Trendy Tree History
This is the beginning of my retirement and a little history about Trendy Tree, the website business we started several years ago.
Retirement
In 2010, I retired from my nurse practitioner career to focus on the family business, Trendy Tree. My husband and I started our website business in 2007 as Pence Christmas Tree Farm. It was to be a “weekend” business for supplemental income during our retirement.
The business quickly grew and became Trendy Tree in 2009. By 2010, we recognized that we didn’t have the time to maintain a functioning Christmas tree farm along with the website business and my nursing career.
The Trees
My husband took early retirement in 2009 to work on the farm and keep the trees going. It was a full-time job! Planting, fertilizing, mowing…..it was never-ending or so it seemed.
Business Decision
Eventually, we decided to let the trees go and just focus on the website business. The Christmas trees are still happily growing their butts off.
We’ve cut one tree in all these years to use at our own home so the grandchildren could have the opportunity to chop down a tree. What an experience that was! It was misting rain and cold. The kids bundled up and each one took a swing with the ax to a tree.
Needless to say, they were happy when Pop pulled out the chainsaw and finished her off…..they haven’t asked to cut another one.
So, in 2010 I retired from nursing and worked on growing the website business. We had outgrown the shop adjacent to our home which had already been doubled in size once.
Warehouse & Employees
We moved into a warehouse in an industrial park in town in 2012 and hired our first real employee…..you know her as Carrie)))
Another year went by, and we were ready to take on our second real employee…you know him as David))
A family business may not be for everyone, but it seems to have worked for us. There we were…..the three of us…. every day, even on weekends during the Christmas season. David, our son-in-law, would help out in the afternoons and weekends during those busy times.
For a year, the four of us were there every day. Poor David, that is a lot of time spent with the in-laws. We worked together, lunched together, and occasionally a couple of us might slip out and play some golf (that would be David and Terry).
Carrie and I would stay back and hold the shop down. But still, just knowing that you could drop things and run to the school for one of the kid’s functions, or bail out early in the afternoon to go home or to appointments…..it was a pretty good situation.
In 2014 Terry and I decided to really retire. Carrie and David took over the business and have grown it tremendously. We’re still in and out from time to time and available to help out in a crunch.
So, I’ve decided to blog about retirement…….lifestyle activities, crafting and DIY, home decor, cooking, and all those fun things! I hope you’ll take this journey with me.
Trendy Tree
Be sure to check out Trendy Tree! You’ll find so many great products for wreath-making, crafting, decorating, bow-making, home decor and so much more. We also have a tremendous selection of collectible glass ornaments from Old World Christmas. Visit Trendy Tree today….an online business with downhome customer service.
