Oh, Christmas tree. It's always a love / hate relationship with you, isn't it? We frown at the thought of fighting crowds on a frigid night and filling our backseats and trunks with prickly little reminders that linger long after the yuletide has subsided.
Yet, just as we've decided to trade in the real fir for fake, we find ourselves wooed your pleasant spruce smell that fills our homes with a fresh, if fleeting, sense of festive indulgence.
It's a decor dilemma that many face, but Marie Maas may have a way you can have your tree, and smell it, too.
Merging her entrepreneurial spirit with her holiday spirit, she's launched the Tree Boutique, an online store for that quintessential icon of the season, the Christmas tree.
And who doesn't love online shopping this time of year?
The Tree Boutique's residential services offer balsam firs, fraser firs, Scotch pines and miniature tabletop evergreens, ranging in height (two to seven feet) price ($25 to $100) to families and individuals looking for a hassle-free tree buying experience. Maas's staff then personally delivers the trees at the customer's convenience within two days.
"Delivery is flexible so we will be able to accommodate special delivery requests as needed," Maas says.
The company works only with Wisconsin tree farmers in the Northwoods and delivers fresh trees to the metro Milwaukee area, with additional fees for areas outside Milwaukee County. Maas says she's looking to expand to other metro areas for future seasons.
And if you're looking to green your holidays a bit, Maas says her products work well as gifts, too. She suggests sending a miniature tabletop evergreen ($25) as a festive alternative to flowers or gift baskets, but says her gift card packages, which come in a small wrapped box, could be ideal for corporate and office gifting.
"Initially I just thought about doing a residential service for those in the city who want to avoid the hassle and mess of picking up a fresh Christmas tree," she says.
"The corporate side of the business struck me later at the office when I received my first holiday card of the season from a vendor. I barely skimmed the card before throwing it directly in the recycling bin. Then the light bulb went on -- why do companies spend so much on printing and mailing cards that just wind up in the trash? Why not spend promotional budgets on something customers will actually use?"
Her evergreen gift cards are redeemable in package values -- bronze, $45-59; silver, $50-70 and gold, $55-99 -- and offer free delivery in metro-Milwaukee. She also offers an option for a customizable e-card with redemption code.
"I'm excited to be a part of something that's never been done before in Milwaukee -- or anywhere else I've found for that matter," says Maas. "While greeting cards and gift baskets get lost in the clutter, a festive evergreen will be noticed for weeks -- whether on display in the office or home."
OnMilwaukee.com staff writer Julie Lawrence grew up in Wauwatosa and has lived her whole life in the Milwaukee area.
As any “word nerd” can attest, you never know when inspiration will strike, so from a very early age Julie has rarely been seen sans pen and little notebook. At the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee it seemed only natural that she major in journalism. When OnMilwaukee.com offered her an avenue to combine her writing and the city she knows and loves in late 2004, she knew it was meant to be. Around the office, she answers to a plethora of nicknames, including “Lar,” (short for “Larry,” which is short for “Lawrence”) as well as the mysteriously-sourced “Bill Murray.”
