Pop-up shops, kiosks and holiday experiences Wilmington enjoys every Christmas season

John Orona, Wilmington StarNews
·2 min read
Seasonal stores, kiosks and pop-up shops, such as Hickory Farms, can be found in Wilmington shopping centers this holiday season.
Seasonal stores, kiosks and pop-up shops, such as Hickory Farms, can be found in Wilmington shopping centers this holiday season.

Like St. Nick himself, they come every year without fail, bearing treasures, novelties and a little holiday delight.

Each year around the holidays, shoppers looking for last minute gifts or specialty items can count on countless seasonal stores, pop-up shops and one-time markets to spring up around Wilmington.

For shoppers like Ziara Davis perusing Independence Mall, these stores offer kitschy and inexpensive trinkets perfect for stocking up on gifts before visiting her extended family out-of-state.

“I got a lot of godbabies and they all want something special,” Davis said while inspecting a personalized ornament kiosk. With most of her holiday shopping already complete, Davis said she was hoping to find worthwhile deals among the seasonal promotions.

“If I can find something good I might have to buy out the whole cart,” she said.

According to Paige Coniglio, marketing director for Mayfaire, shoppers like Davis often flock to the shopping center this time of year for the holiday experience as much as the deals themselves.

There, month-long programming like holiday storytime, photos with Santa, and a Christmas tree lot draw in potential shoppers. Its only seasonal store, Hickory Farms, has popped up at Mayfaire for the last three years since the company moved away from full-time store fronts amid the pandemic.

Seasonal stores, kiosks and pop-up shops, such as Hickory Farms, can be found in Wilmington shopping centers this holiday season.
Seasonal stores, kiosks and pop-up shops, such as Hickory Farms, can be found in Wilmington shopping centers this holiday season.

“Families come every year and there’s a nostalgia to it,” Coniglio said. “It sort of a sign that the holidays are here.”

Similarly at Independence Mall, seasonal treats like indoor train rides, a giant Christmas tree, and photo ops with Santa can keep families engaged and spending more.

For outlets that host these seasonal pop-ups, it’s a chance for them to maximize profit and their space’s square-footage during the prime shopping season.

According to the National Federation of Retailers, close to 20% of retail sales come in November and December, amounting to nearly $900 billion in spending in just those two months last year.

With holiday spending figures increasing each year since 2009, the group expects sales this season to grow by 6%- 8% to about $1 trillion.

Dec. 9: This story was updated to reflect that Mayfaire is an outdoor lifestyle shopping center.

Reporter John Orona can be reached at 910-343-2327 or jorona@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Pop-up shops and kiosks Wilmington sees every Christmas season