Christmas Tree Shops was the “It-girl” of bargain stores. Here’s why its legacy endures across New England.
Anthony Sammarco was in JOANN Fabric’s in Hyannis recently, shopping for a few Christmas decorations, when he heard the bells ringing from the Victorian carillon towering over the now-shuttered Christmas Tree Shops plaza.
In a true Proustian moment, the clanging of the bells brought back memories of scouring aisles for tchotchkes and treasures at the famed bargain chain, and he couldn’t help but remark: “My goodness, they’re greeting me!” Sammarco said of the bells.
Sammarco is a local historian, author, and lecturer who has penned over 60 books (yes, really) on Boston. In January, he will release his latest, “The Christmas Tree Shops: Don’t You Just Love A Bargain?” In the book, Sammarco chronicles the rise, fall, and legacy of the 53-year-old institution, and why it became an icon in New England and beyond.
“They weren’t cookie cutter. They had an aura of attraction and an aura of welcome that people just loved,” Sammarco said in an interview with Boston.com.
It’s been a year-and-a-half since Christmas Tree Shops shuttered all of its stores in Massachusetts and across the country after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Before their closure, the stores sold everything from toys to candy to kitsch and plenty of bric-a-brac in between…