Turf Wars, Tree Men & Murder: Inside the world of Christmas tree selling in NYC

December 13, 2024·13 min·1 clip

Glenn Walker was shot dead after refusing to pay a $3,000 street tax to sell Christmas trees in New York.

The episode opens with the host announcing he just sold a $450 Christmas tree on his first day working a stand, framing the four weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas as an intense economic sprint unique to New York City. The host explains that NYC is informally divided among a small group of veteran vendors called 'tree men,' with Greg Walsh controlling seven of the largest lots, primarily in Brooklyn. A key structural fact is introduced early: a 1938 legal battle in which street merchants defeated Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia established the 'coniferous tree exception,' allowing anyone to sell Christmas trees on any NYC street in December without a permit, provided they have permission from the nearest business and keep pedestrian walkways clear. The host notes the first Christmas tree was sold in New York in 1851, about 20 years before Christmas was officially recognized as a holiday. The episode maps out the city's tree territories: Lower Manhattan belongs to Billy Calvoni and former protégés George Smith and Heather Neville; Uptown is split between George Nash, who covers Harlem, and the semi-legendary Kevin Hammer. Greg Walsh started out working with Calvoni and Scott Lechner in the 1980s before striking out on his own. Trees at Greg's stands come from Canada, Oregon, and primarily North Carolina, with Fraser Firs being the most popular variety, ranging from $50 for a tabletop balsam to $475 for a nine-foot noble fir. The host constructs a revenue estimate on a napkin: 60 six-foot Fraser Firs sold per day at $175 each equals $10,500 per location, and spread across seven locations with deliveries and add-ons, the daily total approaches $75,000. Greg warns that newcomers typically lose money in their first one or two years due to the difficulty of sourcing trees and the lack of an established customer base. Established operators use competitive pressure tactics, such as surrounding a new rival's stand with their own, to protect territory, though Greg says those methods are less common today. Kevin Hammer, once rumored to control 100 lots on the Upper West and Upper East Sides, is described by Greg as largely a myth and a misunderstood figure who is actually a friend. The episode's darkest segment covers Glenn Walker, a seasonal vendor who was firebombed twice after refusing to pay a $3,000 street tax in the early 1990s and was then shot and killed in November 1994. Greg contextualizes the murder as rooted in a dispute over watermelon sales at the Bronx Terminal Market rather than the Christmas tree trade itself. The host participates in tree deliveries across Brooklyn, getting lost along the way, and attempts to sell trees on the floor with mixed results. The episode closes on an emotional note: Greg Walsh is currently undergoing chemotherapy for cancer but describes every day as a miracle and says his 21-year-old son's desire to continue the business keeps him motivated.

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