The original pop-up store

christmas

Anyone who has spent time in NYC during the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas has no doubt witnessed a uniquely New York phenomenon – the pop-up Christmas tree concessions that miraculously appear every year on many city sidewalks and parks. While a city-run auction controls who gets the prime spots managed by the Parks and Recreation department – last year they ranged from $650 for Cunningham Park in Queens to $23,025 for SoHo Square – city code allows anyone to sell coniferous tress on any sidewalk without a permit, as long as they get permission from the owner of the closest business. Not only do these temporary stores give New Yorkers an easy way to buy a tree, they give all New Yorkers and visitors a wonderful visual and olfactory reminder that the holiday season is once again upon us.