Wilmington ranked 9th for local Christmas shopping

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Wilmington is the place to be for local holiday shopping.

According to a recent study by Yelp, the Port City ranks No. 9 in the nation for shopping local this holiday season. The study found that eight out of 10 Americans are likely to shop locally for Christmas. Local mom and pop shops say it all boils down to uniqueness.

“Just Boost those spirits and just bring in that happiness and with that happiness brings in other people,” Black Cat Shoppe employee Vance Smith said.

Smith says you name it, and they probably have it.

“We’ve got novelty items, gag gifts, hilarious magnets,” Smith said. “I love our magnets. I’ll brag on those until the day I die.”

He says it’s what separates them from the big box stores.

“It’s something unique,” Smith said. “It’s something funny. It’s something memorable. I think that’s something a lot of people for Christmas want and need. They want that memorable item, that memorable gift.”

Their neighbor Jess McCaffrey at Edge of Urge says there is one day in particular they are preparing for.

“On Small Business Saturday, small businesses like us downtown get to be like, ‘Hey, we’re here doing awesome things. Come check us out,'” McCaffrey said.

Even though it’s the day after Black Friday, McCaffrey says it’s a big chance for the community to come together.

“You can actually see where your dollars go,” McCaffrey said. “That’s really rewarding for us and hopefully it’s a rewarding feeling when you’re shopping. It’s like hey, I’m buying this from somebody just like me.”

Both shops say it’s their uniqueness that draws people in and this holiday season they expect that draw to be big. The Black Cat Shoppe on Market Street says their entire store will be 20 percent off on Black Friday. The Edge of Urge is a few doors down. They wouldn’t tell us exactly what their sales will be, but they will have blanket sales on Friday and exclusive sales on Saturday.