author anthony sammarco Talk: The Christmas Tree Shops
The Christmas Tree Shops: Don’t You Just Love a Bargain?
Tuesday, December 3rd at 1 pm
Tickets: $15 General Admission | $10 Student
A limited number of free tickets for seniors are available, courtesy of the Cordelia Family Foundation.
Generously sponsored by Troupe Waste & Recycling and the Edward and Estelle Mosher Memorial Fund
The Christmas Tree Shops was an icon of New England, with stores that offered a diverse assortment of merchandise from seasonal decorations, home decor, housewares, food and giftware, and just about everything else. Founded in 1970 by Chuck and Doreen Bilezikian, they opened their first shop on Route 6A at Willow Street in Yarmouth Port in a former grocery store. Over the next three decades, twenty-three stores were opened that not only had distinctive architecture but also became a destination for the public and offered items you never thought you needed before stepping through the door.
Despite the seasonal name, the Bilezikians sold unique, one-of-a-kind quality merchandise at bargain prices from closeouts and overruns, as well as small batches of baskets made in Eastern Europe, glass Christmas ornaments from Poland, and a plethora of intriguing merchandise. One customer described the stores as “like walking into a closet full of surprise treasures” and combined with great prices, they would coin their familiar catch phrase “Don’t You Just Love a Bargain?” Employees radiated a warm, positive attitude and were valued for their part in making the Christmas Tree Shops not just a special place to shop but a great success.
About Author and Historian Anthony Sammarco
Anthony Mitchell Sammarco is a noted historian and author of over sixty books on the history and development of Boston, and he lectures widely on the history and development of his native city. He commenced writing in 1995, and his books Lost Boston, The History of Howard Johnson’s: How A Massachusetts Soda Fountain Became a Roadside Icon, and The Baker Chocolate Company: A Sweet History are among his many books that have made the bestsellers list.
Mr. Sammarco is employed by Boston based Payne/Bouchier, Inc. and since 1997, he has taught history at the Urban College of Boston, where he was named educator of the year and where he serves on the Leadership Council.
For his work in history he has received the Bulfinch Award from the Doric Dames of the Massachusetts State House, a lifetime achievement award from the Victorian Society, New England Chapter and the Washington Medal from Freedom Foundation and was named Dorchester town historian by Raymond L. Flynn, mayor of Boston.
He was elected a fellow of the Massachusetts Historical Society, is a member of the Boston Author’s Club and a proprietor of the Boston Athenaeum. In his volunteer work, he is treasurer of the Victorian Society, New England Chapter. He is past president of the Bay State Historical League and served as a corporator of the New England Baptist Hospital for a decade.
He lives in Boston and in Osterville on Cape Cod.
