You’ll have the pine of your life!
Two artists calling themselves the Union of Human-Sized Elves have opened a new tree-stand in Bushwick dubbed Christmas Town, where you can buy Vermont pines straight from Santa’s helpers and purchase hand-crafted decorating kits outside a life-sized gingerbread house. Just don’t taste the walls, warned one organizer.
“It will not be made out of real gingerbread,” said Patrick Costello. “It has to be weather proof.”
Costello said he co-created Christmas Town with fellow performance artist Travis Sehorn to provide locals with a fun and immersive holiday shopping experience.
Employees will serve costumers while wearing full elf regalia, and the pop-up shop will play host to several holiday-themed events and activities during its run, the organizers said, including film screenings, game shows, ornament-crafting for kids, and an elf making mittens from old sweaters.
The duo decided to found Christmas Town after hearing tales of the less-than whimsical experiences offered by other Kings County Christmas tree vendors, which Costello described as “run by the mafia.”
“We said, ‘that’s really sad, but it doesn’t have to be that way,’ ” he said. “It could be a really creative and interesting place to come to.”
In addition to selling Vermont-farmed trees, Costello and Sehorn’s yuletide emporium will offer complete tree-decorating kits, each of which feature up to 18 ornaments, a tree topper, and garlands, all designed and hand-made by 10 artists from Brooklyn and across the country.
The ornament kits will be part of a display called the Lovely Branches Gallery outside Christmas Town’s faux-gingerbread house, with prices ranging from $40–$120, said Costello.
Christmas Town [6 Charles Pl. a cul-de-sac off Myrtle Avenue between Evergreen and Bushwick avenues in Bushwick, www.facebook.com/christmastownbk). Runs until Dec. 24. See website for up-to-date list of events and performances.
