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Garden Shop Has Deep Roots In North Side Neighborhood Christmas Traditions

By Linze Rice | December 14, 2016 5:42am
 Gethsemane Garden Center in Edgewater/Andersonville transforms into a winter wonderland in December.
Gethsemane In Winter
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EDGEWATER — When Regas Chefas was a boy growing up on Devon Avenue, people around town knew to come to his family's yard once pumpkin and Christmas tree season rolled around.

"My husband and his brother have been selling pumpkins and Christmas trees their whole lives," said Kathleen Chefas.

In 1978, Chefas took on the family tradition and opened the Gethsemane Garden Center, then at 5801 N. Clark St., later moving a block south and expanding to its current spot at 5739 N. Clark St.

Since then, the garden center, green house and gift shop has become a staple in the Edgewater and Andersonville neighborhoods, helping families new and old create their own traditions year-round, but especially at Christmas. 

"We have people that have been shopping here since they were at my father-in-law's place on Devon when they were kids, and now they have kids of their own — so they've literally been coming here for their Christmas tree just about their entire life," Chefas said. "We're very lucky."

It's easy to see why people can be drawn to walk around the outdoor space even on a frosty day.

Along Clark Street at night, the garden center paints quite a picture: a pale yellow and green Gethsemane gift shop and block-long fence wrapped in garland and red Princess flowers, glittering against a dark sky and bustling with neighborhood life.

Lined against its outer walls are fresh-cut, imported North Carolina and Michigan-grown Christmas trees and decorative plantars filled with Canadian-sourced dried materials. 

The intricate details, trees, lights, ornaments, arrangements and more all come together for the most part in the first two weeks of November as the center transitions from fall into the holiday season. 

After Thanksgiving, the shop is tweaked once again to turn it into its winter glory. 

What exactly does it take to pull the whole picture together?

Chefas laughed.

"Lots of sleepless nights, and a lot of help," she said. "We just work a lot of hours and a lot of people help, and we do our best to transform it."

The work doesn't go unnoticed, she said. 

Former residents who lived in the neighborhood 25 years ago recently drove in with their kids to get their tree as part of their family tradition, Chefas said. 

She and her husband are grateful for the longtime customers and staff members who have helped their business thrive. 

"This is their Christmas tradition, to come here with their kids and buy their tree and a few ornaments and stuff, and just enjoy the ambiance," Chefas said. "We're very blessed."

Take a look at the North Side's go-to garden shop in all its Christmas splendor.

DNAinfo photos by Linze Rice.

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