Two New Events Scheduled for the Holidays

Experience Two New Holiday Events in Spruce Pine

Sponsored by the Home of the Perfect Christmas Tree

The perfect start to the holiday season…the Home of the Perfect Christmas Tree Holiday Market. The first weekend in December promises a getaway unlike any other. The Town of Spruce Pine kicks off the season with a unique shopping experience. Housed in a renovated mill, the Holiday Market features handcrafted artists and craftspeople selling their wares in a festive setting. You can even come and pick out your perfect Christmas Tree! Experience a memorable shopping experience among one of a kind decorations, a Market Café, and special holiday entertainment. Set in the picturesque North Carolina Mountains and in the haven for craft in the United States, the Market compliments the Toe River Studio Tour taking place the same weekend where over 200 artists in the region will open their studios to the public for a very special and unique holiday shopping experience. Known for being the premier craft destination, featuring Penland School of Craft and hundreds of artists, Spruce Pine rolls out the welcome mat this holiday season and presents a very special holiday weekend!

Holiday Market December 5 & 6, 31 Cross Street Center, Spruce Pine, NC 28777 For more information visit http://www.homeoftheperfectchristmastree.org/ or call 828-765-9033.

~Holiday Festival Features Ice Skating in the Street ~

Historic Downtown Spruce Pine, nationally known as the Home of the Perfect Christmas Tree, will transform into a spectacular and magical evening this holiday season. Blanketed with thousands of lights, the historic Upper Street becomes an eye-popping winter wonderland with real ice skating in the streets, holiday festooned wagon rides, Story time for kids, festive food, a chili cook off, a unique shopping experience and more. A special holiday event for the whole family unlike any other!

Saturday, December 12th

1 p.m.-7 p.m.

Upper Street, Spruce Pine

http://www.homeoftheperfectchristmastree.org/

828-765-9033

Group from Chile Visit HPCT Store

The Rotary Club of Spruce Pine brought a Rotary Group Study Exchange (GSE) Team from Chile to the Home of the Perfect Christmas Tree Store today as a part of their tour of Mitchell County. Approximately fifteen members were a part of the group joined by local Rotary Club members. It was our pleasure to share the HPCT Story with them, tour the store and view the project's latest video. Special thanks to the Spruce Pine Rotary Club for including us in their itinerary.

New Product Debut

Eighteen new product makers were approved for participation in the Home of the Perfect Christmas Tree project during the March review. On April 23rd from 10-5, the new products will be on display at the Store. A new artists reception will be held from 12 noon- 1p.m. to give customers an opportunity to meet the new artists. The new products range include wood working, textiles, glass, stationary, ornaments, baskets, pottery and more!

UNC School of Business Presents Final Presentation

The STAR Team from the UNC Kenan Flagler School of Business presented their final presentation to the Mitchell County Development Foundation on Tuesday April 21. Their semester long project has focused on branding strategies for the Home of the Perfect Christmas Tree project. The STAR (Student Teams Achieving Results) students are MBA and UNC Business School students. The students conducted research throughout the semester on the HPCT and presented their findings to a group of over 40 people. Among those in attendance was a group from the University of Kentucky's Entrepreneurial Coaching Institute, visiting the Home of the Perfect Christmas Tree Store to learn more about the model of the project and ways they can implement our model into their communities. The group was hosted by Becky Anderson, new Economic Development Director for Mitchell County.

Look for announcements and future news revealing the findings of the University of North Carolina STAR Team for the Home of the Perfect Christmas Tree project.

"98"

In the first product review of 2009, the Home of the Perfect Christmas Tree Review Board accepted 18 new product makers to participate in the HPCT project. This review received the most applications to date! With these 18 added, the total of artists participating in the project equals 98!

New products include wood working, textiles, blown glass, clay, and a lot more great stuff! A debut will take place on April 23 to introduce the newest product makers and their products to our customers. Mark your calendars and be sure to be there!

Welcome to the HPCT Blog!

Welcome to the Home of the Perfect Christmas Tree's blog! This will be a great opportunity to share news about the Project, it's product makers, events and more! We look forward to sharing our news with you!