Brevard aluminum Christmas tree museum curator promises comback

Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

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The Charlotte Observer has the story:

It was mostly a gag when Charlotte native Stephen Jackson opened what he claimed to be the world’s only museum dedicated to vintage aluminum Christmas trees. But the joke backfired when his museum in Brevard got worldwide attention and hundreds of visitors. It ended up becoming a tradition for Jackson, 52, with a different location each year and a growing number of trees.

There was no museum this year. Jackson, who works as a home designer in Brevard, cites a combination of reasons, including the death this year of his father, Wesley Jackson, of Weddington.

Following are excerpts from an interview with staff writer Mark Price.

Q. What’s the museum’s status?

It’s in storage. It’s mostly a virtual museum this year, on our Web site www.aluminumtree.com. However, the site has been down in the past week, because it got too many hits. I’ve never had that happen before in the four years I’ve had it.…I actually started looking for a space to put the museum up this year, but I waited too late. You’d think with the economy the way it is, there’d be plenty of space, but that was not the case. This is actually the second year I didn’t open it. Last year, I was just burned out after doing it nine years. Next year, I’ll have to bring it back, because it’s the 50th anniversary of when they started selling aluminum trees.

Q. How big is the collection?

I have 127 trees. It’s taking up the entire 500 square feet of my cellar. I’ve got way more than I could ever display. I think 50 is a good number for the museum, so I can definitely pick and choose.…I have examples of all the trees that were popular, in terms of color. I have a 7-foot green aluminum tree, and a gold aluminum tree. And I have a pink one, which is the rarest. It’s a nice size, about 5 feet. I also have blue trees, in addition to the ever popular silver. I have a true representation of aluminum trees over the 15 years they were made.