TP Pines has thrived since 1985
By Jason Arndt
Staff Writer
Since 1985, Bob Livingston and his co-owner, Frank Platts, have grown trees on a farm in Oxford, bringing them to the Village of Twin Lakes during the holiday season.
T.P. Pines, just west of St. John’s Church on Holy Hill Road, sells at least 200 trees from the 145-acre farm about 140 miles north of Twin Lakes annually.
Livingston, who lives in Twin Lakes in the fall and winter, credited the community and repeat customers for continued success.
“We have a good population here, who are willing to pay for quality trees,” he said. “The second one is we both live in this town.”
Quality trees include the Frasier fir, balsam and white pine, all of which bring different assets to customers.
The Frasier, Livingston said, noting supple needles and fragrant smell, is touted as the “Cadillac of Christmas trees.”
“We are pretty proud of that,” he said. “They are a nice trees and they have good needle retention.”
“In the house, when they are warmed up and it’s taking up water, they are very fragrant,” he added.
The balsam is easy to carry, while the white pine is friendly to families with young children.
“It’s lighter weight, than is the balsam,” Livingston said. “The other one is the native white pines, we get people that ask for this in particular – people (who) have small children. Their needles are nice and soft.”
But, before the white pine is put on sale, the owners spend time perfecting the tree to make it ideal to hold ornaments and decorations.
“We try to shear them as tight as we can so that they can hang ornaments on them,” he said. “They generally do well with light weight ornaments.”
Personal service
Livingston reports the business makes deliveries, if customers arrive with vehicles unable to haul the tree purchased.
Examples include customers who already have loaded cargo, or a brand new vehicle they are afraid of damaging.
The service has made way for repeat customers.
“We have a lot of repeat customers, but we also offer free local delivery service,” Livingston said. “If somebody comes in with a nice car, or a car that already has stuff stacked on top of it, if it is in our area, we follow them home and bring it right to their front door.”
Greg Dietz, of Twin Lakes, and his wife, Anne, were on site to buy a tree, recently and reportedly been customers for about 30 years.
Oxford supportive to soil
While some tree farmers produce the plant locally, Livingston and Platts opted for Oxford, where the soil is conducive to tree growth.
During the summer, the owners nurture and tend to the trees, before taking them to Twin Lakes.
“We have been growing and producing trees, bringing them down here to sell them since 1985,” said Livingston. “Generally we bring down between 200 and 220 trees…we cannot grow them down here, our soil is much too heavy.”
Taking them home
Before customers take a Christmas tree home, Livingston gives the plant a fresh cut, which allows water to filter through the bottom.
“The big thing is, no matter where you get your tree, make sure there is a fresh cut on the bottom,” he said. “Because a tree is going to have to take up some water.”
When the holiday concludes, however, the tree still has a purpose in the environment, he added.
“They help clean the air, that is important,” said Livingston, who reports some customers opt to keep it outside after Christmas. “They are a home for birds and many people come back and say, ‘my tree is still green in April, we had it outside and we use it for feeder for the birds.”
T.P. Pines, available by phone at (262) 877-2797, has an array of prices, depending on tree species and size.
The highest price, Livingston said, is for the Frasier fir with an estimated high price at $100.
The lowest, set between $25 and $30, is for the white pine.
Hours of operation
T.P. Pines operates Monday through Friday from 3 p.m. until 7 p.m. and on weekends from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m.
The business accepts checks and cash, but not credit cards.