My family usually waits until mere days before Christmas to buy their tree. And this year was no different. However, for some reason with five days to go there was not a X-mas Tree lot in sight. Driving around through San Anselmo, Larkspur and trolling grocery stores, Home Depot and all the usual suspects proved fruitless. We began to think that this may be a treeless year … gasp. Enter my trusty Unilocal app that pointed me to a potential tree source in downtown San Rafael. Though the prior review is more than two years old, we were desperate and sure enough a lot with 5 – 10 trees still stood open. Out comes our friend Xavier from the shed and with a smile he helps us pick out a 7.5 foot fir. Since it was late in the season he gave us a great deal: $ 40 for what would normally be a $ 90 tree — and they take credit cards! This guy was a gas, telling us to call him X-man and suggesting I look him up on Facebook(check out the pic I snapped). All proceeds for the lot go to benefit the Waterview Sober Living Environment homes and with this price point, convenience and friendly service — this will be our first stop next year for a tree.
Tracee E.
Évaluation du lieu : 5 San Rafael, CA
So after visiting 4 different Christmas Tree vendors, my husband and I almost drove past this place without realizing that the empty lot on the corner of 3rd and Tamalpais in downtown San Rafael had morphed into a Christmas Tree lot over the course of a few days. It was our last stop in the search for the perfect tree. The workers were nice, but didn’t hover like we were going to make off with their trees like some other places. All of the trees were in much better shape than the other places we visited(they were even keeping some in water) and on the overall seemed pretty fresh and long lasting. The prices were very reasonable– we got a 7 + footer Douglas Fir for $ 60(if you ask for their flier, they might also comp you 10%(no promises, but its worth a try. They also trimmed it for us for free— to our specifications(very cool helpers)– and helped load it on the car and tie it down. The coolest thing of all though? Turns out that the SLE in the title stands for Sober Living Environment and the group running it is a charity that helps people help themselves by supporting sobriety and youth in the San Rafael/Marin community. Now that’s what I call spreading the good holiday cheer– supporting a honorable charity and getting a great tree in exchange.
