In the early 1950s the growing Wedgwood neighborhood attracted businesses like groceries, gas stations, home improvement stores and services such as medical & dental offices.  One other new business in Wedgwood, Christmas tree sales, was very successful.

William O. & Carol Hunter of Shelton, Washington, brought Christmas trees to the Wedgwood neighborhood in Seattle, beginning in the 1950s.  Their Hunter’s Tree Farm sales site still exists today at 7744 35th Ave NE.  This year it is open for seasonal sales from November 24 to December 24, 2025.

Starting a new product line: Christmas trees

In the 1950s William & Carol Hunter charted a new course for themselves as a young married couple.  From the foundation of the Hunter family dairy farm in Mason County, William & Carol bought more land and began to diversify their farm products.  They grew Christmas trees (at first, only Douglas fir) and found a market for them at Van’s Nursery, 2335 North 110th Street (Northgate Way NE) in Seattle.

The Hunter’s site today in Wedgwood at 7744 35th Ave NE. Photo by Valarie.

At first the Hunters thought of themselves only as wholesalers, supplying products to retail outlets like Van’s.  But the Christmas trees proved to be so popular that Van’s said they couldn’t handle the customer traffic, and they asked the Hunters to come on-site and sell the trees themselves.

The early success of Christmas tree sales at Van’s in Seattle was short-lived, because of the impending construction of the Interstate 5 freeway.  Van’s had to close, and the Hunters searched for another sales site.  William & Carol knew little about Seattle, but Carol’s brother was working in Seattle, so they asked him for suggestions.

Finding a new sales site in Seattle

The Hunter’s site today in Wedgwood at 7744 35th Ave NE still has the old Wedgwood Gardens building. Photo by Valarie.

Carol Hunter’s brother was working for Albert Balch, the developer of the Wedgwood neighborhood.  Balch was asked if, during the month of December, the Hunters could use part of a vacant lot at the southeast corner of 35th Ave NE & NE 85th Street.  The lot had no buildings on it and was being used as Balch’s lumber yard and construction equipment parking area.  Balch thought that the Christmas tree sales was a great idea which would bring the holiday spirit to the neighborhood.

The new sales site was successful, but only for a few years.  In 1959 a new grocery store, Tradewell, opened on that corner which constricted the amount of space which the Hunters could use for their Christmas trees.

Moving the sales site again

With such great success in the Wedgwood neighborhood, the Hunters wanted to find another nearby sales spot.  In the early 1960s they moved their Christmas tree sales to 7744 35th Ave NE, the site of the closed Wedgwood Gardens plant nursery.  The Hunters leased this lot until 1973 when they were able to purchase it.

Several generations of the Hunter family carry on the family business today.  The Hunter family comes to Wedgwood every year to stock and sell the Christmas trees which they grow, now in several varieties including the very popular Noble Fir.

Sources:

The story of Maurice Van Hollebeke, founder of Van’s Nursery.

Hunter Farms website.

In Memoriam: Carol Jean Barkley Hunter (1930-2025), Shelton-Mason County Journal.

William O. and Carol Hunter