Connor Castellaw and his cousin Cody Webb grew up in the San Fernando Valley and found themselves drawn to the unassuming yet magical world of Christmas tree lots at the age of 19, working tirelessly to save enough money to carve out their independence and move out on their own.
Their journey began the day after Thanksgiving when they showed up on a Christmas tree lot looking for work. “When we got there everyone was working incredibly hard but I think we eventually earned everyone’s respect by the end of the day,” said Castellaw. It was here, amidst the fragrant pines and the camaraderie of the lot, that Castellaw fell in love—with the labor, the people, and the festive spirit. Him and his cousin would then go on to work in Christmas tree lots for the next decade.
This year, however, marked a turning point for Castellaw as he decided to venture out on his own and open his own lot. Getting the business started was a wild ride and he has learned so much through the process. “When you first get the idea to do it, you get excited, and then when you start moving to the operations and all the conflicts arise, the self doubt sets in and you just have to respond to it in a way of courage and not fear,” said Castellaw.
From the beginning of his business venture, Castellaw took to social media to chronicle the process every step of the way. From designing the logo, finding the location, picking out the trees, and overcoming hurdles along the way, Castellaw has taken his viewers along for every up and down of his Christmas tree lot business. One devoted follower of his videos even drove 35 minutes to purchase a tree from their lot after tracking their journey on Instagram.
Despite their backgrounds—Castellaw as a writer and Webb as a photographer—the cousins initially disliked social media. But their deep-rooted knowledge of trees and their willingness to be vulnerable carried them through. “I’m basically just treating it as a journal every day. I don’t have time to write right now, so this is my quick one minute journal entry that I get to keep, and whether I succeed or fail, this will be a beautiful, fun, story to tell people when we’re older with all the memories in one place to look back at,” added Castellaw.
Launching a Christmas tree lot is no small feat and requires three essential elements: a location, the trees, and a tent, all of which became struggles for the cousins as they began their venture. After searching for spaces to rent all year, and being denied by countless realtors, they finally found their home base in Burbank at 405 S. Victory Blvd., diagonal from Corner Cottage.
The next challenge was sourcing a supply of high-quality trees, a task they took very personally. “I feel better about selling somebody a tree that I would put in my own home,” said Castellaw who actually traveled across the Pacific Northwest looking for a supplier with the best trees. Unfortunately with the Christmas tree shortage putting popular sizes in limited availability, he was not having the best luck.
Castellaw spent a week in Oregon building relationships and scouting for trees, but couldn’t find what he was looking for. He called up a farm in Washington who had large trees and a ton of acreage but when he arrived it was not the quality he was looking for. “I was driving back sort of depressed, and then I just see this hillside of all perfect Christmas trees,” said Castellaw who recalls seeing a man a mile down the road and pulled over to ask about the trees. The man happened to be the owner who was usually never out in the field, but happened to cross Castellaw’s path at the right time and place. “The universe totally met me halfway that day, and it was fate to have those trees.”
With the location and trees secured, they faced the final challenge: setting up the tent. Castellaw cataloged the chaos on social media as they discovered that once their tent was set up it actually provided zero shade for the trees, jeopardizing their quality. They scrambled to solve the issue, having three Uber drivers deliver shade walls from Riverside and installed awnings to make sure their trees were safe.
“It’s about giving people the best product possible and giving them the best experience possible, and to do that, I think it comes down to giving them a nice, fresh, tree that is kept cold and shady and wet,” said Castellaw. “I know that probably sounds insane, how much we care about these Christmas trees,” adds Webb, “but Christmas was huge in our houses.” While Christmas will look different for the duo this year as they work tirelessly through December selling and delivering Christmas trees, this is a new tradition they are excited to start in their family. “We get all cheesy into the holiday spirit. We’ll be so tired, and so fried, and then a kid will come in and we’ll tell them that we know Santa, and they’re minds are completely blown,” says Webb. “That’s what kind of makes this all totally worth it.”
Castellaw successfully opened his lot on December 1st and has been overwhelmed by the love and support the community has shown him so far. “There’s so much more of a sense of community here in Burbank than I felt living anywhere in LA,” adds Castellaw. “People are just stoked to support a small business.”
At Connor’s Christmas Tree lot you can find an array of different types of trees including the Noble, a classic Christmas tree, the more budget-friendly Douglas Fir, and Silver Tips which are a more luxury tree that only grow in extremely high altitudes of Northern California and Southern Oregon and can’t be farmed. Unique to their lot is a new type of Christmas tree called the Cork Bark making them the only supplier in LA to have them. They look like a mix between a Silver Tip and Noble but have a stunning light blue hue and their sap smells of lemon and vanilla.
Visitors can browse Connor’s Christmas Tree lot daily from 9am to 9pm or you can order online and have them expertly hand-select the perfect tree and have it delivered right to your front door. You can also choose to have your tree flocked and turned into a snowy winter wonderland. The lot also has a photo op area so you can take a family photo with your tree before taking it home. Visit www.lachristmastrees.com to learn more.
To follow Connor on his Christmas tree lot journey, find them on Instagram @the_christ_mas_guy or on TikTok @the.christmas.guy81.
