Tree DealsStill need a tree? Today is...

Tree Deals

Still need a tree? Today is bargain day at many lots. . . . The Reseda Y’s Men reported brisk sales Monday after slashing prices 50%. Sales continue until 10 tonight, as long as they don’t run out of trees. . . . Those left over will be shredded.

Old Tannenbaum

Tree sales seemed to peak on the weekend of Dec. 14 and 15, then last week’s unusually high winds sapped the longevity of many cut specimens. . . . “It might be advisable to take the tree down a bit earlier,” said Mitchell Munoz, a Santa Clarita lot manager.

Stocking Stuff

Miniature village houses are hot collectibles. This year, two items were whisked from the shelves as quickly as they appeared--the Silversmith and Tinker Bell’s Treasures--pulled out of production because of a contract disagreement between Disney and the village manufacturer. . . . Those pieces already have quadrupled in value. See this week’s Valley Gallery (B12) for a look, such as above, at some miniatures.

Village Addicts

A Granada Hills couple has glommed on to the collector’s craze. Paul and Mirta Burns’ newsletter, Villages Classified, is a forum for buyers, sellers and traders of miniature houses. Just five years after it was launched, the newsletter has 10,000 subscribers nationwide. . . . “So many people contact me when they’re looking for retired pieces,” Mirta Burns said. “This is a real service for collectors.”