Reuben Wentworth must know every tree on the 1,300-mile stretch between Alton, New Hampshire and Fulton. Sometimes he even brings the trees with him, as evidenced on the Court Street sidewalk in front of RCW Gifts of New England.
"I brought down about 100 trees, from tabletops to 11 footers," he said Monday.
He arrived with his 2016 load early on Saturday and had them up for sale by that afternoon.
He also spent the day decorating the storefront of RCW, an antique/gift/horse tack and clothing shop operated by his daughter, Caitlin Wentworth.
Wentworth also sells trees at his business, R&D Wentworth Hardware in Alton, N.H., using the proceeds to give his employees Christmas bonuses. The trees, mostly Fraser firs with a few Balsam crosses, come from a tree farm near Colebrook, loaded onto the trailer with fresh snow on their boughs.
"The gentleman cuts them down himself and loads them," he said. "They're cut a week before they're brought down."
This is not the only long-distance haul he makes.
"I bring antiques down every four months," Wentworth said.
The two-story RCW antique shop is across the hall from Caitlin Wentworth's tack store, which carries edibles from New England such as maple syrup. She said RCW opened about seven years ago, and her father's Christmas tree idea started soon after that.
"We were already doing the New England antiques, and I said, 'Let's try trees,'" Reuben said. "I brought down 50 trees and wreathes that first year."
Caitlin starts taking orders for greenery in August, and 50 percent of the trees are reserved upon arrival. People can pay for their order when they pick them up.
"We work on the honor system," Reuben said, smiling.
Table top trees start at $19 and full-sized trees top out at $65. Wentworth said he uses the proceeds to pay for Caitlin and her daughter to visit him in the spring in New Hampshire.
Wentworth added he will deliver trees to customers for free in Fulton. Call 573-592-8852 for more information.