Merchants Square has been a favorite place of mine to shop, dine and recreate for decades. It has…read moreover 40 stores. Recently I had the opportunity to visit the square that's nestled between The College of William & Mary and Colonial Williamsburg. During Christmas is one of my favorite times to visit this area. It was hoping too! Crowds were beginning to arrive in Williamsburg for The Grand Illumination the next day. There was music, and a Christmas spirit in the cool crisp air. I visited a few shops that I had time for that were both favorites and new to me. The Cheese Shop for a snack. This shop has been a place I have frequented for decades, it's awesome and an independent run store like most others. I went to R. Bryant, a men's store. Lulu lemon, Danforth Pewter and a new shop Walkabout Outfitters which is a small chain. It replaced a very well known and established independent store I shopped since early 2000. If you're looking for a unique place to shop, eat and also take in a show at the Kimball Theater then Merchants is the place.

A beautiful American place to visit. Settled near an American college WM. We enjoyed our visit,…read moreplenty on outdoor seating and nice small shops amd bistro. A must place to visit when in Williamsburg.

Fashion-Forward shop with a great variety of clothes and accessories for women. Very current…read morebrands...Farm Rio's latest released jumpsuits and dresses. Marie helped me recently and, even though she was ready to close, she patiently assisted me and didn't rush me. She even let me continue to shop past closing time! Marie (one of the 3 sisters) was the awesome! Thank you!

This is the cutest little boutique! It's a hidden gem in merchant's square, it's tucked away in the…read morecorner but it definitely worth the visit! The woman who helped me was super friendly and helpful when choosing an outfit. They have a great selection of clothes, there's something for everyone. I came in with one item in mind and they ended up having the perfect bathing suit for me! I've been looking for a good one piece lately and the only one I tried on ended up being the "one". I'll definitely be back for more of my shopping needs!

I would avoid this holiday market like the grinch…read more First, it has no heat lamps or shelter and can be very cold. Bundle up! Second, the $12 cover charge should be waived. The food and drinks are already pricey, and while they may be exclusive, your holiday experience will be ok without them. Caveat: the hot chocolate was exceptional! Third, there is very little for children to do. A few Christmas photo opportunities with a sled and Santa themed wooden stands is about all they offer. Fourth, you can see better decor at local bars and have better choices at free Christmas markets like Bryant Park and Union Square.

A great price for all of the offerings. $5 admission for strolling around the little booths,…read moresamples, and a petting zoo! The booths had great offerings, we very much enjoyed talking with the store owners and even trying some samples! The petting zoo was so fun, even adoptable puppies there to pet! The food options were local, unique, and yummy! We loved this market! Some gems we found were Magnusson's Hot Pepper Jam & Udder Nonsense Creamery!

One thing to understand about Colonial Williamsburg is the naming of the buildings is not by…read morecoincidence. John Greenhow was a merchant that operated a store on Duke of Gloucester during colonial days. The history of the man is as important to me as the current day store which I do enjoy browsing. John Greenhow was born in England 1724. He has been described as enterprising for the day, a real go getter. He operated a three man eight ton Schooner named "The Robert" along the James River from Virginia to Philadelphia carrying butter, pork, peas and lard to Pennsylvania. His return trips to the Old Dominion brought back coffee, chocolate, flour, bread, skillets, soap and even furniture. Williamsburg was not his only store as he operated a second location in Richmond. Mr. Greenhow passed in 1787 and is buried close to his mercantile at Bruton Parish Church. His stone is visible to this day. The present day store instills some of the old past of products like soap and housewares among lots of other items that may, or may not have been carried in the shop like home decor, clothing and even wine that seemed logical for the colonial time. Visitors can also purchase, or rent period wear. I have shopped at this store dozens of times in the past 30 years. I seem to always find something for purchase. The last time it was a few bottles of Williamsburg Winery Wine. Other occasions it's been soap which is fantastic. During Summer months when mobbed it can be a tad crowded to navigate. Staff typically is not in the floor to assist, but is more than willing to help when asked. It's no fault of their own, it's CW's staffing needs adjusted during the height of tourism. The clerks working the store are super friendly and knowledgeable about their goods and the history of Greenhow. It's fun to throw them a question, or two about the old day store. I would recommend a visit to The Greenhow store when strolling down DOG.

I'm not a shopping person and sadly I've become not much of a CW person but if you're in CW and if…read moreyou're going to shop, the Greenhow Store is not a bad place to do it. My Yelp brother JD did a great job covering the history of the man who's name is on the building. I have nothing to add other than the current store is not one of the original 88 CW buildings but it was built on the site of the original and on land that Mr. Greenhow owned. Back in the day you could easily see the yard over at Bruton Parish but FWIW this is the final resting place for Mr. Greenhow: makinghistorynow.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/mr-greenhows-tomb-bruton-parish.png Usually I'm in here because I've got people in my family who love the soap balls that they sell here (maybe they have them in other stores but usually I find the bars everywhere - not the balls), the vanilla beans, the musket balls and a few other odds and sods. The other reason I like to shop here is because of the one "sales interpreter" who normally works here. When you walk in he's usually at the register on the left side. He's a taller older guy who wears small round wire rimmed glasses. He's the one guy in the store who usually will engage you in sort of a quasi-in character demeanor. He's hysterical and I always enjoy seeing him and I remind him of that whenever I'm there. While this store is normally very crowded on my most recent visit we walked in to find we had the whole place to ourselves. Three employees in there with just us. After a few minutes another couple came in but that's how dead it was on New Year's Day. One brief negative note regarding that visit. While there were three sales interpreters there. Cluelessly, there was also a supervisor/manager present who kept having a little meeting with the group over in the one corner out front even though they could see that I was at the register ready to go. Experiences like that are the types of reasons people say "Never Again" to CW. It's small but it also shows you a small spot of where management's focus truly is at. That singular visit aside, normally it's a decent experience here and it's always worth a visit to see what they have when on DOG Street.

This place was a hidden gem. If you like peanuts, apple butter, home decor and hot sauces this is…read moreyour stop! They even have samples that you could try before you make any purchase. Me and hubby tried a few peanuts and we decided to get the New Orleans style peanuts. The tin of peanuts was 11.99 for 9 oz. Very unique store and had to much to look at.

A must visit in Virginia. The peanuts are tasty and plenty of variety, for peanut lovers this is a…read moreparadise. You can sample before you buy as well.

I absolutely LOVE the Shoe Attic! This adorable boutique in the heart of Williamsburg offers not…read moreonly a great selection of shoes, but also in clothes and accessories, with designers such as Jeffrey Campbell, Irregular Choice, and Sugarhill Boutique! I fell in love with the Irregular Choice's limited edition, the Rudolph flats, in which the nose lights up whenever you 'tap' your feet! I was surprised to hear that the Shot Attic is the premiere choice carrier of this shoe line, and they really offer it at the best competitive prices! I also couldn't get over the Sugarhill Boutique's Alanis Woodland Animal sweatshirt and had to add that to my sweater collection! Staff here are super friendly, and you can spend quite some time in here, just browsing through their items! Great place to stop by to treat yourself! +Irregular Choice shoes :D +great clothing pieces +friendly staff

What a very nice store. I stopped in there with my wife just to browse, the owner was so very nice…read moreand sociable. Great selection of shoes!

Decided to swing by to go ahead and get my magnet and postcard..I do like collecting them when I…read moretravel. I was able to find what I was looking for. The magnet range from $9.99 to 12.99. Postcard was .99 cents, not bad at all. They have clothings as well and a lot of little souvenirs. Easy to find and plenty of parking around the area. This was our first stop once we made it in to Williamsburg. Thank you for allowing me to find me some Souvenirs.

This was a cool place to go for souvenirs!!! The service was great, the staff were very friendly…read moreand helpful!! Some of the prices were great but it depends on what you wanted to buy. Everyone found something affordable for them! They had a lot of unique items and the kids enjoyed browsing around finding fun things! YES!! I do recommend them to my family, friends, friends of friends and, NOW, the World too!! Check them out!!

My husband was so excited to go in this store. He loves things Scottish…read more Everything in the store was just so unique. I loved the coats, ponchos and the cologne for men. Things can be pricy, but the items are high quality. This trip we were just window shopping. The male employee was so kind. He interacted with our kiddos telling them about the jewelry the counter top. The store was clean, cool and well put together. A lot of good conversation happens here too

I've come to the store many times, and they have a lot of cute, high-quality clothing items. I…read moregenerally do more browsing than buying, but I also signed up for their mailing list and ordered something when they were on sale. The sweater arrived really quickly, sizing was off (because of my ordering) but they were really friendly to exchange. It's a small business so it's calling up and arranging, but everyone was very friendly and helpful that I talked to. The time for me to ship it back and get a new size was very reasonable. And I love my sweater, it's so soft, I can't wait to wear it in winter. They have a great selection in person and online, and the clothes are a good value for the price. I don't always buy, but I do always walk in and browse when I'm in the area.

First off, the staff working there are friendly and knowledgeable. The sweet dog, Nike, was an…read moreadded bonus. I found a very elegant blouse that I feel sure I will love for many years! I am a plus size and they had many selections! They wrapped my purchases so adorable with an Eiffel Tower charm. Love French Twist!

Great shop, Kilian is very knowledgeable and helpful. My son picked up sunglasses, a cockade and…read morestockings. We will be back!

Amazing goods! My favorite Colonial Williamsburg shop to step into! I purchased a gown to do…read morereenactments in and love the pattern and quality!