Christmas Tree Shops is an American chain of specialty retail stores headquartered in Union, New Jersey. As of 2021, the chain operates 80 stores in 20

U.S. states In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

History

In 1970,

Charles Bilezikian Charles G. Bilezikian (c. 1937 - July 26, 2016) was an American businessman, retail executive and philanthropist, who co-founded the Christmas Tree Shops retail chain with his wife, Doreen, in 1970. Early life and education Bilezikian was born t ...

and his wife, Doreen opened the first store in Yarmouth Port, MA on Cape Cod. The original location comprised three separate buildings: the Front Shop, the Back Shop and the Barn Shop (which mostly sold

penny candy A penny is a coin ( pennies) or a unit of currency (pl. pence) in various countries. Borrowed from the Carolingian denarius (hence its former abbreviation d.), it is usually the smallest denomination within a currency system. Presently, it is t ...

), hence the pluralization of the store's name. The first complex, which the Bilezikians lived above, was on Route 6A, and it was open seasonally in the spring through early fall. Since the 1980s, the chain had slowly been expanding beyond Cape Cod. As of May 2014, the company had 83 stores in 18 states. Expansion for the chain has included stores in Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio. Its newest stores opened in

Augusta, Georgia Augusta ( ), officially Augusta–Richmond County, is a consolidated city-county on the central eastern border of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. The city lies across the Savannah River from South Carolina at the head of its navig ...

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at th ...

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County w ...

, and

Greensboro, North Carolina Greensboro (; formerly Greensborough) is a city in and the county seat of Guilford County, North Carolina, United States. It is the third-most populous city in North Carolina after Charlotte and Raleigh, the 69th-most populous city in the Un ...

; the three opened under new ownership. The chain still has a strong presence on Cape Cod, where it operates six locations. Christmas Tree Shops was acquired by

Bed Bath & Beyond Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. is an American chain of domestic merchandise retail stores. The chain operates many stores in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Puerto Rico. Bed Bath & Beyond was founded in 1971. It is counted among the Fortune 5 ...

in 2003, though the Bilezikians remain involved in the executive operations. The original stores on Route 6A were closed in January 2007, though the site is now occupied by stores owned by the Bilezikians' son Greg. Some of the earlier Cape Cod stores, as in West Dennis, are dwarfed by recently built stores. In November 2020,

sold all 80 locations of Christmas Tree Shops, "andThat!", and the Middleborough, Ma. distribution center to Handil Holdings, a private company, for an undisclosed amount.

Distribution center

The company maintains a distribution center in

Middleboro, Massachusetts Middleborough (frequently written as Middleboro) is a town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 24,245 at the 2020 census. History The town was first settled by Europeans in 1661 as Nemasket, later changed to M ...

Store concepts

Christmas Tree Shops

View from Westfield Garden State Plaza - panoramio

Christmas Tree Shops are bargain stores, selling food, toys, household furnishings, and Christmas decorations. Most stores typically resemble older buildings (

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, Victorian, or even Old English barn styles, such as in Sagamore and

Pembroke, Massachusetts Pembroke is a small historic town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. Pembroke is a South Shore suburb of the Boston metropolitan area. The town is located about halfway between Boston and Cape Cod. The town is considered rural wi ...

; and

Warwick, Rhode Island Warwick ( or ) is a city in Kent County, Rhode Island, the third largest city in the state with a population of 82,823 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. It is located approximately south of downtown Providence, Rhode Island, sout ...

). Some, such as the

Lynnfield, Massachusetts Lynnfield is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, in the United States. At the 2020 census, the town population was 13,000. Lynnfield initially consisted of two distinct villages with a single governing body. Lynnfield Center comprises mostly ...

store, are even more conceptualized; it is known for its lighthouse and fishing village motif. Christmas Tree Shops also has several stores in enclosed

shopping malls A shopping mall (or simply mall) is a North American term for a large indoor shopping center, usually anchored by department stores. The term "mall" originally meant a pedestrian promenade with shops along it (that is, the term was used to refe ...

, such as inside the

Holyoke Mall at Ingleside The Holyoke Mall at Ingleside ( Holyoke Mall) is a shopping center located in Holyoke, Massachusetts, in the city's Ingleside neighborhood. It is owned by The Pyramid Companies. The mall features 135 stores, a large food court, and several rest ...

in Massachusetts,

Colonie Center Colonie Center is a shopping mall located in Roessleville, New York, a suburb of Albany, at the intersection of Central Avenue, Wolf Road, and Interstate 87. Opening in 1966, it was the first enclosed shopping mall in New York's Capital Region ...

in Albany, New York, and

Salmon Run Mall The Salmon Run Mall is a shopping center located in Watertown, New York. The mall features JCPenney, Dick's Sporting Goods, Best Buy, Burlington, Hobby Lobby, and Best Buy, in addition to a Regal Cinemas. History One of the original anchor sto ...

in Watertown, New York.

Christmas Tree Shops Express

"Christmas Tree Shops express" stores feature a smaller footprint; the merchandise mix is oriented towards seasonal offerings.

andThat!

"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

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

, and

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

Bed, Bath & Beyond company opens 'andThat!' retail store in Flint Township
mlive, October 11, 2013

References

{{Reflist

External links

Christmas Tree Shops Website
Yarmouth, Massachusetts Companies based in Barnstable County, Massachusetts Economy of the Eastern United States American companies established in 1970 Retail companies established in 1970 Retail companies of the United States 1970 establishments in Massachusetts 2003 mergers and acquisitions