Grapevine businesses ready for holiday boom as Christmas Capital events kick-off

After a year marked nationally by uncertain consumer spending, the last quarter of 2024 is providing a turnaround in the Christmas Capital of Texas. Across the U.S., holiday shopping often helps keep the lights on year-round at small businesses. Half attribute nearly 25% of their annual revenues to Christmas. In Grapevine, the impact of Christmas often goes deeper thanks to spectacular holiday events bringing in plenty of local foot traffic and out-of-town visitors.

Grapevine Historic District foot traffic

Every year of Placer.ai tracking data from 2017-2024 shows a consistent year-over-year increase in foot traffic in Grapevine’s Historic District during the Christmas season, except for a pandemic-suppressed crowd in 2020. Placer also shows a more steady downhill slide along South Main Street in the summer months before business starts increasing in September, a trend local shops noticed as visits to the Christmas Capital event area climbed from 282,700 in August to 325,899 in September of this year.

Shopping in Grapevine’s Historic District

“I would say that August was my worst month in two decades,” Debi Meek, owner of Bermuda Gold and Silver, said. “I was very disturbed, but things are brighter and looking more promising, so we’re very excited about what the Christmas season is going to bring.”

The history of Meek’s shop on Main Street dates back to 1983, when the store opened in the former Grapevine Home Bank. For over four decades, her family has provided a blend of fine and fun jewelry to local shoppers with sidelines of jewelry repair, jewelry appraisal, and repair services for watches and clocks. 

Holiday shopping contributes deeply to the bottom line for most small retail businesses, with 73% accumulating over one-quarter of their sales over the holidays, a statistic demonstrated in holiday sales at Bermuda Gold and Silver.

“We rely on the Christmas season to do possibly 30% of our business,” Meek said. “People are excited this year, and we’re anticipating record crowds, and plans are already being made as to how we will manage that, especially with “Newsweek” naming us the number one Christmas town.” 

For this holiday season, Meek is planning a trunk show and offering a line of American Indian jewelry perfect for gift giving. A sip-and-see and a pop-up shop at a local country club are also in the works.

The promotional efforts associated with The Christmas Capital of Texas designation help bring a blend of travelers to Grapevine. Some visitors are standard out-of-town vacationers visiting Grapevine specifically or setting up a basecamp in Grapevine while exploring the entire metroplex. Also important are the intra-area visitors stopping by for specific events and the small-town Christmas feel the historic district can provide.

“We really appreciate our Convention and Visitors Bureau for marketing Grapevine and Main Street like they do because tourism and this season are a significant part of our business, and we’re looking forward to it,” Meek said.

Restaurant demand for the holidays in downtown Grapevine

Down the street, Dan Weinberger, owner of Weinberger’s Deli, echoed his appreciation for the care taken to make Christmas in Grapevine a truly magical experience.

“The Christmas Capital of Texas is the busiest time of year on Main Street because of the volume of people attracted through advertisements and different events,” Weinberger explained. “I’m always grateful throughout the year, but the six weeks between the middle of November and the end of December, the crowds are insane. I’m a small shop, and the volume we do in that six-week period is equivalent to what some businesses do throughout the year. I look forward to it every year.”

Weinberger’s Deli provides visitors with the perfect opportunity to enjoy two bests in one day by combining a sandwich from The Best Deli in Texas, according to Eat This, Not That and myriad other rankings, with celebrations in the best Christmas town. The demands of the 2024 Christmas season could prove exceptional based on recent restaurant numbers. 

“Every Christmas Capital, we’ve had a marked increase in volume,” Weinberger explained. “I will be shocked to see what we do this year. Last year at Christmas, we had the biggest month ever recorded. This past October, we came within 10,000 of that goal. I don’t know what to anticipate except that we’re very fortunate.”

Weinberger’s Deli is always committed to providing the freshest sandwiches, and at Christmas, this means daily shopping due to limited refrigeration on-site, a high-demand problem Weinberger is grateful to experience.

While growing up in Chicago, Weinberger said he would visit the windows at Marshall Fields, and in Grapevine, people get to be in the window because Christmas decorations and festivities are all around.

“Every year I marvel at it, because our Parks and Rec does a lot with the Carol of Lights and the Chamber of Commerce with the parade, and every year I think, ‘What can you possibly do to make it better than last year?’” Weinberger said. “And every year, I’m blown away by something else. With everything happening in the world and a new government, I hope everybody enjoys the holiday season with their friends and families and remembers what the season is about.”

Shopping local for the holidays 

Shopping local on Nov. 30 for Small Business Saturday and throughout the Christmas season helps many small businesses generate the revenue needed to sustain operations through slower months, but shopping local anytime is a major boost for the Grapevine Economy. Grapevine’s small businesses are owned by friends and neighbors who contribute to our local economy in various ways, including job creation and the support of other local vendors. Whether you are buying a ring to propose under the mistletoe or grabbing a sandwich in between Christmas events, think local this winter. Your shopping choices can help Grapevine thrive.

Please contact Grapevine Economic Development for assistance with your small business needs. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram, and sign up for our newsletter!

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