Christmas Tree Shops closes in West Dennis, Orleans. Hyannis last location on Cape.

WEST DENNIS − And then there was one.

On Sunday, the Christmas Tree Shops stores in West Dennis and Orleans closed permanently after holding a last blow-out sale. The company, which dates back to the 1950s when a small holiday store opened in Yarmouth Port, now has one remaining store on Cape Cod.

That location in Hyannis is reportedly set to close on Aug. 12.

The stores were the go-to places for Christmas decorations and lights, paper plates and cups decorated for various holidays, home decoration knock-offs, beach gear and linen and kitchen supplies — all at bargain prices.

"The fact that the roots of this store were established here and then seeing it closed is devastating to me," said Adriana Pustea, of Harwich.

Pustea, who said she's shopped at the Christmas Tree Shops for about nine years, was among the shoppers visiting the West Dennis store one last time. Inside, it was slim pickings and nearly barren shelves, though Pustea managed to find a flowery wreath to purchase. Other customers reported buying a shopping basket for $5 as a memento.

The Christmas Tree Shops filed for bankruptcy on May 5. The company also announced the closing of 10 stores. Two were on the Cape, including one in Falmouth and its flagship location with a thatched roof and windmill at the base of the Sagamore Bridge.

The company has been liquidating all its remaining stores that are scheduled to close permanently.

In the 1950s, a couple, Mark and Alice Matthews, opened the Christmas Tree Gift Shop in Yarmouth Port. In 1970, Charles and Doreen Bilezikian bought the store and expanded over the next three decades, opening 24 more locations in New England and New York.

In 2003, Bed Bath and Beyond bought and expanded the franchise to 20 states. In November 2020, it sold the company to Middleboro-based Handil Holdings LLC.

The Bilezikian family still owns the property for the Christmas Tree Shops store branches in Falmouth, Sagamore and Orleans.

On June 5, the Bankruptcy Court authorized DIP Financing (Debtor in Possession) which allowed the Christmas Tree Shops company to refinance in order to pay employees and restructure the company. Since then, the company has not been able to meet the financial obligations of that loan.

The debtors in the bankruptcy filing include Christmas Tree Shops LLC, Nantucket Distributing Co., Handil LLC, Handil Holdings LLC, and the Salkovitz Family Trust 2 LLC.  

In addition to West Dennis and Orleans, stores in Natick, North Dartmouth and Pembroke also closed on Sunday.

Siblings Nolan Coyle said he and his sister, Fiona, stopped by the store in search of "some sort of something." They emerged victorious, having snatched up a glittery little light-up beach house emblazoned with the word "ocean", for 20 cents.

"Everything's cheap," said Nolan. "We just wanted to see what's left of the store. I've never seen it that empty, it just looks weird."

Jill Long, of Harwich Port, has shopped at Christmas Tree Shops for 20 years and came in on Sunday to look for picture frames. She came out later disappointed, saying she knew "they were going to close but I didn't know it was this far along."

"It saddens me because, unlike a lot of places on the Cape, it's reasonably priced and that matters a lot," said Long. "So, to me, to lose all the Christmas Tree Shops is a real negative."

When asked if she had a favorite item she'd purchased at the Christmas Tree Shops, she said "just everything."

Zane Razzaq writes about housing and real estate. Reach her at zrazzaq@capecodonline.com. Follow her on Twitter @zanerazz.

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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Christmas Tree Shops closes in West Dennis, Orleans