Discover - Sonny's Christmas Trees - Annex
Written By: Wayne Bibby
Well, December seemed to have arrived quite quickly this year. And with December, the thought of Christmas trees is not far behind for many people, me included. Although I have purchased Christmas trees from a number of locations and even cut some down at farms north of the city, I thought about the great little spot on Markham St. at St. Peter's Church that I have been to over the last few years. So, I headed down, only to find a sign stating that Sonny's Christmas Trees has changed locations to the Future Bistro on Bloor St. W. I decided to check out the new location, thinking it may be a good business to feature in my blog …… and I needed a Christmas tree too. My son and I went down to see this year's selection of trees.
The old location on the Markham St. side of St. Peter's Church ... and ... the NEW location at Future Bistro - 483 Bloor St. W. - Annex - Toronto
Wayne Bibby and Bobbi Johnston-Flanagan at Sonny's Christmas Trees located at the Future Bistro.
At Sonny’s Christmas Trees (set up in the patio section of Future Bistro), I met Bobbi Johnston-Flanagan. Bobbi is one of Sonny’s Flanagan's children and helps to run the business. She has been in the Christmas tree business her whole life and knows her trees very well. We chatted for a while over a coffee at Future Bistro and Bobbi told me all about the business.
It started with her father, Sonny who is a carpenter from Stouffville. He began this business years ago and has always been involved in charitable work. Each year Sonny orders the bulk of his trees from Nova Scotia and also gets some trees from Ontario. They have Scot Pines, White Pines, Fraser Firs and Balsam Firs in a variety of heights from just under hip high to near ten feet. Prices are in line with competitors, and it is great to know that a portion of the sales goes to the Out of the Cold. I purchased a Fraser Fir that was in great shape and quite heavy for my ten-year-old son and me to hoist onto our car. Over the years, trees have been collected in a number of different ways: on top of cars, on strong shoulders, carried top and bottom by parents as kids excitedly jump around and go underneath and my favourite, on a pull behind wooden sled. Open from 10:00am to 8:00pm each day until they run out of trees!
Bobbi helping a customer find the perfect tree.
Lugging around trees is something Bobbi does a lot. She is also skilled with a reciprocating saw to give your tree a nice fresh cut - just ask.
There have been a lot of interesting people over the years. One gentleman who is now working and taking care of himself, benefitted from the help of Out of the Cold and is sure to stop by each year to make a small donation and say hello. Others come with young kids in tow who bounce around and point at a million trees. Some come with the goal of getting the perfect tree and bring measuring devices and a keen eye to make sure they have the best tree possible. I loved the story of one extended family who make it a meeting place and all buy their trees at the same time: mother, father, son, daughter and the grandkids too.
Bobbi’s mom, aunt, sister and brother all work for the business at any of their three locations: Future Bistro at 483 Bloor St. W. in the Annex, Eastminster United Church at 310 Danforth Ave. and at the corner of Alberta Ave and St. Clair Ave W.
Best wishes to Sonny, Bobbi and the rest of the family involved with Sonny’s Christmas Trees. Let’s hope that this year raises a lot of money for Out of the Cold. Sonny’s Christmas Trees has been operating in the Annex area every Christmas season since 1994. They have also been responsible for donating nearly half a million dollars to the Out of the Cold Foundation over the years. Last year alone they donated over $43,000 dollars.
If you do make it down to Sonny’s Christmas Trees, let them know you read about it on my blog.
What an amazing neighbourhood.
Season’s Greetings to all!
Wayne
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