“Haul out the holly. Put up the tree before my spirit falls again,” begins the seemingly gleeful showtune-turned-holiday classic “We Need a Little Christmas.” The song was written for the 1966 Broadway musical Mame, sung by the titular character after losing her fortune in the Wall Street crash of 1929. Yup, it seems that there are always a plethora of bleak reasons from which to seek refuge by hanging “some tinsel on that evergreen bough.” Enter the holiday season to provide that perfect reason for decorating, reconnecting, baking, and making merry (it seems to begin earlier each year, but is that so wrong?). No matter where you live in Rhode Island, there is a charming commercial district minutes away, ready with locally owned shops and eateries just waiting for you. They’ve been decorating, working to set a mood of comfort and joy, and look forward to seeing you!
The mother-and-daughter team of Mary and Alice Moore create sparkling displays year-round inside their Richmond Square boutique Simple Pleasures. But during the holiday season, the former blacksmith’s forge-turned-gift cottage enchants with lavish displays at every snug turn. “Decking the shop takes place over many days,” says Mary, who founded the business with Sunny Johnston in 1992. “Such a small space requires shifting and changing everything around like decorating Tetris,” she adds, referencing the puzzle video game. “We like to try something a bit different every year, a little surprise. Our tiny wonderland is presented as a gift to everyone who comes to the shop.”
Downtown Providence’s emporium of handicrafts, Craftland, shimmers and glows, putting a twinkle in the eye of even the grumpiest of Grinches with its bright aesthetic. Store manager Darrien Segal divulges that the alchemy happens “one magical Monday in early November,” when they shut the doors. “We all roll in around 10am – coffee in hand – ready to deck the halls, paint some walls, and turn the shop into a wonderland.” She adds that they, “hang decorations, zhuzh-up the displays, rearrange everything like excited elves, set up our shiny silver tinsel tree, and unpack all the brand-new holiday treasures that have been waiting to shine, before heading out for a meal together with glitter in our eyes.”
For Kristin Struck Tenner, owner of SunStruck Gift Boutique in Narragansett, decorating is a family affair with her parents and husband lending a hand with heavy lifting and trimming the outdoor trees. “I start unpacking boxes with Christmas decorations in late September to try and work my way through a few boxes a day. Usually by the beginning of November, I am finished!” she says with a palpable sense of accomplishment. It’s a similar situation at Stewart House in Providence, owned and operated by sisters Karen and Ellen Deutsch. “We are closed the day after Thanksgiving and come in early, hands full of coffee and baked goods, and spend the whole day decorating,” says Karen. “We hit the holiday music on Small Business Saturday and try to keep samples of chocolate treats out for the season, as well as burning pine and firewood candles.”
On social media, The Farmer’s Daughter begins to drop hints in early November about their big holiday reveal later that month. The “Holiday First Look,” is a highly anticipated event for devotees of the nature-inspired home and garden essentials store, which features a neighborhood of greenhouses and outbuildings outfitted by theme, each offering design inspiration and goods for sale to take home. In early December, owner Sarah Partyka and her crew host a Holiday Sip, Shop and Stroll, with discounts, crafts, hot cocoa, and Santa visits, and close with the big end-of-season sale before the shop takes its winter snooze.
“I want visitors to the shop to feel like they’ve walked into a place that is perhaps reminiscent of their childhood, a time when things were a bit simpler and not so flashy,” says Kate Fusaro, who co-owns Flatfish Cottage in Wickford with her husband, Jim. In business for five years, Kate strives to create a warm and calm shopping experience and notes that their popular mice ornaments largely set the tone for the rustic space. “We play classic Christmas music, and last year we had a hot cocoa bar complete with marshmallows and candy canes as a sweet treat for our shoppers.”
“We aim to create a true winter wonderland,” says Emily Buonaiuto of Wildwood Garden Center and Gift Shop in East Greenwich. Open since 1967, the expansive location truly dazzles at Christmastime. Their Walk Through the Wildwoods vendor event (December 5 & 6) is a must-visit illuminated spectacle. “We want everyone to leave feeling happy and connected. In lieu of an entrance fee, we collect donations for Children’s Friend holiday toy drive and the Heart of RI Animal Rescue League. Seeing the boxes spill over with toys and tips from visitors each year fills us with immense gratitude for the community that continues to give back.” Throughout the month, Wildwood has trees, lights, and gifts, as far as the eye can see. “We love the joy of helping families pick out their Christmas tree and the children’s amazement of the hundreds of thousands of lights,” says Buonaiuto.
A longtime online retailer who opened a brick-and-mortar six months ago, Jessica Billings looks forward to her first holiday shopping season at Farmgirl’s Front Porch in Wickford. “We’ll serve warm apple cider, wine, hot chocolate, and cookies during our open houses, sip and strolls, and workshops,” says Billings. “Also, lots of free gifts like ribbons for decorating and giveaways during special events.”
“The holiday season is the Main Event,” says Jan Faust Dane, who opened Stock Culinary Goods on Hope Street in Providence 14 years ago. “It requires an insane amount of planning and prep, but when all the tumblers click and the store is full and people are happy and gifts are being purchased with love, and the employees are all buzzing around helping and wrapping, it feels like the holiday montage scene of a romcom. It’s beautiful, personal, and very gratifying to connect with all the customers and share in that much good energy.”
While Narragansett may be a beach and university town, many shops are open year-round, including SunStruck Gift Boutique and neighboring Crosswynds Traders on Boston Neck Road. “When we have our Christmas party that we host with Crosswynds Traders, we serve light bites and have a sip and shop and keep both shops open late. We play fun Christmas music and customers go between the two stores. It’s one of our busiest days of the year!” says Tenner.
“It’s one of our busiest times of the year, and yes, we go home with tired feet and glitter in places it probably shouldn’t be... but it’s so worth it. Because the best part? Seeing people light up when they find the perfect gift, and hearing them say, ‘Oh, they’re going to love this!’ It fills our crafty little hearts right up,” says Craftland’s Segal.
The best shopkeepers understand that what they are doing with their selected inventory is putting inspiration out into the world; sharing an aesthetic with items that become part of the buyer’s story. “It’s so cheerful and festive when people enjoy coming in and can find some delight in distraction from the everyday,” begins Alice Moore of Simple Pleasures Providence. “We always search for interesting, charming, unusual or traditional, frivolous or useful Christmas decorations. Items that could become part of a holiday collection to anticipate unpacking every year.”
Peggy Siebrandt enjoys providing a merry experience from mid-November through Christmas Eve, with her seasonal pop-up inside the barn of her business, The Farm Tiverton. “I didn’t always have a big Christmas growing up,” says the garden designer, originally from Nebraska. “We’ll have a Santa visit, so it’s nice to provide this.” Once used for storage, for 15 years Siebrandt has stocked the large barn with specialty greens and berries sourced from Fieldstone Gardens and Windy Hill Nurseries in Little Compton, along with decor, wreaths, garlands, and flowering plants.
The mood is always “chill” at Yes! Gallery, where you’re more likely to hear The Beatles than Bing Crosby. Julie Beebe, who co-owns the artful store in Wickford with her husband Palmer, shares that there are two things she constantly hears during the holiday season. “I will never get sick of people saying, ‘I knew you would have the perfect gifts!’ and ‘You wrapped those so beautifully for me that they’re going to know I didn’t do that!’ We hear this year-round, but it’s with even deeper appreciation during the season that tends to be most stressful for people. We love to remove that stress with superb customer service like free gift-wrapping that is stunning, and a selection of slam-dunk gifts!”
Circling back to the lyrics “put up the tree before my spirit falls again,” SunStruck’s Tenner says, “The holidays aren’t the easiest season for everyone, and I’m honored to hear people’s stories, reminisce with them about holidays past, and just listen to what’s going on in their lives. I find it’s a time of reflection, and often people appreciate a listening ear.”
“My favorite part of being a shopkeeper during the season is watching smiles light up the faces of those stepping through the door,” says Flatfish’s Fusaro. “Because that’s what it’s really about, right? Creating a space where anyone can find a bit of happiness.”
Plan a full day centered around shopping events at destinations around the state.
December 3: Holiday Stroll & Luminaria: Enjoy a complimentary cup of hot chocolate and a cookie while shopping sidewalks lined with luminaria along the Westerly-Pawcatuck line. Westerly, OceanChamber.org
December 4-7: PVD Downcity Holiday Market: Grant’s Block Park and adjacent Westminster Street transform into an enchanting outdoor marketplace. InDowncity.com
December 5 & 6: The Charlestown Holiday Ramble brings merriment to Cross’ Mills with carolers, children’s activities, and a visit from Santa via fire truck. Facebook: Charlestown RI Holiday Ramble
Through December 23: Christmas Festival European Marketplace: Enjoy European-style huts, carolers, and photo ops with Santa. BristolChristmasMarket.com
December 4, 11, 18: Candlelight Shopping: Delight in a Dickensian atmosphere of decorated street lights and shops, music, and shopping. Shuttle bus service available. Chepachet, CandlelightShopping.com
December 5-19: Holiday Bright Night & Re-Tree Exhibition Opening: Tiverton Four Corners is aglow during this night of luminaries lighting the way to shops open later than usual. It’s also the opening of the Re-Tree exhibit, a competitive showcase of upcycling at its most creative. TivertonFourCorners.com
December 5-7: Christmas in Scituate’s Villages: Head to the scene of the art festival for a candlelight stroll, festival of trees, and pop concert. SBA-RI.com
December 6: Bowen’s Wharf Tree Lighting: Set your watch because Santa and the Mrs. arrive by boat around 12:30pm, and the big ol’ Christmas tree gets lit at 6pm. In between and following, there’s shopping, live music, and good cheer! Newport, BowensWharf.com
Business featured in this article.
Craftland, Providence
Crosswynds Traders, Narragansett
The Farm, Tiverton
The Farmer’s Daughter, South Kingstown
Farmgirl’s Front Porch, Wickford
Flatfish Cottage, Wickford
Stewart House, Providence
Stock Culinary Goods, Providence
SunStruck Gift Boutique, Narragansett
Wildwood Nursery and Garden Center, East Greenwich
Yes! Gallery, Wickford
Providence parking-wary? We’ve got you covered.
Places barely across state lines for your radar:
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