ABOUT

About Willey's

Willey’s Christmas Trees is a family-owned, veteran-led small business that grows beautiful fir Christmas trees up on the family farm in Colebrook, New Hampshire. The husband-wife team love to provide pre-cut Christmas trees, wreaths and garland to their Mechanicsville, Virginia community during the holiday season. Thanks to a loyal customer base, Willey's Christmas Trees has been in business for 45 years. Mr. and Mrs. Willey and their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren work hard to provide superb quality trees and exceptional customer service.

The History of Willey's Christmas Trees

Willey’s Christmas Trees was officially founded in the spring of 1970 when Ken Willey and his Uncle Red planted a mix of about 1,000 Balsam and Fraser fir seedlings on the Willey property. Fortunately, while the baby seedlings were growing, Ken was able to hone his shearing skills on some older trees that his brother planted for a school project back in 1958. He made time out of his schedule as a sheet metal worker to grow and tend to his Christmas trees. He learned as he went with tips from his neighbor who happened to be a charter member of the New Hampshire-Vermont Christmas Tree Association. By 1973, they had some of the original trees Christmas trees to sell out in front of their home in the Burlington, Vermont area.

In 1975, work took Mr. Willey and his family south to Mechanicsville, Virginia…750 miles away from the tree farm. The Willey’s established their first tree lot in Mechanicsville that December of 1975. To continue shearing and shaping the trees, the family took “vacations” north to work on the growing trees during the warmer seasons. And as the number of planted trees continued to grow, so did their small family operation.

The History of Willey's Christmas Trees

Over the years, the Willey clan has continued to expand. Willey’s Christmas Trees has truly become a multi-generational effort – with four generations gathering in Mechanicsville during the holiday season to help sell Christmas trees, wreaths and more.

Mr. and Mrs. Willey thank their family for assisting with the growth of the business, but also the loyal customers who’ve returned year after year to buy a tree. Some customers have been with the Willey’s for nearly 45 years. Mr. Willey says all his customers – new and returning – are the lifeblood of the business. He also credits the customers as being his true source of knowledge, saying their tastes and preferences guided how he shaped his trees. Many of these customers have turned their trip to Willey’s into an annual family tradition. Some of these customers have become friends, and many of them have children and grandchildren who are now buying trees from the Willey’s.