About

It all started when…

It all started in 1955, when our founder, Doug Kell, came to Washington County, Maine, and met many of the people collecting wild Balsam fir trees to sell as Christmas trees in Boston and New York. Doug was looking for an opportunity to supplement his primary vocation as a sport fishing guide and boat captain in New Jersey. Little did he know then that the Christmas wreath and tree industry would be his lifetime occupation. He named his business “Sunrise County Evergreens” and for the first decade operated mostly as a seasonal wholesaler. In 1964, Doug Kell began to sell mail order wreaths, and that has continued to the present day.

Maine Wreaths, Inc is a sister company to Sunrise County Evergreens, and became part of the Kell family’s operation in 2016. Maine Wreaths was started by Pat Mawhinney, who was born and raised in the heart of Downeast Maine in the small town of Jonesboro. He began working in the Christmas wreath industry as a teenager, where he gathered balsam fir tips for his mother who made Christmas wreaths. He also bundled and helped ship Christmas wreaths for local wreath producers.

In 2016, the Mawhinney family decided to sell their wreath business. And so, Maine Wreaths, Inc. was purchased by the Kell family and joined into Sunrise County Evergreens. The Kell's are happy to be offering the Maine Wreaths balsam products and keeping the tradition going strong in Down East Maine!

A family tradition

In our homespun community, making and decorating wreath products are tradition.  We are fortunate to live along the rugged coast of Downeast Maine, where balsam fir grows healthy and fragrant, adding to the charm of our wreaths and fir products.  We hope you will be pleased to learn that the second generation of wreath makers will be operating our family based company, with new energy, and new plans to bring you elegant quality evergreen products that will bless your home this holiday season.

 Thank you for your continued business to allow us to bring you, and yours, beauty and elegance from the coastal abundance of Maine!

Making wreaths

Each fall we coordinate the wreath business by making wreaths in our wreath shop and also purchasing locally-made wreaths. This process begins with individuals, called “tippers”, who go into the forest to gather the tips of naturally growing balsam fir trees. Besides providing the material for wreaths, this process also prunes the fir trees in a way that enables the tree to grow fuller, thereby allowing for the sustainability of the Christmas wreath industry. The wreath makers then wrap the balsam fir tips with wire onto metal rings to create the mail order quality wreaths that we offer.

After the wreaths are made they are  taken to the decorating room where the decorating crew carefully attaches the decorations to each wreath — arrangements of pine cones, berries, crabapples and bows. Each wreath is placed in a plastic bag, to ensure the wreath remains fresh and fragrant, and then boxed and promptly shipped to your door.

The decorating crew also creates our beautiful centerpieces and sprays. They carefully clip the boughs of balsam fir, white pine and cedar. These evergreen tips are then arranged into water soaked floral bases and decorations are artfully placed to accent the centerpiece. Similarly to the decorated wreaths, the centerpieces are placed in plastic bags to ensure freshness. The centerpieces are boxed and shipped out to customers throughout the United States.

Where we are located

Maine Wreaths, Inc. is located in Milbridge, Maine in the heart of Washington County. We are a small coastal town that boasts that we the only town within 30 miles that has a downtown Main Street and yet we are also 30 miles from the nearest stop light.

Our Down East Christmas

Our family may be very busy with the wreath business but we always seem to be able to celebrate Christmas in very meaningful and traditional ways. Christmas has always been a time that our family gathers together. No matter how far away our children may roam they always return home for the holidays. Christmas in Down East Maine is like no other place in the world and we almost always have snow for Christmas.

For us Christmas memories are filled with smells, tastes and hugs. Our home is heated by a wood fire and a pot of simmering spices is often heating on the stove to fill the house with a warm comforting fragrance. And lets not forget the incredible aroma of Balsam Fir from our Christmas tree, centerpieces and wreaths on the door. These scents blend together to make Christmas a feast for all the senses.