HATFIELD — First using a tool to snip balsam greens into a large pile, Christine Dadmun then begins tying those individual pieces to a metal form, within 20 minutes creating a 30-inch wreath.
At another work station, an already made but undecorated 12-inch wreath is turned into what is known as Santa’s Favorite by Cathy Chmura and Anne Day, with the greens enhanced with a large red bow and two smaller red bows, and pine cones and berries completing the look.
With the holidays approaching, the production of seasonal decor at The Holly Shed, the family-run business created by Francis and Mary Englehardt at 129 West St. in 1974, continues to ramp up, so customers have an assortment of handmade wreaths, log boxes, balsam balls, greenery filled centerpieces and swags to bring home.
“I can’t imagine how many wreaths we have made,” says Chmura, one of the Englehardt children carrying on the tradition begun by her parents.
Chmura said that her late father and his florist friend began making wreaths for cemeteries before expanding to making wreaths to sell to the public.
“He just put out a sign on the road and it blossomed from there,” Chmura said.
The Holly Shed now depends on eight of the 10 Englehardt children who live locally to continue the tradition, along with a new generation helping out, including one great-grandson and one great-granddaughter of the 92-year-old matriarch.
The business is open Thursdays through Sundays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with the hours covered by family members typically taking vacation days from their full-time jobs to build the wreaths from the metal rings and make evergreen roping and garland.
“We all know what needs to be done and just do it,” Chmura said.
Each has a specialty beyond filling orders, waiting on customers and answering the phone, such as one brother who handles the 60-inch wreaths, one of which will go on the side of a barn in Sunderland, or Day, who usually operates the wreath machine.
“You have your thing that you do best,” Chmura said.
Mary Englehardt is also still part of the business, after specializing in evergreen roping, now she takes ribbon and decorates tiny trees from her porch.
“She wants to be involved so we give her tasks to do,” Day said.
The big change over the years has been where the greens come from. In the past, they were acquired from a local Christmas tree farm by harvesting the overgrown trees that would no longer be suitable. Now, the family orders from a wholesaler in Maine and New Hampshire to bring in the tons of evergreens needed.
The Holly Shed’s work actually starts in early November, as a number of commercial properties are decorated. But this can only start after the greens are collected following the first hard frost.
Even as some of the storage spaces are not nearly as full, several wreaths are still there waiting to be picked up.
The family also spent one evening making a number of log boxes, each unique, which people typically place next to headstones at cemeteries. Each log box is then filled with dirt and topped with the greens, some with pine cones, others snowflake like decorations and at least one with a small Madonna statue.
Custom orders often come in, too, like one couple who wanted a unique Williamsburg swag, which Chmura describes as more of a spray. This swag idea came from the colonial Virginia community.
The recent snowfall has only helped drive up business as a reminder of the season. The last day for this year will be Dec. 14. In February, the family will get back together for the stripping party where all decorations at businesses are removed and then the greens are burned.
For many years, the future has appeared uncertain, and Chmura said that the pandemic took a toll, when a lot of work was done in their own homes or barns to keep safe. The family had a shirt reading “The Last Year Again” with years crossed off.
But those who might fret that they may find the shop closed down in 2026 should understand this is mostly a gag among the family, even as the siblings themselves get older.
“Chances are we’ll be back next year,” Chmura said.
