Spring Valley’s Christmas tree guy

If you have lived in Spring Valley for any period of time, then you have probably bought a Christmas tree from Tim Gross.

Since 1981, he has transported thousands of Christmas trees from his 200-acre farm in the town of Little Rock, Washington, just south of Olympia, and set up shop at the T shopping center in Spring Valley, at the corner of Jamacha Road and Elkelton Boulevard.

“It’s like a homecoming each time we come down here to Spring Valley,”

says Gross. “People say, ‘Hey, we have not seen you in a whole year.’”

Earlier this month, Gross escorted 3500 fir trees of five different varieties from Washington state to Spring Valley in the company of seven 18-wheeler semi- trucks.

“We are distributing 10,000 Christmas trees throughout Washington and California this December and in March we will plant 14,000 more trees.” The typical Douglas fir takes about eight years to grow to a height of eight feet.

Gross says business has been great so far this year and most of the people buying trees are repeat customers.

“Now I am seeing second- and third-generation customers,” says Gross, “people who are buying trees now were just kids when we first met, and now they bring their kids with them to pick out a tree.”