A lot to move

Mathis Winkler

COSTA MESA -- Wearing one of his signature animal baseball caps,

“Grandpa” Harry Noonan predicted last December that customers would be

able to track him down at his Christmas tree lot’s new location.

“The customers will find me next year,” the 79-year-old tree seller

told a reporter. “They always do.”

After Calvary Church of Newport-Mesa decided to build a new sanctuary

and school on the old tree lot, the Noonans had to set up shop elsewhere

this year, after 53 years on Newport Boulevard.

While illness has kept Noonan from leaving his Nevada home to oversee

tree sales, his offspring said Monday morning that, if anything, the move

to the corner of Victoria Street and Harbor Boulevard seems to have

brought more customers.

“There’s more traffic on Victoria,” said Harry Noonan Jr., standing

next to his son, Harry III. “When they put that freeway in down there, it

went to minimum traffic.”

The freeway Harry Jr.’s referring to is the Costa Mesa Freeway, which

reduced traffic on Newport Boulevard. That happened back in 1962 -- a

sign that a half-century of selling trees has left the family with a

certain level of perspective.

A painting contractor, Grandpa Noonan decided to sell trees to bridge

the December lull in jobs. Harry Jr. said that, along with his brother,

Doug, and many other family members, he felt obliged to continue his

father’s work.

“This is my dad’s business,” said Harry Jr., adding that he took off a

month from his job as a painter for the Newport-Mesa Unified School

District to sell the trees. “As long as he’s kicking around, I want to be

here to help him.”

Although Harry Jr. said his father’s goal was to “get healthy to come

back out here next year,” it’s still unclear where “here” will be.

To set up shop, the Noonans need about 1.5 acres, said Harry Jr. The

current lot would suit them just fine. But because Albertsons still holds

the lease on the land for at least another three years, the tree lot’s

fate will depend on the supermarket chain.

If Albertsons subleases the store, which has sat empty since January,

“we won’t be able to have [the Noonans] back,” said Bill Munce, who

represents the owners of the property. He added that although the

landlords were unhappy about the situation, they could do nothing about

it.

“We’re stuck,” he said, adding that Albertsons still pays rent on the

property. “We can’t do anything about them leaving the place empty,

according to our attorneys.”

Representatives for Albertsons could not be reached for comment

Monday.

The Noonans, however, said they weren’t too concerned about the

future. Even Grandpa isn’t worried about what is to come, Harry Jr. said.

“He goes with the flow,” he said, adding that the business has moved

around Costa Mesa a number of times. “He’s been doing it for so long.”

His brother, Doug, added that a city ordinance keeps the family from

trying to find an empty store -- such as the empty supermarket next door

-- to sell their trees next year.

“For some reason, they won’t let a Christmas tree lot in a store,”

Doug Noonan said.

Rick Brown, Costa Mesa’s building safety director, said the sale of

Christmas trees inside buildings is prohibited because of the fire risk.

Whatever happens, keeping the current lot would still be their first

choice.

“If things work out, we’ll be back here,” Harry Jr. said. “If the

landlord likes us.”