Tom Price and his business partner, Steve Lowry, have acquired crystal ornaments for their tree for the past 32 years. Their collection is comprised of 634 pieces.
Decorating fir trees for Christmas is an age-old tradition, and we all enjoy hauling home a freshly cut Blue Spruce and pulling out our box of funky ornaments made from Popsicle sticks and pipe cleaners with which to decorate our tree. It’s doubtful, however, that we pull out as many ornaments as Steve Lowry and Tom Price of Fandangles’. The partners in the famous Flushing eatery set up a Christmas tree every year adorned with several hundred crystal ornaments from a 32-year-old collection, creating a breathtaking display that enhances the atmosphere of their dining space.
“With the addition of the 2013 ornaments we’ve received this year, we have 645 unique pieces adorning our tree,” Tom said with pride. The ornaments come from a variety of crystal manufacturers, including but not limited to Swarovski, Waterford, Tiffany, Precious Moments, Nordstrom, Saks 5th Avenue and Bloomingdales. “Steve began collecting the ornaments in 1981 when they were a novelty,” said Tom, “and it has grown since then. Many items in our collection were given to us by our loyal customers.” Some of the most nostalgic pieces for the owners are the Waterford 12 Days of Christmas ornaments, the first of which came out in 1981. Other notable ornaments in the priceless collection are from Steuben Glass Works, the only American crystal manufacturer. “They closed their doors in 2011,” Tom reported sadly, “but we are happy to own every ornament from their collection.”
The tree is on display – hung upside down for stability and space reasons – at Fandangles’ beginning the week of Thanksgiving until Christmas, and Tom says that people come to the restaurant just to see it. “I oversee the placement of every piece, and in addition to all of the ornaments, we use 7,200 lights, so it really twinkles!” he said. Visit Fandangles’ for a stunning sight that is sure to stir your holiday spirit!
PHOTOS BY TRACI TURNER
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