An early sign of Christmas in Burke County occurred on Saturday, Oct. 26: The first post was placed for the grid to hold thousands of evergree…

King's Trees lot on 833 North Green St. has moved across the street to the Quaker Meadows site in preparation for the upcoming Christmas season. The relocation was prompted by the sale of the original property to Benchmade Ventures LLC, a Mooresville-based investment and development company managed by Mike Kren and David Bennett. The former facility, once home to Buster Brown apparel manufacturing, has been vacant since the 1970s and is in a state of disrepair. Burke's tax records indicate a replacement building cost of $1.9 million, with the current value listed at $152,904 and property value at $699,604. The sale price remains undisclosed, but Benchmade Ventures LLC's development projects in Burke County include Fairfield Inn & Suites, Fonta Flora Brewery, Magnolia Hospitality, and Morganton Stuart Logistics.