New Carolina tradition starts at iconic beach pier. Families drive hours to see it.
A new Carolina tradition has sprouted on a coastal beach.
The Christmas trees for sale at Carolina Beach Pier, 12 miles south of Wilmington, didn’t spring from the sand.
They’re the latest brainchild of the pier’s new owner, Katherinn Kloss, following her widely acclaimed pumpkin patch in the sand this fall.
She even scheduled an Inaugural Christmas Palm Tree Lighting for 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 3.
“Stop by the Carolina Beach Pier to watch the launch of the Christmas Palm Tree lighting from the Tiki Bar and our magical Beach Christmas Tree Lot,” Kloss posted on Facebook with a picture of the lights-bedecked tree.
The pumpkin patch and the Christmas trees have made her restaurant and old pier “a destination that continues to spread,” Kloss told The Charlotte Observer.
“Both my staff and I have enjoyed seeing the happiness in people’s faces both old and young,” she said in an email.
“We all work very hard to keep the Carolina Beach Pier an icon of the community,” Kloss said, “and it gives us great pleasure to hear that people are noticing the big changes we are constantly making.”
She fell for Carolina Beach — and husband
Kloss grew up an ocean away in San Dimas, California, a city in the San Gabriel Valley of Los Angeles County made famous by the 1989 Hollywood flick “Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure.”
While in college at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California, she met and fell in love with her husband, Chris Garcia, she said.
As “COVID newlyweds,” Kloss said, they decided to move closer to her siblings who’d relocated to Wilmington. The city is 200 miles southeast of Charlotte and 130 miles south of Raleigh.
“And I had fallen in love with the Carolina Beach community, which we have been a part of two years now,” she said.
Preserving ‘iconic landmarks’
As they searched for a beachfront home, they came across the Carolina Beach Fishing Pier.
When Kloss’s husband heard the story of former owner Freddy Phelps buying the pier over 40 years ago for his wife, Betty Jo, Garcia wanted to continue the tradition, she said.
“And I saw this as an opportunity to do what I enjoy the most, which is organizing events that bring happiness and people together,” Kloss said.
She also feels strongly about the importance of “preserving iconic landmarks for generations to come, and if that means that individuals need to do it, then we must step up.
“There is a lot of history and wonderful stories here at the pier and we want them to continue,” Kloss said.
Popular pumpkins
Kloss said people drove four hours to buy a beach pumpkin or take their fall photos at the patch by the ocean.
“So the next obvious transition was to be the first-ever Beach Christmas Tree Lot,” she said. “The perfect place to take your Christmas family photos while picking a beach Christmas tree and grabbing a delicious bite to eat at our Holiday Pop Up Bar & Restaurant.”
The tree “lot” is open daily.
The restaurant is decked out as Santa’s Workshop on the Beach, Kloss said.
“We’ve transformed the Carolina Beach Pier property to be a holiday destination for all who love Christmas and the beach,” Kloss said.
At 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 11, Santa will pose for photos on the pier. The photos are free with a canned food donation.
Carolina Beach Pier also is doing a toy drive this month. Toys can be dropped off in a toy box in Santa’s Workshop in the Holiday Pop Up Bar.
The Christmas Palm Tree will stay lighted through Jan. 6, Kloss said.
‘A fantastic Christmas card’
The trees have drawn plenty of social media quips.
“No snow, just sand,” a man wrote on Facebook.
“beach trip for a tree lol,” penned a woman on the site.
Most thanked Kloss or expressed their admiration.
“I love this!!” a woman posted on Facebook. “Breathing so much life into that old pier. Brilliant!”
“This would be a fantastic Christmas card!” a man wrote on the site.
“LOVE!!!” a woman posted with Christmas tree emojis. “Thank you so much for bringing such JOY & EXCITEMENT to our island!!”
This story was originally published December 3, 2022 at 1:28 PM.