WELLS, Maine — After eight years of trials and tribulations, a couple out of Wells opened their Christmas Tree Farm for the first time.
After overhearing a co-worker exclaim how fulfilling running a tree farm is around the holidays, owner Ryan Liberty convinced his partner Colleen Bovaird to start one of their own: Crooked Brook Farm.
"I always thought, 'Wow, that does sound like a lot of fun.' And you watch a couple of Hallmark movies, and you're sold, right?" Liberty said.
After planting the first rows in 2014, the two have been tending to the trees year-round.
But each year comes with pitfalls, Liberty said, from fungus, bugs, drought, or excessive amounts of rain affecting each tree.
"You're constantly trying to pivot to, 'OK, how do I fix this issue this year, to get the trees another foot taller close to harvest, so that they actually make it into someone's living room?'" Liberty said.
Alongside surveying each tree's health, pruning has to be done regularly to encourage a quintessential Christmas tree shape.
Opening up shop shortly after Thanksgiving, the two said they sold out of this year's stock and even dipped a little bit into next year's to keep up with customer demand.
"People, when they show up, it's a happy time. They've got smiles on their faces it's just, you know, it's infectious," Bovaird said. "Knowing that they're like, 'We're going to be back next year,' and we're creating traditions for these families ourselves, which is just awesome."
They're now closed for the season, but they plan to re-open next year by Black Friday.