They Repossessed Christmas!

Williamsburg, VA – A showroom that was once filled with lush green Christmas trees is now as barren as the North Pole.

Cooke’s Gardens on Jamestown Road and their Christmas shop are closed. Cooke’s offered landscape and garden design and installation services for more than 20 years.

The company also operated a year-round Christmas store that offered specialty gifts, collectibles, and Christmas trees.

Cooke’s has three separate business tax accounts with James City County, said county Business Tax Auditor Karen Killian.

The business accounts for Cooke’s Landscaping and Cooke’s Christmas expired on Dec. 31, 2017, Killian said. A tax account is created when businesses apply for licenses with the county, and the accounts are closed when the business closes.

Killian said the business license for Cooke’s Gardens has expired but the county has yet to close their tax account.

She added county records show the accounts for Cooke’s was first created in 1987.

“That’s too bad,” Killian said. “They were a nice place for a long time.”

WYDaily called Cooke’s and left multiple voicemails and also attempted to contact Cooke’s via email and Facebook. None of the requests for comment were returned.

Why is it closed?

Court documents indicate the business may have been repossessed by a credit union.

A complaint filed by 1st Advantage Federal Credit Union in Williamsburg-James City County Circuit Court in November said that in December 2010, Cooke’s obtained a loan for $75,000 from 1^st Advantage Federal Credit Union. Cooke’s last made a payment in December 2015, according to the complaint.

The credit union demanded Cooke’s to repay the loan by Oct. 16, 2018, which Cooke’s did not do, according to the complaint. The principal on the loan still owed by Cooke’s is more than $77,500.

“No trespassing” signs on the front door of Cooke’s list 1st Advantage Federal Credit Union.

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