Live. Work. Play. There are many ways to enjoy life, and those who are a part of the Williamsburg Downtown organization are dedicated to sharing everything the downtown area has to offer, whether you are a longtime resident or a first-time visitor.
When most of us think of downtown Williamsburg, we think of the shops and restaurants that dot Merchants Square along Duke of Gloucester Street and adjacent roads. But the downtown area encompasses so much more, from businesses and churches to educational entities, historic sites and attractions, and everything in between.
Williamsburg Downtown first launched three years ago during the COVID-19 pandemic thanks to a Main Streets Grant awarded to the city of Williamsburg. The goal of the nonprofit economic development organization is “to enhance the awareness, history of its people and economic vitality of the Downtown Business District.” All aspects of downtown are spotlighted, including dining establishments and retailers, municipal buildings, the train station, Williamsburg Regional Library, Matthew Whaley Elementary School, Williamsburg Farmers Market, Colonial Williamsburg, Kimball Theatre, College of William & Mary, Bruton Parish Church, First Baptist Church, and the historic Cedar Grove Cemetery.
“We have something for everyone, and you will see different activities for our college students, moms and dads, history buffs, tourists, and family patriarchs who we love dearly with all their history,” says Leslie Skinner, president of the Williamsburg Downtown board. Skinner is a Williamsburg native and CFO of Skinner Law Office, as well as CEO of the consulting firm Speak! She is most devoted to preserving the historical aspects of the downtown community.
“I enjoy bringing all the stories and history forward about downtown in our Williamsburg History Project,” she says. “We have been working on descendant family stories as well as stories of the businesses who are new or have longevity in our area.”
A major social media campaign since the organization’s inception has had a positive impact in all it is trying to promote.
“We partner with Colonial Williamsburg to boost all of their activities and events and love sending over our friends and followers from social media to experience a lot of awesome cute stores and eateries in Merchants Square and up and down Prince George Street,” Skinner says. “We love working with conference services in Colonial Williamsburg for history fans coming to town and giving them virtual calendars of places to go and see, like our friends at First Baptist Church and the Let Freedom Ring Foundation, where they can see the Freedom Bell and learn about one of the first African American churches.”
Of course, one of the main objectives is to draw locals and tourists alike to downtown businesses. Merchants Square is home to more than 40 unique stores, coffee shops, ice cream shops, and restaurants, including The Cheese Shop, a staple of the community for more than 50 years, and its sister restaurant Fat Canary, a fine dining establishment that has earned the AAA Four Diamond award every year since opening in 2003; Amber Ox Public House and Precarious Beer Hall; The Peanut Shop of Williamsburg; Wythe Candy & Gourmet Shop; and many retail stores specializing in apparel, jewelry and accessories, home décor, souvenirs, and more.
Katherine Bailey, a mother of five and interim director of Williamsburg Downtown, lived in the Historic Area for seven years, so she knows firsthand what a special place downtown is.
“I worked for both Colonial Williamsburg and William & Mary, so Merchants Square was practically my kids’ playground,” Bailey says. “When we first started Williamsburg Downtown, we wanted to be a real support for downtown, not just for the businesses but for the people who also live here, and now we are working to be the place that we are telling people it is. We are working to draw people downtown and to stay downtown.”
The idea is to celebrate all-year long, with a particular emphasis around the holidays. To that end, Williamsburg Downtown hosts a handful of signature events each season, from a massive community Easter egg hunt each spring to the popular Photos with Santa fundraiser. Proceeds from Photos with Santa go toward Williamsburg Downtown (a 501c3) to offer free and reduced events to all - like Hip Hop, the Easter bunny egg hunt, -as well as documenting Williamsburg History for Descendant Families and the Present to Past Project which brings history to life on our social media and website. We partner with Kiwanis who we give a portion of the proceeds to as well as the House of Mercy food bank and the Heritage Humane Society. Each year the fundraiser changes based on community needs and partners. During the holiday season. Williamsburg Downtown partnered with Jim Hines, the beloved Santa Claus from the former Yankee Candle Village, to bring joy to children until his passing earlier this year.
“When Yankee Candle shut down, my wife’s text thread with a bunch of her mom friends started lighting up with concern over what they would do at Christmas time since their kids’ ‘Yankee Candle Santa’ was disappearing with the closure,” says Ben Munson, owner and broker with Memorie Group Real Estate on Prince George Street, who is one of the founding members of Williamsburg Downtown and past president of the board.
“As a brand-new board, we were tasked with finding a way to generate sustainable revenue to supplement our seed funding provided by the Williamsburg City Council. I saw the opportunity to save a tradition for thousands of locals while generating income and driving a few thousand people downtown where they could experience the magic of Williamsburg at Christmas time and support local businesses with a little Christmas shopping. With nowhere to host the event, I offered up my real estate office where we hosted it for the first three years.”
In addition to Munson, Skinner, and Bailey, five other members make up Williamsburg Downtown’s volunteer board. With the recent hiring of a new chief of staff and a web designer, along with a relocation to a larger office, the organization is looking to grow its footprint, starting with an expansion of the Photos with Santa event. Registration begins in October. This year, in addition to photos, which will be available the day after Thanksgiving through December 23, Williamsburg Downtown plans to host a Milk & Cookies with Santa event as well as a movie and pajama party event. Three new Santas have been tapped to fill Hines’ shoes. Mrs. Claus will also be making select appearances.
“Santa Jim Hines was such a blessing to our organization and watching him with the children each year left no doubt that he was either channeling Santa, or we had actually managed to land the real Santa himself,” Munson said. “He was such a kind and wonderful man. We look forward to growing the Photos with Santa fundraiser event at the new location, and weaving it into a broader theme of ‘it’s a wonderful life,’ a nod to the small-town magic in the classic It’s a Wonderful Life movie.”
Bailey, for one, is most excited about the growth potential for Williamsburg Downtown, as well as helping those who visit the area make lasting memories, especially during the holidays.
“We are looking forward to continuing the holiday magic and will be working on transforming our new space from now until November when Santa returns. I truly started as part of this board as a longtime community member who really just wanted to help create some community events for the benefit of this small part of the universe that I love so much, but now I am fully leaning into my accidentally becoming a Hallmark movie character working to bring some childhood nostalgia and holiday magic to her town.”
For more information: https://www.williamsburgdowntown.com/.