With nowhere to store trees overnight, a 24/7 Christmas tree stand was born in South Philly

Once, a customer at Freddy’s Tree World — a South Philadelphia Christmas tree stand that’s been a neighborhood tradition for 29 years — asked owner Freddy Florio what kind of dirt to “plant” her new tree in.

“Dirt?!” asked Florio, 56, a wry working-class charmer with a playful manner. “You know that tree is dead, right?”

Another person wondered whether she should put an aspirin in the water keeping her balsam fir moist in her living room.

“Why,” Florio asked, “does the tree have a headache?”

Every December, Florio and his pop-up forest return to a wedge of sidewalk at Broad Street and Passyunk Avenue that gets transformed from gray to green for a few weeks. Florio charges relatively low prices, from $30 to $120 per tree; other spots can get $200 or more.

“I deal with smaller farmers and get a better price,” he said. “And if I asked for more, I’d feel bad for people who really need a tree.”

Florio is 100% South Philly, having grown up in the neighborhood. He got his first job at age 11 working at P&F Giordano food purveyors in the Italian Market.

Nowadays, Florio is a contractor. He’s used his hammer-and-nail skills to devise a way to keep the trees upright: He drills holes in the bottoms of the trunks, then sticks the trees onto spikes that dot a connected series of boards.

The place is open 24 hours, seven days a week — not because Philadelphians get 2 a.m. urges to buy a tree, but because Florio has nowhere to store his needled beauties.

“I like coming out here in the night, in the cold,” said Jimmy Carfagno, 60, a neighborhood guy who works in cyber security. He’s bought 15 years’ worth of Douglas firs from Florio, a buddy with whom he plays bocce.

“I make red wine and bring it out to Freddy, and we hang out,” Carfagno said. “Freddy’s part of the season.”

Initially, Florio never thought he’d be.

In his first year in 1995, he sold just 217 trees between Dec. 1 and Christmas Day. He told Renee, his wife of 33 years, “This is just a waste of time. But she set me down and told me to give it another try.”

Thus, a seasonal mainstay was born. Florio sold 800 trees the next year, and never thought of quitting again.

The other day, Florio, who looks like his shoulders were carved from granite, was dressed in a red flannel shirt and boots, just another lumberjack from the neighborhood.

Gregarious and endlessly curious about people, Florio said his customer base has grown: “I’ve learned to say ‘Merry Christmas’ in different languages.”

To sweeten his multilingual greetings, he’ll treat anyone who buys a tree to a pretzel from the Philly Pretzel Factory shop that abuts Florio’s spot.

“I love his customer service,” said Crystal Arthur, 58, a retired post office worker from the area. She just bought a six-foot pine fir for $100, the fourth she’s purchased from Florio through the years. “It’s nice, full, and perfect,” she said. “No big spaces.”

She added, “I look forward to Freddy coming back each year. His place is a pillar of this community.”

Sometimes, Florio dreams about getting away from it all, and moving with Renee to Abruzzo, from which his maternal grandfather emigrated.

“He came from Palombaro. They live so far back in time there,” Florio said, contemplating a life that could be slower, simpler.

But as the Christmas season rises to a crescendo, Florio has to stow any escape fantasies and concentrate on the holiday at hand.

“There’s no shortage of trees,” he said. “And 200 more of them are about to be delivered. I’ve got to get ready.”