The Cotton Exchange holds a lot of history in its eight 19th-century buildings. Each of the eight…read morebrick buildings originally served a different industrial purpose. For instance, the Sprunt building started as a flour mill and a hominy mill. The structure was renovated in 1919 and became the central trading office for cotton bales, eventually growing into one of the world's largest and busiest cotton-exporting companies. The bales left the Cape Fear River port's docks to be shipped directly to England, Europe, and other parts of the United States, and remained fully operational until 1950. After the shipping port declined, the complex was abandoned and deteriorated to the point that it was scheduled for complete demolition. Fortunately, local developers stepped in to save the buildings, preserving the original architecture, heart pine beams, and exposed brickwork. The marketplace officially opened in 1976. It was the very first successful "adaptive reuse" historic preservation project in the state. Today, the Cotton Exchange is a wonderful, bustling mixture of locally owned restaurants and specialty shops. While exploring the multi-level halls, I really enjoyed viewing the built-in hallway exhibits filled with vintage photographs, educational storyboards, and antique tools tracing the complex's port history. I have since learned of a few treasures I missed while visiting, so I am already planning a return trip to find the rest and explicitly check out the Wilmington Walk of Fame installation out in the courtyards! It is a fantastic destination for exploring downtown, offering a large parking lot where merchants will validate your parking ticket with a purchase.

Didn't really see any shops that interested me here. Of those I did stop into, the people were…read morefriendly, but the prices were a bit overboard. And I was surprise with the lack of local goods (eg olive oil place is all imported but no info on the labels). I parked in their lot because I figured I would easily find something I'd like, support local, and validate my parking. Probably could have enjoyed a light meal here but not my kind of place - too tourist trappy.

Saturday visit: It's definitely for gift shopping. We went in thinking it may have shopping goods…read morelike jams, food items etc but no it was not so. Overall it was a lot of artisan items, great vaiety of handmade items from pottery to woodworking to soaps and clothing. Didn't really have any "service" as we walked though the main chamber and peeked into the shop rooms on the sides. The prices were pretty expensive so we didn't get anything but they are hand made so it makes sense. Great place to get souvenirs or gifts. My favorite part was the soaps and the small pottery near the door.

I love the stores in here from. Country store to Gypsies store and the stuff in between.. really…read morecool wood made products and soaps and such.. right along waterfront . Lots of history in this place too. There's a wall with signatures by famous people who have come thru.. just an interesting place.

This is a really nice shop inside the Cotton Exchange. They sell wine, wine glasses, and small home…read moredecor items. The shop isn't very big but they make up for it with the quality of items. Another really nice thing about this shop is they feature North Carolina wines and items from North Carolina craftsmen. Highly recommend.

Wilmington has many great little places and one would have to spend quite a bit of time checking…read moreevery store out - but please check this place out for SURE! The staff are great, the selection unique and you just might be surprised at what you might find and the price you will pay! We picked up a couple wedding gifts as well as a take home one for ourselves - I believe my mom even found something here too! Make sure you stop in - tell them your friends from Silver Creek NY sent you :)

I love this store. Maybe because I'm an old-er hippie. Stop there every time I'm in Wilmington.read more

Photography by 3Spade7Star @3Spade7Star_photography…read moreJanuary 25, 2026 - Sunday The Black Cat Shoppe was on my to go see list in Wilmington to see if I could get on a historical tour in a motor vehicle. Unfortunately, they don't have historical tours but they do have tours on foot and it was not feasible for me to do after having a surgery on my hip & leg - still healing. So I browsed the store for a long period and had the most fun with using the coin operated crystal vending machine. For two quarters you can get one to three crystals with a turn of the knob on the machine. I was lucky to get three crystals several times. You don't know how many or what kind of crystals you will get, yet it is fun, and the crystals make a great gift to give to people. I got a lot of green aventurine crystals and crystals I usually would not select like dalmation jasper & a dull moonstone. It was a steal since most crystals are $1-3 each for the sizes I received of these crystals. Alyssa was very engaging and stellar in providing me information and generating more sales effortlessly - just by answering all my questions and showing me different rings stocked inside the ring display. She was delightful, memorable, and helped me select the perfect rings to wear on my index and third finger. I got 3 rings for $24.99. Other items I purchased was: money attraction incense & oudh resin in a glass bottle for incense, unique oracle cards with funny yes & no answers, stickers, a pamphlet detailing all the places where television series and movies were filmed at in Wilmington, North Carolina, and post cards. The postcards were only $1. I should have bought a book there that I thought I already had. The book is The Ghosts of Old Wilmington by John Hirchak. The book is signed by the writer. I had two ghost books about Wilmington but it was not that one. Yet it is another reason I should go back to The Black Cat Shoppe. I plan to come back here and go on their tours later in the future. This is a place I plan to visit again the next time I come to Wilmington, North Carolina.

Went here for a one tree hill event! Lots of different merch! I would recommend going here if…read moreyou're in town, and are a fan of one tree hill.

Very good pizza and vibes! Our kiddos said it was just a little too salty on that plain cheese…read more Over all good and very cool place for eating on a swing or drinks! Bet they're slammed with ballpark traffic and nice days!

Came to town to get the nuts and pecans and support local. They have lots of goodies inside to perk…read moreand and purchase. I love the fact it helps people with disabilities so I make a point to come here when I come to town. The owner opened up for me and he was very nice and courteous. It was a beautiful day in mist of a pretty cold week and just wanted to get out and get fresh air. I bought more than I anticipated which is not hard to do at all here. I highly recommend checking it out. It's inside the city market and you won't be disappointed

Came in here a couple months back just looking around. Without asking, the nice man running the…read morestore gave us a full background on the store and the products with in them. We tried some peanuts that were so good and bought two bags. I noticed when we were in that store a couples months ago that they also had other things. Products that would be great gifts such as homemade hot sauce, salsa and pickled vegetables. I came back in yestarday to check it out. I left with a jar of firery peach salsa WHICH IS SO GOOD, and a jar of picked asparagus as a late Father's Day gift for my dad. I'm sure he we love them. Will for sure be back for this salsa!

Love this place. My friend and I always make sure we visit this establishment while vacationing…read morehere. It is cute, funky, and eclectic. Lots of jewelry. There are hippy clothes, candles, sunglasses, etc. The owner is very nice and friendly.

The perfect place located directly in downtown Wilmington for a hipster souvenir, house-warming…read moregift and I might even say dirty santa?! Planet is a store full of odds and ends that scream hip, dirty fashion and Durham...I mean Wilmington (just reminds me of a Durham, NC/Boulder, CO crowd). If you are in the mood for original t-shirts, summer dresses, raunchy bumper stickers, gem jewelry, fake aviator shades or a bench NOT made for sitting. I've been attracted into Planet on almost every visit to Wilmington and haven't been disappointed. It's cute, a quick stop, and if you're looking to but something, there's so much variety, it's hard not to see something that catches your eye. They even had a very small selection of items on sale (under $10). Planet is a great stop if you're downtown and wondering around.

In 15 minutes I found and tried on 2 dresses and 3 shirts. I purchased 4/5 items and added a…read morevintage necklace. The two tops I purchased would pair with a suit for work or jeans after hours. The dresses were fun and flirty with great prints and flattering cuts. They had a variety of super casual to date night and a few items appropriate to supplement your career wardrobe. I didn't have much time to browse but the sales woman was very friendly and helpful. I would love to come back and browse the nifty gifties!

What cool place! Lots of booths with lots to offer! I was greeted when I walked in and the booths…read morehad anything from food items like baked goods to refrigerated premade foods, clothing, lots of nautical goods, indoor outdoor items just a lot to see. The staff walked around making sure everyone was finding what they looked for. Family friendly.. had items for kids too.. bright, colorful and you took items up front to register when you are ready!! Great place to walk thru

This place has remained so consistently great in the 25 years it has been open. When I walked in…read moretoday, every employee was dressed up in dim Christmas attire and super friendly. It seemed they like really love working there. I picked up a Cape Fear rum cake because they are unbelievably good. The store is so clean and you can find something for everyone. Not to mention that they do wrapping for free!

Amanda is amazing! I was in a jam trying to get flowers for my friend over Memorial Day weekend and…read moreshe truly delivered....literally and figuratively! The flowers are beautiful and they arrived as promised. I HIGHLY recommend this business! Thank you so much!

HIGHLY recommend! I wanted to order flowers for a family member in the hospital. I found The Busy…read moreBloom online and went to their Instagram page. It didn't take long to find flowers I loved and messaged them. Amanda had the same flowers in stock and made an absolutely beautiful arrangement that was beyond my expectations! She even sent me photos which I greatly appreciated.