Local tree farmers not worried about Amazon selling Christmas trees

OXFORD, Mich. – Frank Genovese and his wife, Kathy, have owned the Candy Cane Christmas Tree Farm in Oxford for 42 years. 

In that time, the couple had to adapt to many changes in the Christmas tree business -- like how Amazon will sell and deliver live Christmas trees this holiday season.

They've had a couple days to think about the news and they think it's going to work out for everyone.

"If you live in the city ... you have to pack up your family and come out to the country," Frank Genovese said. "You have to go through a lot of trouble to come to a farm like this."

"The customer is going to have to like what they get, because there isn't enough time to ship them back," Kathy Genovese said.

Michigan is the nation's third-largest Christmas tree producer, so it's definitely a concern as to how this will affect local farms. Frank thinks they can co-exist because he and his fellow farmers aren't selling convenience, they're selling an experience.

"It's family being together. That's really what I sell," Frank said. "The tree is almost secondary."

That's not an experience a company can replicate through the mail. 

The Genoveses believe Amazon will purchase trees from plantations, not necessarily tree farms like theirs. 

More information on the Candy Cane Christmas Tree Farm can be found on its official website here.


About the Authors:

Jason is Local 4’s utility infielder. In addition to anchoring the morning newscast, he often reports on a variety of stories from the tragic, like the shootings at Michigan State, to the off-beat, like great gas station food.