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Norridgewock Wreath Maker Says High Shipping Costs Forcing Company To Shut Down

Chuck Burton
/
Associated Press File
Fraser fir Christmas wreaths are displayed at Maines Tree Farm in Glade Valley, N.C., Friday, Dec. 2, 2011.

High shipping costs are taking a toll on Maine wreath makers, and one company says the problem is forcing it out of business.The Morning Sentinel reports that the owner of Christmas Tree Acres Wreath Company in Norridgewock has decided to call it quits because of what he calls exorbitant shipping expenses.  

David Bolduc announced the decision on the company's website.   He writes that his shipping costs increased last year by more than 27 percent, and that the company, which was founded more than a half-century ago, ended up eating almost half the cost of shipping.

"You know my love for this business and what it means to me emotionally; so with great sadness I have to say farewell," Bolduc says in the statement.

Producers are blaming a 2015 move by UPS and FedEx to incorporate both the weight and size of a package in determining shipping costs, rather than just the weight. The Morning Sentinel reports that this is especially hard on companies that have light products that need to be shipped in a relatively large box.  
 

Ed is a Maine native who spent his early childhood in Livermore Falls before moving to Farmington. He graduated from Mount Blue High School in 1970 before going to the University of Maine at Orono where he received his BA in speech in 1974 with a broadcast concentration. It was during that time that he first became involved with public broadcasting. He served as an intern for what was then called MPBN TV and also did volunteer work for MPBN Radio.