Relocated Watts tree operation ready for a bustling holiday season
and Sunday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Photo by Dawn Pearson)
By Abby Walton
For many families in Zionsville, the holidays officially can’t start until they take a trip to Watts Christmas Tree Farm and Sparkle Shop.
Owner Deb Watts-Watt said the business started in 1961 after her father, Jim, bought a parcel on Hunt Club Road.
“The trees were already there when dad bought it so he thought, Why not try to sell them?” she said. While some children have memories of trudging through the snow to find that perfect tree, Watts-Watt said she remembers her father loading up her family in a truck with cut Christmas trees and going into town to sell them door to door.
Long-time employee Debbie Hall-LeDrew also has memories and was there when the farm opened in 1961. Her favorite story was when Watts first opened before charge cards were available and cash would be stashed in various secret places. “When their son, David, went to the house to make lunch, he had to get bread out of the freezer. And, when he sliced it open, the money was inside the bread,” she said.
James Watts in 2006. (Submitted photo)
As business took off, Watts-Watt said her family decided to start selling homemade ornaments. “In the beginning, my mother made the ornaments,
but then she began buying them and that’s how the Sparkle Shop started,” she said. To keep the children occupied while their parents shopped, Watts-Watt said her father installed a model train in the store.
“One day, a local doctor stopped by and asked my dad if he could buy the train. He told him it wasn’t for sale, but the doctor insisted on having one so my dad ordered him a set,” she said. After that, Watts-Watt said her father would buy an extra set and it always sold. In addition to what’s available in the store, people can go to www.wattstrainshop.com to purchase their model trains, parts and accessories.
Through the years, the Wattses’ holiday business has evolved, and this year it will begin a new chapter. After her parents died, Watts-Watt kept the farm open until her family wrapped up their estates.
year they started selling trains. (Submitted photo)
“It just wasn’t feasible for us to keep the property,” she said. So, the business is moving into downtown Zionsville at 125 and 165 West Sycamore streets.
“The ornaments and toys will be in the former Stacy Labolts building and the trains and holiday greenery will be in the former Calico building,” she said. Even though they no longer have the farm, Watts-Watt guarantees a perfect tree for every family.
“Over the years, we were actually selling fewer trees from our field and bringing in more from other nurseries. More people want the Frasier firs and other varieties that just don’t grow well in Indiana,” she said.
As trees arrive in their parking lot and the building gets stocked with toys, trains, and ornaments, families will be able to continue their holiday tradition this Christmas season.
Memories from the farm: Customers share their Watts traditions
The McNelly Family
(Photo) “We’ve been getting our Christmas tree at Watts for several years. Our entire family would go to Watts the weekend after Thanksgiving to find the perfect Christmas tree. The children would run from tree to tree gasping at the heights, widths and deep colors of green. We’d have to remind them of the height of our ceiling in our house! Finally, we’d agree on a tree of reasonable height, although one year we had to cut some off the bottom to get it to fit. Then came the icing on the cake, going inside Watts. Our girls, Hannah and Katie, would run toward the ornaments in the Sparkle Shop and our son, Dominick, would dash toward the trains. (We secretly credit Watts with our now 5-year-old’s intense love of trains.) One of the best parts of the annual Christmas tree trip was watching his face as he crawled and eventually walked into the train room. Every year he could pick out one train to take home. Then, we’d pile the perfect tree on top of the car and head home. The excitement would build from the children as we approached the house. They couldn’t wait to see this lovely piece of nature displayed in our living room (andexperience) the look and smell and feel of a fresh tree. We opened the door for Christmas and let the spirit in. It was a wonderful family experience. It was real. It was magic. And we were blessed. – Karen McNelly
The Storen Family
(Photo) “We started going to Watts Tree Farm in 1998, when we moved to the area. Emma was 5 and Kelsey was 9. They wanted a real tree and Watts was one of the only places to chop down your own tree. Every year on the Friday after Thanksgiving, we bundled up into our boots, hats and gloves and headed over to Watts Tree Farm in our pick-up truck. Upon arriving at the farm, we’d grab our measuring stick and head to the West Tree Field. Picking a tree that appealed to everyone was next to impossible so every year we rotated the family member that had the final say-so on the tree we picked. Once the perfect tree was selected, we’d grab an employee to saw it down for us. Next stop: Sparkle Shop. It was our tradition for everyone to pick one new ornament a year.” – Kim Storen
