About The Christmas Store in Historic Downtown Smithfield VA
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Who We Are
The Christmas Store, located in the Historic District of beautiful downtown Smithfeld, Virginia, has built its success on offering quality holiday items at a value to the customer. Many of the items that we offer are one-of-a-kind and limited production items. Certainly, you don't want to confuse our offerings with the large retail giants and discount retailers. Our goal is to offer quality holiday items that you'll rarely find anywhere else.
History
The Christmas Store in Smithfield, Virginia was founded in 1994 by Jim and Elaine Abicht as a hobby stemming from their many years of collecting antique Christmas items. Through travels about the country and meeting other collectors, who themselves had year-round Christmas Stores, Jim & Elaine decided to open their own store when the opportunity arose.
In the beginning, they were small. They opened for business in the historic Gaming House on Main St, which was built in 1760. At a scant 600 sq ft of retail space, it was a fraction of the current store's space, which is 5500 sq ft. They were at the Gaming House for 7 years when they decided they needed to expand their business.
In 2001, they moved to their current location, which was a department store dating back to the early 1900s. It still has the original tin ceiling. The larger store allows fun displays and themed areas that are enjoyed by Christmas fans year round.
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