This week, the Buzz is retailing, skiing, moving and apparently, hoping to find a PlayStation 5 under the tree?
So much to get to.
First up: Celebration Tree Farm and Wellness Center, part all things Christmas trees and forest, part wellness center with yoga, reiki and a saltwater hot tub, is among the local vendors included in the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association’s new Maine Organic Marketplace in Freeport.
Celebration opened six years ago when they bought a tree farm in Durham, Jonah Fertig-Burd, one of the farm cooperative’s three worker/owners, said.
Tom Prouhl says hello Thursday morning to the well-known Celebration Tree Farm & Wellness Center celebrity dog, Ginger, during a drizzle in Durham. He and the other worker/owners were preparing trees for Portland Food Co-op. The farm will be open for visitors to cut their own trees this weekend for the last time this year. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal
“Our first year, we had a few dozen customers,” he said. “We had no trucks, so we were hauling trees out of the woods with bikes and sleds. We weren’t even sure, really, if we wanted to be tree farmers, but we saw how much joy it brought into people’s lives and the community that was created around the tree farm.”
The farm was certified organic in 2017 and this past year launched a community-supported forest program — like community-supported agriculture, but for trees — with members receiving a Christmas tree, discounts on services and year-round trail access, among other benefits.
It’s open just two weekends a year for cut-your-own trees and this coming weekend is the last for 2021.
Fertig-Burd said MOFGA’s Freeport store will have Celebration’s wreaths and what the farm calls “little trees,” standing 1 to 3 feet tall, mounted on a birch base.
“People use them as tabletop trees or in their bedrooms or on their desk,” he said. “That’s also been a great way for us to diversify what we offer from the forest beyond just the full-size Christmas tree. These are trees that we’re thinning out of the forest to make space for those other trees to grow.”
Also in the shop at 55 Main St. in Freeport are wares from Bliss Farms in Auburn, LoveGrown Hemp in Farmington, Temple Tappers in Temple and GrandyOats in Hiram.
EXPANDING IN LEWISTON
The Vault, background left, will be moving across Lisbon Street into the former Bear Bones Beer. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal
The Vault is vaulting down Lisbon Street into larger quarters next year.
The high-end wine and beer shop is moving into the storefront at 43 Lisbon St., the former home of Bear Bones Beer, after buying it from Baum House in a deal brokered by Noah Stebbins of The Boulos Company.
Owner Keith Tannenbaum said the new space is nearly double the size of The Vault’s current home at 84 Lisbon St. He’s not sure that he’d like the business to double in size, too, and said Thursday that he’s still thinking of how to use all of the space.
The move is planned for 2022. The shop will likely be closed for just a few days when it changes addresses.
“I’m excited to stay (on Lisbon Street),” Tannenbaum said. “I’m excited for the way things are moving down here.”
IT’S A SKIING TRIFECTA!
• Saddleback Mountain on Thursday announced it will open for the season Saturday.
It will open with the Royal Tiger slope and work on the Gray Ghost and Green Weaver next, according to a news release.
• The skiing Santas are back at Sunday River Resort.
The 21st annual Santa Sunday is this Sunday. Each Santa’s $20 donation raises money for River Fund Maine, benefiting Bethel-area youth.
Skiers who register for the event and come dressed in full Santa regalia — beard, red pants and jacket, red hat with a white pompom — receive a free lift ticket for that morning and a second ticket to use in mid-December.
• Holidu, a vacation rentals search engine, shouted out Sugarloaf this week in its 2021-2022 U.S. Ski Price Index.
Sugarloaf was recognized as “the best bang for your buck with the lowest cost per km of skiable slopes.”
In a ranking of the average cost per person for a one-day pass and accommodations, Sugarloaf ranked the No. 7 best deal, Sunday River No. 11.
HOLIDAY WANTS
Map by AT&T Experts
Lastly, AT&T Experts used Amazon and Google Shopping to analyze search words by state to figure out the most-searched for holiday presents this year across the U.S.
In Maine and 14 other states, it was the Playstation 5.
In New Hampshire, it was peace on earth.
Just kidding. It was the Instant Pot.
Quick hits about business comings, goings and happenings. Have a Buzzable tip? Contact staff writer Kathryn Skelton at 689-2844 or kskelton@sunjournal.com.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
