas Tree Shops are bargain stores, selling everything from food to toys to household furnishings to, of course, Christmas decorations. Most stores are typically made to resemble older buildings, in Colonial, Victorian, or even Old English barn styles (such as the Sagamore, Massachusetts, Pembroke, Massachusetts and Warwick, R.I. stores). Some, such as the Lynnfield, Massachusetts store, are even more conceptualized; that store is known for its lighthouse and fishing village motif.
Christmas Tree Shops also has several stores in enclosed shopping malls, such as the Holyoke, Massachusetts location, which is inside the Holyoke Mall at Ingleside, as well as Colonie Center in Colonie New York and Salmon Run Mall in Watertown, NY. "Christmas Tree Shops express" stores feature a smaller footprint and the merchandise mix is oriented towards seasonal offerings.
"andThat!" is a new banner used to expand Christmas Tree Shops to other parts of the country not familiar with the concept in order to eliminate confusion. "andThat!" stores have opened in Fredericksburg, Virginia and Flint, Michigan.[3][4]
References
- ^ Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. Reports Results for Fiscal First Quarter
- ^ dallasnews.com (2010-10-01). "Christmas Tree Shops opens Dallas store". Retrieved 2011-07-13.
- ^ Local store will be called ‘and That’, not Christmas Tree Shops Fredericksburg.com, October 24, 2013
- ^ Bed, Bath & Beyond company opens 'andThat!' retail store in Flint Township mlive, October 11, 2013