THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, January 5, 1996 TAG: 9601030184
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 06 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PHYLLIS SPEIDELL, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Medium: 57 lines
Twelve years ago Ronnie Young began selling Christmas trees in Churchland to make a little extra money for the holidays.
Since then Young's Christmas tree lot, B & R Christmas Trees, has become an annual tradition on Western Branch Boulevard, drawing customers from all over Tidewater as well as North Carolina, and benefiting not only Young and his employees but also the several charities with whom Young shares his profits.
``I don't donate an astronomical amount,'' Young said. ``But I look at how many charities I can help and budget from there.''
The American Cancer Society receives a hefty donation from the tree lot every year in memory of Young's father, Keith Young, who died of cancer 10 years ago.
``When my dad was alive, he helped me get started in this lot,'' Young said.
Since then Young has added other causes to his gift list each year.
Stephanie Mutter, the 10-year-old daughter of one of Young's friends who helps out at the lot, was high on Young's list this year. The Portsmouth Christian fifth-grader underwent a heart transplant in November. When medical insurance failed to cover all the bills, friends - including Young - contributed to an account to help defray some of the remaining medical costs for the Mutter family.
Young, a 37-year-old detective with the Chesapeake police, first started his holiday business with a fellow detective, Billy Green. They incorporated as ``B and R Christmas Trees,'' a name Young kept when Green left the business after a few years.
Their first year, the partners sold 420 trees and closed down their lot three days before Christmas. This year Young sold about 1,250 trees and closed down on Dec. 13.
Young prides himself on quality trees, ordering his Balsam firs from Canada, the blue spruce from Pennsylvania and the other firs from North Carolina. The trees are cut during Thanksgiving week and delivered to Young, who then nurtures their green freshness by keeping them in buckets of water until they are sold.
Several years ago commercial development along Western Branch Boulevard forced Young to move his lot further down the road. Young was concerned that his former customers would not know where to find him, but he need not have worried.
``I venture to say that 75 percent of my sales are to repeat customers,'' he said. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by MOTOYA NAKAMURA
Ronnie Young has donated part of his profits from Christmas tree
sales to a 10-year-old Portsmouth girl, Stephanie Mutter, who has
had a heart transplant.
by CNB