Dave and the Christmas Tree

Many of our longtime Cole Valley shoppers fondly recall Dave Karp personally delivering their first Christmas tree when they moved to the neighborhood. Back in the 1960s, Dave brought in Christmas trees to our flagship store because a customer requested one. Dave found a family-owned tree source, and we worked with them for over 50 years until their business was sold.

While we practice Dave’s philosophy of friendly customer service on a daily basis, during the holidays we warmly remember his childlike excitement when our first batch of Christmas trees would arrive—an excitement that didn’t subside until Christmas Eve. Each morning, Dave would call the stores, anxious to hear how many trees had sold the day before. Over the years, Dave’s love for holiday trees brought joy and warm memories to thousands and thousands of San Francisco families.

In keeping with tradition, all of our stores are stocked with freshly cut Christmas trees in a variety of sizes. All Cole Hardware locations also have tree stands, lights, ornaments, and more—everything you need to create a festive holiday tree!