“We got a message loud and clear, we got shaken down, we got extorted, we got robbed,” says George Nash of Uptown Christmas Trees
NEED TO KNOW
- The new documentary The Merchants of Joy follows five families who sell Christmas trees on the streets of New York City
- George Nash of Uptown Christmas Trees says in the film that his business was once threatened by the mafia
- “We were doing very well, but I didn’t realize that I was stepping on the toes of the legitimate mafia wholesalers,” he recalls
Buying Christmas trees is a beloved tradition for people around the world. However, those who sell them sometimes face extreme challenges.
The new documentary The Merchants of Joy, which premiered Dec. 1 on Prime Video, follows five families who sell Christmas trees on the busy streets of New York City. While the sellers relish in spreading holiday joy throughout the city (and making money while they’re at it), they have experienced a few major obstacles due to the competitive nature of the business.
George Nash of Uptown Christmas Trees says in the documentary that his business – which he operates with his wife Jane Waterman and their daughter Ciree Nash – was once threatened by the mafia.
Nash begins by discussing the controversial retailer Kevin Hammer, “an American Christmas tree Godfather.” He recalls selling Hammer his first trees in 1974 after being hired to use his flatbed truck to transport a load of them…