'Tis the season for family-owned Christmas tree business

Thanksgiving turkey and dressing are already distant memories for the Rogers family. It’s Christmas tree season and they’re in the thick of it now until Christmas Eve.

The family has operated the Wild Rose Christmas tree lot at their home on Montana 40 for 24 years, transforming their spacious yard into a wonderland of greenery that keeps families coming back time and time again to search for the perfect free. Wild Rose officially opened to the public on Friday, but Kevin Rogers, who took over the family business five years ago, already has sold a bunch of trees to early customers. As a small business owner, you learn early on to cater to customers’ needs even if it’s after hours, he said.

“Families have been coming here for years. We have multiple generations of customers,” said Kevin, a 2008 Columbia Falls High School graduate.

Customer service is a hallmark of the business started by his parents, Roy and Wendy Rogers, in 1992. Kevin and his band of seasonal helpers offer whatever level of service customers need. Some prefer hands-on help with finding the right tree; others like to search by themselves, Kevin said. The Wild Rose crew puts a fresh cut on the bottom of each tree to allow it to drink in water and stay fresh after it’s in the tree stand. They also stand ready to help shoppers tie their chosen evergreen to the top of their vehicle.

Inside the Wild Rose gift shop, children and adults can duck in out of the cold for a cup of free hot chocolate and a candy cane. Each tree comes with a free ornament.

Kevin’s grandmother, Loretta Enger, is a fixture at the check-out counter, always ready with a kind word and friendly smile.

Wild Rose has a blend of farm-raised Christmas trees, such as Fraser and grand firs from a tree farm near Sandpoint, Idaho, and wild trees — Douglas fir, alpine, balsam, lodgepole and spruce — from the Trego area and Flathead Indian Reservation. Also for sale are a variety of holiday wreaths. Prices haven’t fluctuated much in recent years, Kevin said.

“We have trees in every price range,” he said. “It allows people to pick a tree that fits their wallet.”

Their clientele is diverse, ranging from property managers looking for monster trees to deck out trophy homes on Big Mountain, to those who can afford only a few dollars.

Kevin remembers a mother and her young son who had just moved to the Flathead Valley from Arizona and needed the smallest of trees for their humble abode. He helped them find a tiny tree, then fashioned a coffee can filled with rocks as a makeshift tree stand for the newcomers.

“I don’t think any family should go without a tree at Christmas,” he said.

Wendy and Roy started the tree business as a seasonal sideline to round out their other seasonal enterprises. They began selling fireworks in 1983 and continue to operate the many Hong Kong Harry firework stands throughout the Flathead during the summer, and then added produce to their seasonal businesses in 1984. They no longer sell produce.

Kevin grew up helping out with the family businesses. When he was attending Flathead Valley Community College after high school to study business, his father suggested he take over the tree operation.

“Dad said, ‘why don’t you just run the business?’” Kevin recalled.

Wild Rose sells about 750 trees each holiday season, give or take a few. Snow, and lots of it, helps them out immensely.

“The snow of 1996 we sold the most trees, about 1,100,” Wendy said. “You could only see the tips of the trees.” The snow was so deep that winter most people couldn’t get out into the woods to cut their own.”

Wild Rose’s hours generally run from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. seven days a week. “I’ll stay out past 8 if people are here,” Kevin said.

Their busiest weekend typically is the first weekend in December, but customers will keep coming right up until the evening of Christmas Eve.

After Christmas there’s still a market for trees. People have purchased them for wedding props or erosion control along the Flathead River. In past years when there were elk farms in the area, the elk would get some of the remaining trees.

“I usually get a few hot dog roasts out of the leftovers,” Kevin said with a laugh.

Wild Rose is located at 3696 Montana 40 W., about halfway between Columbia Falls and Whitefish. Call 862-8995 for further information.

Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by email at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com.